Somali Pirates Attack Cruise Ship (Shots fired at ship, nobody hurt, ship escapes)

Sky News (U.K.) ^ | November 30, 2008 | Steve Read

[Stoat]

A luxury cruise ship carrying scores of British passengers has come under attack from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

 

The luxury cruise ship, Nautica, managed to avoid being hijacked

 

Two pirate boats opened fire on the six-star Nautica, as she sailed between Somalia and Yemen on Sunday.

The cruise ship, which carries 690 passengers and 386 crew, was sailing past several groups of fishing boats when two small skiffs tried to intercept it.

Captain Jurica Brajcic began evasive manoeuvres when the pirates were about 1,000 yards away from the ship and managed to avert the attack.

While cargo ships and small pleasure boats have been attacked by Somali pirates, this is only the second time they have attempted to hijack a cruise ship.

Three years ago, rocket-propelled grenades were fired at the Seabourn Spirit. Two of the ship's officers were injured.

A Oceania Cruises spokesman said: "Nautica was immediately brought to flank speed and was able to outrun the two skiffs.

"One of the skiffs did manage to close the range to approximately 300 yards and fired eight rifle shots in the direction of the vessel before trailing off."

 

No one aboard the ship was harmed and no damage was sustained.

The ship's main defence against attack, a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), was readied during the chase.

It emits a high-powered beam of sound which, at close range, can shatter a person's eardrums.

The six-star ship was carrying American, British and Australian passengers on a 32-day cruise from Rome to Singapore.

[hosepipe]

[ If they don’t already allow it, why not add skeet shooting to the recreational activities on board? The advantages are obvious. ]

If the pirates get "shotgun close to you" you're plan has failed.. Average people will not kill even a burgular let alone a pirate.. However, there are some people that might even pay the cruise lines to be able to shoot at pirates.. The best deal is for the cruise lines to hire security forces(for certain cruises).. with plans for just a scenario as pirates..

Anarchy breeds all kinds of pirates.. some could be booked on the cruise itself..

[Big_Monkey]

Now you’re talking my language. Finally, some reason is introduced into the discussion!

[Travis McGee]

Exactly. Driving pirates off just gets them primed to attack and murder another bunch. Kill them. Use “Q ship” operations, hunt over bait, and wipe them out.

[Travis McGee]

50 calibers from a ship are wonderfully effective. You not only have tracers, but you see your splashes. You don’t aim so much as look over the barrel and adjust your splashes until they merge with your target. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling just remembering shooting 50s over the water. What we need are commandos manning bait “Q ships.”

[Travis McGee]

Roger Q ships. GMTA.

[Travis McGee]

The USCG uses 50 caliber sniper rifles in small helos to disable the engines of speedboats. The rifles are suspended in the door in a sort of a bungee harness.

But from a ship, give me an M2 50 caliber belt fed any day, and just walk the splashes to the target.

[samtheman]

I would gladly man a M2 for a cruise passage. Hell, I'd pay for the privilege.

So would a lot of people. That would be one fine cruise. Everybody gets to bring the weapon of his/her choice as long as they agree to keep it out of sight until the pirates attack. Then, it's a race to see who gets the most kills, with a ship video crew on hand to try to ascertain the winners.

For complete thoroughness, the ship could come equipped with an autopsy room for digging out bullets and assigning definite kill-points to those passengers who really know how to handle a weapon.

I guess the fun could be spoiled, however, if some greedy passengers decide to bring rocket launchers and spoil the fun for all the true marksmen aboard. So I guess there have to be some rules.

Ah! What a dream cruise!

[hosepipe]

Exactly.. Except I think Somali pirates could be a profit center.. Destroying them could make a KILLER DVD.. Even multiple DVD’s.. Talk about a reality Show..

[El Gato]

A Oceania Cruises spokesman said: "Nautica was immediately brought to flank speed and was able to outrun the two skiffs.

She should have turned and swamped them.

She should also have been armed, with small arms, including something that outranges an RPG, like a .50 cal M2, or a (not as good) equivalent like the Soviet/Russian DShKM 12.7mm or the KPVT 14.5 mm.

[El Gato]

The reason why a Western cruise ship is operating anywhere near Somalia and Yemen these days is what, exactly?

Kind of hard to go from the Med, through the Suez Canal, and on to the far east, without going between Somalia and Yemen.

They have to run another Muslim Pirate gauntlet when running through the Straits of Malaca, or other passages to get to Singapore and beyond.

The reason why a luxury liner operating in extremely dangerous waters is not equipped with lethal countermeasures in this day and age is what, exactly?

they would be illegal in almost every port of call. Even a nice Ma Duece would run afoul of the US BATFE, unless they'd paid the tax on it, and it was built before 1986.

Of course that problem could be solved by stationing Bootnecks (Marines) or other military/paramilitary forces on the ships. You could use reservists, whose orders would not be activated until the ship came under attack, but who got a free cruise for their trouble. (that way the host nation would not have to pay them, until needed, and the cost could be born by the cruise line)

[El Gato]

Use “Q ship” operations, hunt over bait, and wipe them out

Only if you video the operation, not showing much of the Q ship of course, so the taxpayers can see what they are paying for. Heck they'd probably pay enough for the videos to offset the operating costs of the Q ship, if not the initial investment.

[Tammy8]

I think we should set up a cruise for our military Special Ops guys; load them up for bear- or pirates as the case may be. Let them cruise around those parts as long as it takes to solve the problem. Let them enjoy the amenities of the cruise ship in their down time. I bet they would enjoy the mission.

Problem is I imagine those guys are already pretty busy right now with the rest of the War on Terror.

[Travis McGee]

It would be easy to get volunteers for the Q ships!

Seriously, there are SEALs and SFs at the French base in Djibouti. I don’t know why this hasn’t been done.

[El Gato]

Seriously, there are SEALs and SFs at the French base in Djibouti. I don’t know why this hasn’t been done.

Marines too. One of my wife's students was there. He called it the armpit of the world. I don't know about that, but I'm sure you can see it from there.

[hosepipe]

These pirates could be a damn good training excersize for Seals..
And for the Seal mentality..... FUN TOO..

A good excuse for a Jolly Roger medal..
for re-captureing one of the ships the pirates steal..

There could be much important data liberated from some of these pirates after trolling them for sharks.. After losing a leg or arm they might open right up and tell you anything you want to know..