It would have been nice if they sent something that would at least SCARE the pirates.
Like what? They could find a later-model ship, but who cares? The pirates don't have anything that can even remotely take on this ship. A cheap, gun-based littoral-oriented ship is perfect for this role. If looks rather than need drove decisions, they'd have sent a Lafayette-class vessel:
Tell you what. Let us put you out at sea on a small boat against this French warship, let it fire a couple of rounds in your direction, a direct hit from which would not send you to Davy Jones Locker, because the bits would be so small that the fish would eat you before they could sink that far, and let us see how your bravado stands up.
See post 18. something with a 100mm gun, a CIWS, a bunch of machine guns and a couple of 20mm guns (all of which can be used surface to surface) is going to be more than a match for a few Islamothugs who are used to fighting unarmed tourists.
It would have been nice if they sent something that would at least SCARE the pirates.
Ah, Jeez..You only wanted them SCARED ? Blast, we might have might have pushed the envelope a bit, and decided to kill half of them.
Elderly looking or not, the Commandant Bouan apparently did her job quite well, along with the French troops so many posters felt free to insult, wouldn’t you say ?