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Posted on 02/23/2011 8:10:07 PM PST by marktwain
Four Americans, including a Seattle couple, aboard a private yacht hijacked by Somali pirates are dead this morning, and readers reacting to the CBS story on-line are wondering why any of the pirates were taken alive. Likewise, after the Seattle Times caught up with the story at about 7:25 a.m., it didn’t take long for readers to suggest that the pirates be taught a lesson.
The incident is hardly a first in that part of the world. Somali pirates have been emboldened by the willingness of some victims to pay outrageous ransoms. Reports indicate that negotiations were underway between the pirates and a U.S. warship nearby.
Today’s dead are identified as Seattleites Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay, along with Californians Scott and Jean Adam, who owned the Quest, whose home port may be Marina del Rey, where the Adams lived.
Then we should bring the Navy in and blast those Somalian (sic) MF's back into the stone age (or farther back into it). If a Somolian (sic) ship is at sea and is not fishing, blow them up and ask questions later.—Seattle Times reader
Early in the Obama administration, Navy SEAL marksmen took out some pirates holding a merchant captain hostage, but one can now conclude that message was insufficient to convince pirates that attacking boats or ships on the high seas, sailing under the American flag, is a bad idea. It will be up to the administration to take appropriate action. Examiner readers are encouraged to comment below, explaining what you think would be appropriate.
Meanwhile, what can private vessels do to discourage pirates or defend against them?
This column checked on line and it appears that it is legal – with some red tape, naturally – to carry arms aboard.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
No guns on board is stupid. Suicidal, even.
Hexolit 32
Why, didn’t our military control the situation? On the other hand, some people think the world is a kumbaya song by Joan Baez.
I’ve always sailed with firearms, usually my Colt .45 and a 12 gauge.
If Obama had any balls at all he should get a group of Navy Seals to board a 50 foot sailing yacht with a couple of decoys on the upper deck and sail through troubled waters. When the pirates attack, it’s shoot to kill, period. NO prisoners, and blow their boat completely out of the water. It would only take two times and I would bet good money the piracy would drop by 80%.
they don’t even have the right to carry right here in the States in places that would be far more dangerous to 4 upperclass white people than the Somalis.
The pirates are now using captured clandestine mother ships to roam over 1,500 miles from Somalia. The sailboat was taken over 1,000 miles away. It’s the Red Sea or the Cape of Good Hope, so it’s a big risk either way if you plan to go around.
Of course guns on board is a bad idea. Why they may have injured one of the pirates. sar/
That looks wicked! What do a box go fer?
Yeah. What you said.
What would be smart would be not going on a luxury cruise into Pirate-land to pass out Bibles.
That would be smart.
The old adage still stands and makes sense:....”Better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and NOT have it.”
Why are yachtsmen and women going into dangerous, out of control places in the first place? Don’ they have a lick of sense or information? Do only naive and stupid Kumbaya “liberals” do this? It’s one thing if you want to go by yourself into hostile territory, but to take a family member or women into Islamofascist territory,.....? Excuse me, but WTF are they thinking? Or are they?
I’d have a waterproof containter welded to the bottom of my boat where the guns would go before entering port in hostile lands (except for concealed carry guns.)
Shoot first and head for the open seas.
Kinda pricey.
Looks like $18 for a box of six.
They can be inconvenient to carry, to be sure - many ports prohibit a landing with them onboard. These are laws an intelligent person must consider worthy of disobedience if that individual is willing to accept the consequences. The consequences of not having them, though - those involve dying helplessly at the hands of those who do. Your choice.
Thank you for reiterating that factoid. I was thinking that if the pirates were in MN, and I was in Texas, I'd think that was far enough away, but these days, it's not.
Looking forward to Castego Cay. Hope it's soon.
I read that US naval forces were trailing the Americans.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=209419
It’s an incredibly stupid idea.
Every time I’ve sailed into a foreign port, I get a visit by customs or the police.
This is even true in yacht destinations like Antigua or Sardinia.
Most countries have very strict gun control laws.
They find a firearm on your boat and you’re going to experience “Midnight Express” first hand.
If you need protection use a flare gun or a rocket flare.
We’re talking range of up to several thousands of feet and burn temperatures of thousands of degrees.
Fire one into a beat up pirate launch and it’s going to burn.
Hit a pirate and he’s going to catch on fire.
Most importantly, it’s not only legal but require to be on board.
But the best solution is don’t sail in pirate waters!
Many places where you would sail into will not allow firearms. It is a complicated situation. In some ports, you need to declare any weapons onboard and let them hang onto them while you are in their country. You can get them back on the way out. If you try to hide them, they will find them. Customs agents are accustomed to searching for drugs on board. They will seize your boat and put you in jail if they find undeclared firearms.
Other places will seize them and keep them no matter what.
You need a long range firearm. Shotgun is only good when they’re trying to board or after have gotten on board. Go for a large capacity auto-loader with high powered round. Think AR-10 chambered in .308, or similar.
You need to be able to damage a vessel from a ways off. Of course these guys are willing to fire RPG’s at naval ships, so you might be better off steering well clear of dangerous areas.
Would any number of weapons really help four people with limited or no combat experience on a smaller boat? If they are facing a relatively large number of pirates, it would seem like the best they could do is take out a couple pirates before they were killed.
I hope you’re right.
Problems arise when you enter the sovereign waters of another country. Once you do that, you are subject to their laws and if you are going boating, going out to sea and never hitting port sucks. Take this from a former US Navy sailor.
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