Posted on 04/15/2009 7:13:03 AM PDT by reaganaut1
An American cargo ship was attacked by pirates armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, but the attackers failed to take over the ship, which was able to continue with its delivery of food aid to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
The ship, the Liberty Sun, was damaged in the attack but the crew members were not hurt, according to a statement from the ship’s owner, Liberty Maritime, of Lake Success, N.Y.
“We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets. Also bullets,” a crew member aboard the Liberty Sun, Thomas Urbik, said in an e-mail message to his mother, The Associated Press reported. “We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no one is hurt.”
Mr. Urbik said a rocket had “penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out.”
The ship sent out a distress call around 6:30 p.m. It was able to repel the attack by conducting “evasive maneuvers” — which can include speeding up the ship or zigzagging in the water to destabilize the small pirate skiffs, said Lt. Nathan Christensen, a public affairs officer with the United States Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The Navy destroyer involved in the rescue of an American captain last week responded to the distress call, but by the time it arrived, about five hours later, the pirates had fled.
...
Piracy in the region is surging. American naval authorities have recorded 23 hijackings this year. In 2008 — already a record year — there were 40 hijackings. Still, statistically, the chance of being pirated in the region remains low — less than 1 percent of the tens of thousands of ships transiting the area are attacked, Lieutenant Christensen said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
We should avenge this attempt. It should not go unpunished.
Arm the vessels and crews. Convoys are a waste of money and material.
It’s time to deploy a Marine ship with Harriers.
One 50 cal rail mount gun would make a big difference. It could easily be stored in an arms locker while in port.
5 hours is not a good response time.
Arm the ships, it’s the only solution that makes any sense. “Help arrived in 5 hours.” FIVE hours....?
American sailors should refuse to serve on unarmed ships in this region. The fact thay they remain defenseless is ridiculous. Let the left/UN scream all they like. Arm our own citizens at sea and let them fight these Islamic thugs.
Gee!...do you think the crew might have been motivated not to get captured?....The pirates won’t let that story of three dead happen again!
A gatling gun ..................
A little “Chicago way” response would end this in short order.
jw
It is deployed nearby.
Dont you mean “A gatling gun ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... < insert new ammo belt > ......................., and so on?”
Do the assault ships have drones that can deploy from their decks? If so, why not simply use drones for surveillance, and if necessary, drop a rocket or two.
This looks like a job for those Blackwater guys...
I say put fly some Predators around the gulf. Don't wait for American ships to place distress calls - detect the initial gunfire and respond with a Hellfire or two.
This is getting ridiculous. Just kill them and be done with it.
sw
Ya know, for me, a simple solution is usually best ... I see the 50 cal M2 as about the max that could be moved around by a couple of people, sets up quick, and made secure below decks when needed. Hey put four out in advance.
IMHO — It’s about the biggest that is handy ... It should be good for sinking any of these pirate dingys.
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