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Should ships be armed to combat pirates?
- Thread starter baba
- Start date
Although I'm generally in favor of arming oneself to protect the interests of you and your family, I can only see that armed vessels would trigger and 'Arms Race' of sorts, where pirates that were once content to capture hostages and safely deliver them for ransom money would only be forced to go to bigger and more aggressive crews that are much better armed. And don't think for a second that some of these people don't have ties to international terrorist groups in regards to funding, if not ideology.
So, seeing as how sending unarmed vessels to constantly get captured is NOT working for anyone these days, except the pirates of course, then why not discuss how to combat the root of the problem?
What's going on in Somalia, economically, that makes men decide to take up such a profession? Its one thing if they're just a bunch of evil bastards who need to be wiped off the Earth, such as the infamous Barbary Pirates of Jefferson's administration (VERY similar situation actually), but isn't it more likely that a lot of these pirates have ZERO hope of sustaining a family/life in their current situation if they DIDN'T take to piracy?
Chances are, that through a coalition of Nations presenting an armed presence over there to sort out things on LAND, in combination with possibly dealing with Somalia's failure to provide jobs/opportunities, we could solve the problem there. IMO of course.
Jefferson's response, by the way, was to create a huge US Navy to defeat them on their own turf.
So, seeing as how sending unarmed vessels to constantly get captured is NOT working for anyone these days, except the pirates of course, then why not discuss how to combat the root of the problem?
What's going on in Somalia, economically, that makes men decide to take up such a profession? Its one thing if they're just a bunch of evil bastards who need to be wiped off the Earth, such as the infamous Barbary Pirates of Jefferson's administration (VERY similar situation actually), but isn't it more likely that a lot of these pirates have ZERO hope of sustaining a family/life in their current situation if they DIDN'T take to piracy?
Chances are, that through a coalition of Nations presenting an armed presence over there to sort out things on LAND, in combination with possibly dealing with Somalia's failure to provide jobs/opportunities, we could solve the problem there. IMO of course.
Jefferson's response, by the way, was to create a huge US Navy to defeat them on their own turf.
Most respectable ships already have pretty good measures in case of pirate attack. One part of the crew is positioned with every fire hose available to push back the climbers, another uses tools to remove whatever climbing equipment is attached on board, and the ship will start to move in a wide zigzag.
The goal is to make the pirates' job as difficult as possible, and they're pretty efficient at this. Like in a personal situation, if your robber out-powers you anyway, there's a point where it's better to surrender and have everyone safe than fight just to have a massacre and give the ship anyway.
The goal is to make the pirates' job as difficult as possible, and they're pretty efficient at this. Like in a personal situation, if your robber out-powers you anyway, there's a point where it's better to surrender and have everyone safe than fight just to have a massacre and give the ship anyway.
Not occupy per se, but yes to development money. I can't imagine it being feasible to have armed escorts on every single ship, whereas it would be a LOT easier in my view to do something about it on land, where we could more easily isolate them.
Disagree!!! I can't think of a time when they are more isolated than when there are 12 of them in a little speedboat out in the middle of the ocean.
Whatever happend to people being held accountable for their actions? I think that if somebody is trying to take your property from you, (wallet, car, Bass equip., container ship,) you should be able to defend it and use whatever means necessary to do so.
If that means sinking their little boat with them aboard, so be it! They knew the stakes when they decided to get into the piracy game.
That's a natural enough reaction of course and is something I agree with in principle, but if the international community DOES decide to do something about this militarily, doesn't it make more sense to stop them altogether by rooting them out in their homes? Oceans are vast and hard to cover, and I'm not even sure what chance a 15-man crew has against, say, 50 armed and determined thugs.
By the way, I thought this article was interesting in regards to this situation:
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Been done. The warlords steal the cash and/or food.
Pirates should be killed by navy and merchant ships [with security contractors]. Weakness only invites more, as we've seen with another "US ship" taken today.
On land the Somalis are a problem, but at sea they can be dealt with. All that is needed is will and competence.
If you're for the more aggressive approach, and that shouldn't be ruled out, wouldn't make sense to track such people where they grouped up on land, possibly having the opportunity to overtake a lot more of them? Its all well and good to try and capture them BEFORE they take innocent lives at sea, but once they do, what then?
That pic looks more like an add for the army than anything, especially with that one guy in camo....
Fun times on a boat, get to meet a lot of new people and hold them for ransom, all the rum you can drink..........
- May 9, 2008
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Another modification might be fitting steel netting on insulated standoffs right the way around the gunnel and connecting a high voltage DC generator but that wont protect from small arms and rocket launchers
or even just the threat of the use of them on a tanker.
Thats why you need a Q ship as well as concentrated patrols making the Q ship the ideal or only target of opportunity for the pirates.
Radio communication jamming equipment is as vital as is a no survivour policy.
or even just the threat of the use of them on a tanker.
Thats why you need a Q ship as well as concentrated patrols making the Q ship the ideal or only target of opportunity for the pirates.
Radio communication jamming equipment is as vital as is a no survivour policy.
