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To: r9etb
>Did you know that the British used this very tactic back in WWI, for use against U-boats?

Great example.


On August 19, 1915 Lieutenant Godfrey Herbert RN of the HMS Baralong sank U-27, which was preparing to attack a nearby merchant ship.
About a dozen of the U-boat sailors survived and swam towards the merchant ship.
Herbert, allegedly fearing that they might scuttle her, ordered the survivors to be shot in the water and sent a boarding party to kill all who had made it aboard.

This became known as the “Baralong Incident”.

In a total of 150 engagements, British Q-ships destroyed 14 U-boats and damaged 60, at a cost of 27 Q-ships lost out of 200.
Q-ships were responsible for about 10% of all U-boats sunk, ranking them well below the use of ordinary minefields in effectiveness.


However, I have no problem using this tactic against pirates, but no pussified nation in the Western World would do it.
They do not have the balls of T. Roosevelt, let alone do what is needed to save us.

188 posted on 02/22/2011 10:38:56 AM PST by bill1952 (Choice is an illusion created between those with power - and those without)
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To: bill1952
However, I have no problem using this tactic against pirates, but no pussified nation in the Western World would do it. They do not have the balls of T. Roosevelt, let alone do what is needed to save us.

You're wrong. It's not a matter of "balls." You will note that several countries, the US included, have had the balls to deploy their navies in the region. The problem is that they can't protect all of the thousands of ships over that very large area.

Any country that is willing to put a cruiser in the region, would be willing to put in a decoy. It's probably more a matter of inertia and logistics: you've got to build, deploy, and maintain those decoys.

And.... maybe nobody with the authority to do something like this, has heard about or thought of it.

190 posted on 02/22/2011 10:54:44 AM PST by r9etb
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