Posted on 04/12/2009 9:16:17 AM PDT by Mariner
I read much saber rattling concerning the current hostage crises.
Remember, a Destroyer or Frigate only have the capability to sink ships and submarines...and to shoot planes and missile out of the sky.
They do not have SEAL teams...nor even snipers...onboard. They have the ship's weapons and small arms, usually shotguns and pistols.
Until the USS Boxer arrives on the scene, the Navy does not have the ability to even ATTEMPT a rescue.
However, I'm pretty darn sure that lifeboat will not reach the beach, no matter what...
Funny.
During operation sharp guard we had a seal team on board the USS Deyo DD-989. They were there to coordinate the many boardings that we did to enforce the naval blockade. A modern DDG is an awesome piece of machinery that could very easily take on a seal team.
It seems that if we were patrolling for pirates then a seal team would be the most versatile tool we could have for taking back a hijacked ship.
This whole situation stinks. I am upset we were not locked, loaded, and ready for this Captain’s escape attempt.
Everything needed to end this situation is there and has been there since the start. The only thing that’s been held back is the order to ‘Go’.
That's the nut of the issue. While the Navy will likely get the captain back, it's VERY UNLIKELY they'll get the order to take out a pirate base.
The Boxer could do so quickly and easily...killing thousands and sinking everything they have. Leaving nothing but scorched earth where there used to be a village.
I think that something will ordered to happen on Tuesday, 14 April. That way it takes the Tea Parties off the news.
Hope so.
They will make an attempt at some point, when they believe they have the greatest possible advantage.
Until then, that lifeboat will not reach the beach.
I thought so before I read the article. LOL.
The Bainbridge inparticular has signifiacnt facilities for them to be able to plan and deploy in this kind of a mission without an LHA or LHD on the scene.
Finally, without going into more detail, we have submariens in the IO AOO that can both embark and deploy SEAL teams. I would not be surprised to learn that one is alreayd on station.
So...having the Boxer or other large deck amphib there is nioce...but not necessary.
Please, stop posting on every thread, and stop the vanities, that we should wait for the Boxer when she is there and we didn't need to wait for her to begin with!
I understand your points of course, but we don't really know that.
what we do know - and was neatly buried pretty well for awhile - was that Mogadishu was infiltrated or co mingled with AQ pretty quickly.
The training that showed them how to down and fight US air power came straight from that, and if islamos are not part of this bunch then they are going to be pronto, since this is an exploitable weakness.
Were I in their position, I would be doing that now.
It would pay for another slew of USS Cole type attacks, and would be pretty painless to people who have gotten used to hiding in the freezing mountains of Pakistan, or roasting in the desert heat of Somalia for the last 8 years.
Very few media outlet are going to cover the tea parties to begin with. Why do you think that the liberal media (i.e. 90% of the media) is going to cover these parties with or without this pirates situation?
Are there co-ordinates or map showing relative position of this lifeboat to the coast? I hope these pirates meet their fate very very soon.
They also have a 5”-50. Kills pirates dead.
Any other thing that badly scares the pirates could result in them killing the captain. Shooting one pirate would cause the the other pirates to shoot the captain. That omits anything a Seal team could to the boat - other than quietly adding a tow rope .
So, scratch any hull entry from below, or boarding.
Even a tow line is problematic though. If a rope is attached, the pirates could easily drop over the side, and cut it... unless it's a small steel line. What Seals attach, pirates could easily detach.
There is only one thing that might save that captain - the arrival of 2 mil in cash, which ~might~ result in an exchange.
We all want the brave Captain to remain alive and that is not debatable. The brave Captain could have been freed by the Navy Seal in the first hours of the crisis or when he attempted to flee few days ago. The orders were given to the Seals not to interfere, period.
You are right.
True, but time is on our side as long as the kidnappers are isolated from their own support network. For example, we are providing food and water — and we’ll start asking prices for that food and water; we’ll start adding fear, uncertainty, and doubt into the pirates’ heads. If they kill the captain, they lose their bargaining chip. It’s annoying, but patience will work.
Are you specking from any direct current operational awareness of the situation, or just as John Q. Public?
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