Posted on 04/08/2009 6:28:05 PM PDT by tsmith130
The U.S. is closing in on pirates that hijacked a U.S.-flagged ship off the coast of Somalia. According to a spokesman for the owner of the Maersk Alabama, which had been hijacked by pirates before American crew members were able to regain control of the vessel Wednesday, a U.S. Navy warship arrived at the scene Wednesday night.
The ship's captain still is being held hostage on a smaller boat.
Family members said Capt. Richard Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of the crew. "What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," said Gina Coggio, 29, half sister of Phillips' wife. "That is what he would do. It's just who he is and his response as a captain."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Wednesday for world action to "end the scourge of piracy" as U.S. warships raced to confront the pirates.
"We are deeply concerned and we are following it very closely," Clinton said. "Specifically, we are now focused on this particular act of piracy and the seizure of a ship that carries 21 American citizens.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
If that story’s accurate, it makes a lot of sense. The hostage negotiators are obviously at work. First thing you want to do is isolate the dudes, letting them discover that you’re the only source for whatever they need.
I hope the story about the company deciding to cave isn’t true.
saw that and was going mad at the TV
Dick just wanted to keep changing the subject and even when she said I want to stay on topic he still disregarded it and went back to Europe
Living here in Maine we hear from time to time about the goings on at Bath Iron Works, where a lot of the Arleigh Burke class destroyers are built. The Shipwrights at BIW take great pride in crafting what may well be (and we believe are) the greatest warships afloat in the world.
A few select individuals get to ride one of these vessels during one of their “shakedown cruises” where they are tested for seaworthiness prior to delivery to the Navy.
I’ve heard from several of them who describe it as an incredible experience.
Crew and observers have to be strapped in due to the phenominal G-forces encountered during extreme manuvering, and they are exhausted from just hanging on for dear life when they get back to port.
They won’t tell you how fast these things will go, but I seem to recall hearing a rumor several years ago that they could easily tow 200 water skiers behind them, and that at around 40 knots they come up “on the step”, which means that the front half of the hull rises completely out of the water and the ship hydroplanes on the rear portion of the hull.
How much more she’s got left after that point even the gossipers won’t say or don’t know.
High powered “Cigarette” and water skiing boats routinely do that, but I’ve never seen a destroyer doing it... have you?
I suspect that it’s like an F-16 going supersonic over habitated areas; the only time you’re going to hear sonic booms or see a destroyer flying along up on the step these days is if some serious “S” is hitting the proverbial fan someplace.
All this is just rumor, mind you.
But don’t be surprised if you find these things turning up on scene over long distances a lot sooner than you might expect.
Bath build damn fine ships, Mateys.
This are the same conditions that prevailed during the Barbary Pirate Era.
We need to take it Home to these Pirates with the strategy above.
My mistake, I was confusing the M249 with the M240.
But I haven't heard of any M249 replacement either. Although IIRC one of the M16 replacements had a heavy barrel configuration that could function in the SAW role.
So when do they fire the tear gas and burn the lifeboat to the waterline?
Fascinating! Thanks for the background.
There are no MOABs in our arsenal. We decided not to go into production with them. There is no napalm either.
They are in a *lifeboat*. Just back off, get up some speed, do a close pass and swamp the bastids. Pick the Captain out of the water, leave the pirates for the sharks. Sharks gotta eat too you know.
As for those on shore, A few (dozen) little 500 lb bombs dropped by a single pass of a BUFF would have interesting effects on the pirate "infrastructure".
You don’t expect them to admit they’re actually shallowly concerned?
My understanding is that most ports of call are hostilely anti-gun with severe penalties for bringing them in to port. Gun-free zones on water.
I like overkill, it reduces the chances of casualities on our side.
however the Bainbridge also two 20mm Phalanx CIWS. Still overkill, not so much so, but still enough to keep me happy. :)
You were right; I was mistaken. Farragut was still a Captain’s Boy when Decatur was Commodore. It’s just too bad that Decatur’s overblown sense of personal honer got him killed in a duel when he was just in his early 40’s, otherwise his fame might well have eclipsed that of Farragut, entirely, as he could well have been the first U.S. Navy man to make Admiral. Not to be, though. Decatur lost his head, lost his life for his trouble, and we have yet one more case of “that which might have been.”
You are a regular internet commando, aren’t you?
So true. Both wars could be over now if we just let the military do their job and quit worrying about ticking off some Sheik
The idiot (stboz) advocating “nuking” the pirates and expressed some concern for the innocents who may die. The statement is so idiotic that I’m not even sure why I bothered responding to the effing idiot.
“First thing you want to do is isolate the dudes, letting them discover that you’re the only source for whatever they need”
I think having them perched on the missile deck of an FBM would be an excellent negotiating tactic, plus I would love to see the look on their faces when they began to rise out of the water and see what’s under them. Then tell them be nice to the gentleman, he is your lifeline.
thats good, yep they cracked down harder on the wackos in Waco than the these pirates, Hillary probably has a Johnny Dep fetish
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