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Lifeboat with US captain nears Somalia-Only 20 miles and where did they get the gas?
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1470358.php/Lifeboat_with_US_captain_nears_Somalia_talks_failed__Roundup__ ^

Posted on 04/11/2009 7:15:37 PM PDT by fooman

Somali pirates obtained fuel for their hijacked lifeboat and were moving within 35 kilometres of Somalia's shore late Saturday with Phillips on board, ABC news and CNN reported.

(Excerpt) Read more at monstersandcritics.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: hostages; maritime; richardphillips; somalia; somaliapirates; somalipirates
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To: PugetSoundSoldier
3-4 knots per hour

The "per hour" is redundant. Just say 3-4 knots. A knot is 1 nautical mile per hour.

101 posted on 04/11/2009 8:42:19 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault ( Obama, you're off the island!)
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To: photodawg
"I disagree. This is post 9-11. the longer this goes the more likely other hostages will be taken elsewhere to support their Muslim brothers in Somalia against the Great Satan. We become sitting ducks. In fact we have already lost our opportunity to control this situation. The pirates and other Islamic radicals are now in control. Once we start to negotiate with terrorists they have already won a victory. This is like the incident with Iran and the British seamen.

Well, I suppose you could look at all the geopolitical ramifications of this incident, and none of them would be good for the US. But, I was speaking specifically about this one hostage. My background is not in LE, but it is military. While no two hostage situations are alike, generally speaking, the longer it goes, the better a chance of a safe resolution for the hostage.

As I said, so long as the lifeboat is bobbing in the middle of the open ocean, and doesn't make it to shore or is reinforced by other pirate ships, the US Navy still maintains the initiative and control - they haven't lost anything yet.

There aren't any good military options, certainly not with a vessel that small and not without extraordinary risk to the the hostage.

102 posted on 04/11/2009 8:42:46 PM PDT by Big_Monkey
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To: fooman
Putin used the gas to free the hostages.

The gas killed over 120 hostages.

103 posted on 04/11/2009 8:42:59 PM PDT by Doe Eyes
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To: Doe Eyes

yep, he did not let that get in the way, either.


104 posted on 04/11/2009 8:49:06 PM PDT by fooman (Get real with Kim Jung Mentally Ill about proliferation)
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To: Palladin
Somalians are not kind to their hostages. If this drags on even for a few more days, the Captain probably will not survive.

Then what will the Great Obama do?
/////////////////////////////////

I think when this is over, with the benefit of hindsight it will be obvious that the time to act was when the captain escaped, and that we were prevented from doing so by our commander in chief, who, like Jimmy Carter, believes in the innate goodness of all our enemies. Thus he will always respond to violence with patience ,understanding, and negotiation.

105 posted on 04/11/2009 8:50:31 PM PDT by photodawg (It's not about how hard you can hit. It's about how hard you can get hit ......Rocky Balboa)
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To: PugetSoundSoldier; fooman; All

Given they were bobbing for close to 4 days, that would be 96 hours. Or a potential 400 miles covered.
~~~
If your numbers are close that means they will hit the

coast in the middle of the day,,,

If the SEALs haven’t already hit them it’s too late,,,

Wind : 14 mph W by N,,,Aden is as close as I can find in that zone,,,

O’Bammy may have put a “Red Light” on a rescue...


106 posted on 04/11/2009 8:56:18 PM PDT by 1COUNTER-MORTER-68 (THROWING ANOTHER BULLET-RIDDLED TV IN THE PILE OUT BACK~~~~~)
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To: 1COUNTER-MORTER-68

This is my fear too.


107 posted on 04/11/2009 8:59:03 PM PDT by fooman (Get real with Kim Jung Mentally Ill about proliferation)
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To: Big_Monkey

You are supposed to put like 4 inches of seawater into the toilet...then dump it over after a few uses, or when it develops an odor. Salt water is pretty good in a toilet for keeping it clean. There is a small pail with a line on it for handling the toilet chores. The bench beds lift open like huge footlockers, inside is everything...flares, food, water, first aid, gps, emergency beacons, 121.5mhz aircraft walkies...etc.


108 posted on 04/11/2009 9:01:47 PM PDT by Bobalu (McCain has been proven to be the rino flop I always thought he was.)
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To: 1COUNTER-MORTER-68

With the current AND the 14 MPH wind behind them, they’ll have no problem bridging that last 20-30 miles...

Hopefully a SEAL team attaches an anchor to the bottom of the boat, right off the drive shaft. Attach it with a 300 meter shock cord to an anchor or to another ship/boat, and they would never feel it pull taut. Just slowly come to a stop.


109 posted on 04/11/2009 9:02:05 PM PDT by PugetSoundSoldier (Indignation over the sting of truth is the defense of the indefensible)
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To: Big_Monkey
There aren't any good military options, certainly not with a vessel that small and not without extraordinary risk to the the hostage.

////////////////////////////

The longer a hostage situation goes the better chances the hostage survives is undoubtedly true. However, each time we negotiate with a hostage taker we increase the chances that in the future hostages will again be taken. I believe the military option could have been played out when the Captain escaped. I'm sure he counted on the destroyer taking out the boat shortly after he hit the water. Imagine his surprise when we did nothing. I believe the Navy was ordered by the CIC not to use force. I can't conceive of the Navy not monitoring all activity on that boat and also being able to easily descern the difference between the captain and the islamists.

110 posted on 04/11/2009 9:02:59 PM PDT by photodawg (It's not about how hard you can hit. It's about how hard you can get hit ......Rocky Balboa)
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To: fooman

07:00 there now,,,Daylight,,,

Hopin’ for news soon,,,

This ain’t good...


111 posted on 04/11/2009 9:06:22 PM PDT by 1COUNTER-MORTER-68 (THROWING ANOTHER BULLET-RIDDLED TV IN THE PILE OUT BACK~~~~~)
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To: PugetSoundSoldier

Yup, they need to be towing that damned lifeboat behind a destroyer.


112 posted on 04/11/2009 9:08:41 PM PDT by Bobalu (McCain has been proven to be the rino flop I always thought he was.)
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To: Bobalu

This should have been resolved days ago!!


113 posted on 04/11/2009 9:12:34 PM PDT by Empireoftheatom48 (Zero will never be my President, never!!!!!)
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To: photodawg
"I believe the military option could have been played out when the Captain escaped. I'm sure he counted on the destroyer taking out the boat shortly after he hit the water. Imagine his surprise when we did nothing. I believe the Navy was ordered by the CIC not to use force.

I don't think that the Skipper made it far enough away from the lifeboat for someone to open up with a M60 or a .50 cal. From two or three hundred yards away, it would be impossible to put all the rounds going down range precisely on the target. For the skipper to have been rescued, the watch would've needed permission from the bridge to open up. That would have required more than the minute or two that he was out of the boat.

Even a man-overboard drill takes several minutes.

Of course, this is all based on reporting, so we won't know exactly what the circumstances were until there's a proper after-action report compiled.

As for Barry giving permission, I would guess that a rescue attempt would be cleared at the Pentagon at a minimum, and probably the WH. But, I can promise you the naval Captain has already received very clear and precise rules of engagement. I'm sure if the skipper would have made it far enough from the lifeboat, the Navy Captain has strike authority.

114 posted on 04/11/2009 9:13:32 PM PDT by Big_Monkey
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To: Bobalu
"You are supposed to put like 4 inches of seawater into the toilet...then dump it over after a few uses, or when it develops an odor.

That sounds like a lot of work for people who are used to wiping with the right and eating with their left. I'm sticking with the boat is "stinking like a business end of an Elephant's A$$.

115 posted on 04/11/2009 9:17:46 PM PDT by Big_Monkey
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To: kcvl

“Hell, Reuters thinks ‘PIRACY’ is a business!”

— I minored in it in college...


116 posted on 04/11/2009 9:20:23 PM PDT by zwerni (this isn't gonna be good for business)
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To: sportutegrl
"Go to DU or Kos. They are ignoring this and hoping it will just go away."

LOL......I noticed the few who are paying attention are saying the same old BS that its Bush/Cheny/Halliburton/Blackwater's fault, or something like "we need to understand them better" What complete fools these people are.

Even the French had more guts than the chosen one. They went in there heavy, lost a few, but got most people and the ship back.

117 posted on 04/11/2009 9:22:15 PM PDT by skimask (When you deal with people who value death over life traditional means of deterence will not work)
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To: PugetSoundSoldier

Nothing new up yet,,,

I sure hope they did something,,,

No news on the Boxer,,,

From Navy.mil :

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) - 5th Fleet

USS Boxer (LHD 4) - 5th Fleet

If the deed ain’t done it ain’t gunna be...


118 posted on 04/11/2009 9:25:58 PM PDT by 1COUNTER-MORTER-68 (THROWING ANOTHER BULLET-RIDDLED TV IN THE PILE OUT BACK~~~~~)
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To: Big_Monkey

You are most likely correct, I’d hate to get a whiff of the insides of that plastic boat :-/


119 posted on 04/11/2009 9:40:33 PM PDT by Bobalu (McCain has been proven to be the rino flop I always thought he was.)
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To: Doe Eyes

IIRC most of those 120 deaths were from respiratory arrest. They had more non-breathing victims than they could handle at once. If we could get the gas into the lifeboat and if it worked quickly enough so the pirates couldn’t shoot the Captain (admittedly two big ifs) then we’d only have one hostage to save. There are certainly SEALs trained to intubate and bag him on the way back to a naval ship. If they could prevent the pirates from shooting, the rest would be straightforward. Devoting extra resources to try to save the pirates grows the mission, makes it more likely surprise will be lost and it will fail. Don’t bother with resources for them other than plenty of restraints.


120 posted on 04/11/2009 10:18:27 PM PDT by JohnBovenmyer
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