Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Defending Against Pirate Attack

All of that should be considered standard equipment for seagoing freighters but, as usual, politics gets in the way. Virtually every country in the world prohibits weapons of any kind from being on board of a ship docked in their ports. If the customs guys come on board and find them then everyone goes to jail. Therefore merchant ships have to roam the seas unarmed. Stupid I know, but a reality of doing business. This needs to change on a world level but there's no way with many of the world's countries being so hard over against guns that they're going to allow civilian ships to dock with weapons on board. Warships are another matter a they're considered soverign territory and other nations can't prevent them being armed, but they can and do prohibit their docking. There are many ports around the world that won't accept U.S. warships.

One way I see of dealing with this would be to maybe station a couple of U.S. navy ships on either end of the shipping lanes that are being attacked by these pirates and have them issue each U.S. flagged vessel going into the danger zone a provision of weapons and ammo. It doesn't have to be exotic, a remington 870 and buckshot for each sailor should be able to keep the ship secure. When they've moved through the danger zone then have them drop off the weapons at the ship stationed at the other end.

This piracy would be so easy to stop it's not even funny, all we have to do is arm the crews and it would come to a stop instantly. That we allow it to go on because some countries are squeamish about guns in their ports is just stupid. We're allowing this situation to develop into a full blown crisis because of a fear of guns. Stupid.

The Pirates have AK47's and RPG's; Shotguns and buck shot are not going to cut it..

With tankers and bulk LPG carriers, I could imagine the crew would be extremely nervous at the thought of an RPG hitting the ship anywhere..With the smaller tramp steamers, a couple of RPG rounds in the hull is likely to seriously compromise its sea worthiness..

So i would think that very vunerable ships like tankers should be escorted through the area, whether by the worlds Navies or private secuirty company's wouldn't really matter.

Other craft could be armed, but it would have to be with at least .50 cal machine guns ie something that can deal with the Pirates before they get too close...

Every sailor needs to be packin heat. Jolly Roger jumps out and yells "Avas....BOOOM!" Throw him over the side. You pull into ports that recognize your right to defend yourself. Bypass the rest. Soon the pirates will only be attacking ships around ports that don't allow guns. The rest of the ships will go about their business.

Why don't the pirates go over and hijack one of our Navy vessels? That's right. Case closed.

Alan

Lotsa' threads runnin' on this interesting subject the system pictured in this clip looks like it would tuck away nicely in a C-container / conex,....with drop down sides (AKA "Q-Ship)

placed strategically on almost any deck,......and locked up away from prying eyes in port.

At sea, a big old can of raid,

for pests.

The system,.......

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wArPao03q68&feature=related

GTC

At any given time during a day, there could be thousands of merchant vessel sailing. There's no way the navy could escort them. They would get nothing else done. I do agree, however, that they should be able to defend themselves. The only reason why these pirates do what they do is because they know they will board a ship practically unopposed. This is no different than domestic gun control. When the criminals are the only ones with guns, they will do what they want.

50 cal mounts are fine for keeping boats at a distance. Once onboard, however, hand guns and shotguns are in fact best because you are looking at close quarters combat. Like I said before, there's no way the navy can escort these ships- thousands of them sail every day. The navy would get nothing else done and it would cost billions.

There is a GREAT book I'm in the middle of called "To Rule The Waves", how the British Navy Shaped the Modern World. GREAT READ. The British government used the RN as a tool to project, promote and defend free trade, ABSENT Gov't regulations, ostensilby establishing the free trade we came to know. Emphasis on LITTLE Gov't dicking around with free enterprise. Anyhow they designed entire classes of ships (frigates during the age of sail and cruisers in the steam age) with one purpose in mind, to keep the sea lanes open and they were extremely successful. This type of issue we have now would have been handled easily during the "Pax Britannica".

We (USN) just aren't built that way but more importantly, the Brits had Gladstone, Disraeli, Churchill, etc. All we have now is a marxist democrap. jorge

They're using relatively light arms because that's all they need, at this time.

Were we to see a coupla' successful "Repel Boarders" incidents, they'd be back with heavier weapons, and the debacle turns into an arms race.

Massively overwhelming firepower, and the widespread application of same,....NOW.

That's the ticket.

Why the hell we're sending food to that infected sore of a region's beyond me, the warlord's are just kiping it and selling it elsewhere.

GTC

Send Hillary to solve the problem and don't allow her back until resolved. And maybe send the Zer0 to help. If they get captured, take "proactive" (doublespeak) action.

Man Alive!

we've got to turn it over to the French. they're the only ones who have the Gonads to deal with it.

our sickly leadership are afraid. don't ask them to intervene. Just call on the French.

Thank God for the French, or just forget international Trade. the SS Hilary, is too busy laughing to make an intelligent decison.

why don't we just forget the flow of goods flowing from Somalia?

leave them out of the solution, since we don't know what else to do??

They can't get too heavy. Remember, they need to literally climb onto the ship which is NOT an easy task. And if they don't get on the ship, the merchants can call for help and they're screwed. Defending against this is not that hard. All they need is some kind of stand off weapon like a 50 cal and then some close quarters weapons if they get onboard. Hell, even a firehose could potentially keep them off the ship.

The beauty of a 50 cal mount is that you can keep them far enough away to buy some time to maneuver the ship. You won't outrun that small fast boat, but zig zagging and making a huge wake will make their lives hell trying to get in close to you. I have literally seen a drug runner capsize in the carribean when we did that on my 2nd ship. All the baggies of coke were floating around for us to pick up after that.

You know the sad part is that many of these ideas would work just fine but they would take a commander in chief with some balls to authorize the rules of engagement- so we're screwed. I'm sure the pirates, with their weapons bought at US gun shows, have somehow been oppressed by US arrogance and they just need some hope and change to set them straight. Hussein will probably offer them amnesty in the States and they'll be voting democrat in 2010.

...As the utube clip above shows a sea whiz or phalanx 20mm would be all that would be necessary to protect a ship against pirates boarding. As they approached they could be warned to keep thier distance, if they closed on the ship a pattern thrown at them from the sea whiz would sink thier craft along with all the crew.

.....So far as the hostage situation going on now. A couple seals could attach a tow cable to the prop shaft of the life boat and it could be towed away by the Navy ship to an area that would more easily remove the pirates being helped by comrades, making capture a surety. I know this would raise the risk to the Captain who is thier hostage, but a clear explanation to the pirates that any harm to the captain assures they would be killed to the man.

Billy boy and his wife failed the last time with somalia too.
Yes I used a lower case "s", the country does not deserve a capital "S"

Currently a story on yahoo about these thugs that make one wnat to wretch.

They have RPGs (doesn't everyone today) but a LAW or two could cause a minor sinking beyond swimming distance and soon the empty derlict pirate boats washing ashore would reduce the viability of such scum.

If international treaty doesn't "allow" guns jist nail him as he comes over the rail with a pike- or a Beretta, which can be dropped overboard if necessary (there has got to be a LOT of hiding places for a small weapon aboard ship when passing customs!).

"Someone got shot thru the eye 250 miles out there? We don't know nuthin...."

SSS - Shoot, sink, shutup!

Mystery disappeareances of would-be pirates out to intimidate some wannabees..

Here's a proposal.

John Bolton for President in 2012 - or sooner.

Amen to that.

GTC

Or we could just carpet bomb Somalia until no movement is observed. We could just call it payback.

Don't forget that it was in Somalia that the terrorists became emboldened as a result of the weak-azz bich Clinton not giving them their comeuppance.

I would think a pair of SAW's with skilled operators would be all that is necessary.

Hell, a couple shotguns with 00 should be enough to keep em from getting on board...