Posted on 04/16/2009 10:31:25 AM PDT by Winged Hussar
We read in this morning's paper that militant "Islamic" terrorists from Somalia are now threatening to "massacre" American sailors because Navy SEALs rescued an American from terrorist kidnappers. The countries to which merchantmen sail, in defiance of plain common sense, still refuse to allow armed vessels to dock in their ports. A possible answer would be for the merchant ships to mount detachable "combat modules" that could be lowered into international waters while the ship docked with its cargo. ...In the meantime, though, we would like to remind sailors of a very simple way to kill pirates without using anything that could be legally defined as a "weapon." Just drop something heavy onto their speedboat or skiff when they attempt to board.
The above practice dates back to the age of sail, when not only pirates but legitimate combatants would attempt to capture ships by rowing alongside in small boats and then climbing aboard. Sailors and marine guards therefore kept a few cannonballs (probably 18 to 32 pounds) handy to drop into the boarders' boat. A heavy iron ball would, when dropped from the ship's upper deck, go right through the rowboat and sink it. We are not sure what a similar technique would do to a skiff with a plastic bottom, and perhaps some tests should be conducted to determine the impact necessary to split one open or make a hole in it.
...We encourage merchant fleets to experiment with these techniques in advance to make sure they will work. (That is, an encounter with pirates is not the first time they should be tried. As an example, the crew should experiment on empty skiffs similar to those used by pirates to see what will work.)
(Excerpt) Read more at israpundit.com ...
Discharge the boats sewage on their heads?....
Blackwater.
It seems like one could store the cannon balls in a long tube, with a little black powder behind them. These could then be launched into the boats with enough force to puncture even hard plastic boats. The cannon balls could be so launched by igniting the black powder.
USE GUNS.
Use whatever you have to eliminate them permanently.
Or flowage from the waste tank.
Maybe the ship’s captain could give out rewards to the crewmen for most pirate boats sunk?
Five boats and you get to be an ACE!!!! They could paint little motorboat symbols just outside the ships bridge.
Maybe some international competition? Come on, let’s be creative.
Yes. Until they wake up from childhood and send two or three boats to stand off and sweep the decks clear with automatic fire while the boarders are loading.
The only way to be safe now is to keep well supplied with arms and, when entering territorial waters, place them on a small boat to be kept offshore while docking.
I wrote as much here in another post.
Drop granades in their boats?
Molotov cocktails, made with 1 to 5 gallon glass bottles of gasoline would work GREAT, too!
This is so childish.
What’s wrong with these people?
What planet are they living on?
Surplus bowling balls.
Don't know about you, but even if you didn't get hit with the fuel oil, the ship you are on is going to be permanently damaged and the odds are high that it's going to be a very unpleasant experience for those who survive.
Guns give you the impression that if you don't get hit, you are safe. Having flammable liquid sprayed in your general direction is certainly a deterrent.
You have to use what you have at hand. Generally a pirate dropped head first from the deck into the boat will kill a pirate.
Let the pirates make the decision as to how we handle it.
They should choose wisely.
Nuts.
You just have a couple-three small boats handle the job. One of them approaches the ship, the other(s) stand off. If the one contacting the ship is sunk per the article, the other(s) execute whatever violent plan they had that made the ship stop to start with.
If I can think of it, they can.
Put the shotguns in a waterproof container, then drop ‘em the fresh water tanks or a fuel tank. Or do Customers Inspectors check these?
sharks with laser beams on their heads!
or ...we could have a bailout programs to fund the home countries of the those impoverished workers who are held hostage...then their home country can pay the terrorists millions of dollars for their release! everyone would be on a more level hostage payment playing field!
How many king pin's are there?
Re: “Yes. Until they wake up from childhood and send two or three boats to stand off and sweep the decks clear with automatic fire while the boarders are loading.”
Automatic fire won’t do much to a 50,000 ton ship if the crew remains behind cover. I assume that the helmsman could do so while directing said 50,000 ton ship at the little boats at maximum speed.
Molotov cocktails: gasoline, oil (optional), sand, bottle, rag and a match/lighter.
I really like the heavy weight thing but Molotov cocktails don’t require anything special that can’t already be found on a ship.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.