Posted on 04/13/2009 8:55:29 AM PDT by Delacon
The operation to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips involved dozens of Navy SEALs, who parachuted from an aircraft into the scene near dark Saturday, landing in the ocean. The SEALs were part of a group of Special Operations forces involved in the effort, according to military officials.
The SEALs set up operations on the USS Bainbridge, which had been communicating with the four pirates via radio and had used smaller boats to make deliveries of food and water to their lifeboat. Yet the pirates were growing increasingly agitated, the officials said. At one point Saturday, the pirates opened fire on one of the smaller U.S. Navy craft that approached.
As the seas grew rougher, the Bainbridge offered to tow the lifeboat to calmer waters, and the pirates agreed, linking up the lifeboat to the destroyer with a towing cable that left 75 to 80 feet between the two vessels. Phillips at the time was tied up in the lifeboat, having been bound -- and occasionally beaten -- by the pirates ever since he had attempted to escape by jumping into the water on Friday, the officials said.
Meanwhile, one of the pirates, estimated to be between 16 and 20 years old, asked to come aboard the Bainbridge to make a phone call. He had been stabbed in the hand during an altercation with the crew of the Maersk Alabama and needed medical care. "He effectively gave himself up," a senior military official said. The Navy then allowed that pirate to speak with the others in hopes that he could persuade them to give up.
The three other pirates, however, showed signs of growing irritation, as the Bainbridge, 18 miles from shore, towed the lifeboat further out to sea, the senior military official said. "They had no promise of
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
In six weeks I’ll be going on a tour of Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery at Colville-sur-Mer, to observe the 65th anniversary of D-Day. I’ll think of your dad while I am there.
Thank you. I an sure my dad will hear you.
I don't seriously think the Navy is going to release full operational details of the shoot, do you? So of course the press doesn't have the full story.
As for gyro stabilized platforms; when was the last time you were at any state of the art "fun park" Disney has been making such things for decades, and I don't see them taking up a lot of real estate. Whether they exist and were deployed, I don't know, but you gotta figure, part of a SEAL's marksmanship training and practice is done on water. They're SEAL's after all and "S" stands for Sea. Long ago Marines used to shoot at waterborne targets while standing in rigging on a much more unstable platform than a modern naval vessel, with flintlocks. It's not like it is a new science.
I suspect they could shoot in the Olympics if they were available, but unlike Army guys, the SEALS are probably busy that day ;)
The SEAL’s are an amazing group of people and their skill is unparalleled.
While they would not release operational details it would be cool if they showed the film.
As a student of American History I am well aware of the Marine History and think those dude's were cool. I mean shooting from a rigging, under battle and shooting the leadership of the opposition? They must have been amazing and all this while managing flintlock.
My we as fellow freepers agree to disagree with the official story and still remain friends?
Again, all the praise to those men and their teams and I mean to take nothing from any one in the services, except the CIC.
This place is tame, so: No harm, no foul.
No, were' not going to know the "story". It was a successful op, so I'm fine with not knowing the details, no matter how nice it would be to know.
I didn’t think were either. I did take your opinion in the realm of possibilities I just didn’t feel it was probable without a lot of things being perfect.
Still, it is a great story and hopefully serves notice that the United States Marine is the superior weapon, always. And if they aren’t we still have Chuck Norris.
Friends. See you around.
That's a bit too specific. The real lesson.
Although R. Lee Emery puts it in terms the pirates might understand.
First, he'd tell them where they fit in the grand scheme of things
Second he'd tell 'em what will happen to them if they mess with the US,
Finally, he'd tell 'em what the solution to the problem they've been giving the world for a few hundred years.
I think some of the reporting has been a little sloppy. But consider, simultaneous need not mean within a millisecond. A few tenths or even a second, would probably be "good enough for government work". The shooters covering pirates two and three would take their cue from the guy shooting the one with the AK pointing at the master of the Alabama. The range was only around 100 feet. That means the time of flight is on the order of 1/250th of a second. When the first guy goes down, especially if was a head shot, the others are momentarily frozen, on the order of 1/2 to 1 1/2 seconds maybe. More than enough time for the other two snipers to sync in on their targets.
I'd add at least one, preferably two, M2 .50 BMG machine guns. They will keep the RPG shooters at bay even better than a LAW. The sniper rifle could of course do it as well, but with much more difficulty.
But none of those weapons, save the sniper rifle, is all that difficult to learn to operate with reasonable skill. Train and arm the crews. If the threat escalates, institute convoys, just like they have done farther north. A couple of frigates could provide security for dozens of ships. They just have to work together a bit. It's not like these guys have airplanes or U-boats.
There is a wee part of me that wonders if the military commander used a very broad interpretation of “imminent danger” so that he could do something to save Captain Phillips without breaking the rules.
I believe it is the Navy’s job to protect US Merchant Ships at sea.
...excepting a delayed bowel and kidney function...;)
Yer right. A LAWs rocket would be a little difficult to use accurately in moderate-to-rough sea conditions. With an M2 .50cal would be pretty easy to hose down an area at long-range without a whole lot of training.
I have a friend that I dive with once in awhile who’s son is a navy seal. After he got his Trident he went to sniper school. He told his dad “sniper school was the hardest thing he ever did.”
I wonder, does the Navy maintain it's own "Sniper School" or do they combine that school with the Army or Marines? Many schools are run by just 1 service branch for the benefit of all, but I get the impression that with Sniping it's different.
This is also one of those skills that seems to be partly innate -- or at least tied to peak physical conditioning. They run these sniper-candidates to heck & back, stopping only to shoot. Try making a score when your heartrate is jacked from a 6 mile run with full pack & in combat boots! Then do it again -- off-hand!
SOF utilizes both the Marine and Army schools for basic courses. Army SOF has the SO Target Interdiction Course (SOTIC) at Ft. Bragg. SOTIC is a sniper graduate course.
The SEALs have their own sniper “grad” course.
Both white and black SOF have various unit courses and operators also attend civilian courses.
To get into any basic sniper course, the requirements are stiff.
You have to be good to get your patch.
You seem to know more than a little about the subject, so I’d like to ask you question about the employment of “picked marksmen” during the Second Iraq War. I gather that this was done in the field by simply picking the best shooter in the squad & having him swap his CAR-4 with Springfield M1A? Have they continued the program and “institutionalized” the Squad Marksman role?
That,I didn't know.I didn't ask for details when my friend told me about his son. It must be tough course.
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