The case against Arming Pirates

[Wallabies]

Meh, I'd still prefer interlocking fields of fire. For $2500 why be a tight arse.

 

[senojekips]

The point is that the gun on the stern isn't going to have the field of fire to reach the bow.

I think it would be a very foolish move to try to board at the bow. In fact I think that you will find that illegal boarders usually come aboard on the lee quarter as that is where they can manoeuvre their boat without too much problems from the wake, weather or bow wave, or getting sucked under the counter.

Twice when we were followed by suspected pirate vessels in the South China Sea, they approached from astern probably hoping to be in the radar blind spot caused by the mast and funnel. They were illuminated with a search light and once they realised that they were being watched, they looked elsewhere. Meanwhile we had several blokes standing by with anchor shackles and fire monitors with foam rigged, an anchor shackle dropped into a small boat from 40 feet up would have about the same effect as being hit with a 6" AP round. The foam would hopefully blind the boat driver and make their boarding poles as slippery and smelly as elephant snot (it's based on blood and bone). Not to mention what the power of the monitor could do just with 120psi of salt water. Imagine something about three times the size and power of the water cannons used to break up demonstrations. Unfortunately they are only generally on tankers.

If a vessel sails regularly in pirate infested waters, there is a good routine in place where the whole ship is locked down from inside with only one door open to the upper deck. It usually leads into the main deck cross alleyway which would be very easy to defend.

 

[84RFK]

Seems to me like Wallabies in on to something here.

During WWII my dad's uncle was skipper on a "Nortraship" freighter doing convoys and roaming around the seas for the entire war.
The Brisk was among many things taking part in the evacuation from Dunkerque, she was the first freighter to enter the port after the battle of Oran, she was in the first convoy at the invasion of Sicilly, and also docked at Reggio during the invasion of mainland Italy to unload munitions, supplies and some 450 British troops.

The skipper said I wouldn't have done that without the moral boost of having the men from the "Merchant marine Self defence" on board.

They were facing air raids, mines and torpedoes as their main threath.
Today the danger is desperate men in fast small vessels.

As Wallabies allready suggested, machineguns would do the job.
Since the idea is to fend the raiding party off and deny them acsess to the ship, we'd have to engage them at some distance, best done by having "machinegun nests" along the railing of the ship.
Placing guns on the superstructure of a ship will leave a vast blind-zone unabling the defender to see (and engage) the raiding party once they get close enough.
The other trick is to store handgrenades and "flashbang's" along the railing and just drop them into any boat getting too close.
Those grenades should be covered by some means of support to make them float in the water, else they would sink and the effect would decrease rapidly.

And for those who think a handgrenade would punch a hole in the hull of a supertanker creating a new "Exxon Valdez", it's not possible even if you glue the grenade to the hull.

Searchlights, preferably remote operated since they represent an easy target, watercannons and teargas cannisters would also prove usefull.

As for the personel, you'd need enough people to man all the battle stations, and keep in mind that you'd have to do watches on a minimum of 3 shifts around the clock.

Any reasonably trained ex-serviceman could do that kind of duty, the need for "specialists" doesn't rise before the pirates has actually entered the ship and is on the deck, but even then the difference would be minimal.

 

[A Can of Man]

Actually at the left and right ends of the superstructure, the blind spot issue would be minimal. It gives you options in being able to engage port, starboard and aft with minimal movement from the security team. Also, it provides better visibility since it is higher up.
Grenades are a great idea but I'm not sure about the legal implications of explosives. Guns are one thing, grenades may be a whole new bag of worms.

 

[Wallabies]

Actually at the left and right ends of the superstructure, the blind spot issue would be minimal. It gives you options in being able to engage port, starboard and aft with minimal movement from the security team. Also, it provides better visibility since it is higher up.

Why do you want fire directed at the bridge?

 

[A Can of Man]

Oh just tell people to get down!

 

[Mikefrombelgium]

my goverment is going to put 8 Para-commandos on each ship that request it. They are higly trained men, maybe this is a sollution for many countries? or maybe it will just flare things up, dont know

 

[A Can of Man]

my goverment is going to put 8 Para-commandos on each ship that request it. They are higly trained men, maybe this is a sollution for many countries? or maybe it will just flare things up, dont know

I just hope that they will be given better ROEs than they were in Rwanda. The UN gave them up to die for nothing.

 

[Mikefrombelgium]

I just hope that they will be given better ROEs than they were in Rwanda. The UN gave them up to die for nothing.

yeah, and you guys probably didnt even hear the real story. you would want to UN destroyed after that. My father was there at the time (army medic),most of those para's could have been saved, the UN commander didnt let them because of possible "international conflicts" and such.

i hope they can do a better job protecting those ships and that they will be backed up and not left alone again when the sh*t hits the fan.

 

[A Can of Man]

I heard about the struggle that lasted for hours at the rebel base. The paracommando lieutenant apparently was able to hide his pistol and they fought the rebels off for a while until the rebels threw a hand grenade into the room where they were being detained.
Not sure if that's true or not but that's what I heard.

 

[Mikefrombelgium]

I heard about the struggle that lasted for hours at the rebel base. The paracommando lieutenant apparently was able to hide his pistol and they fought the rebels off for a while until the rebels threw a hand grenade into the room where they were being detained.
Not sure if that's true or not but that's what I heard.

jep its true, about 2 or 3 para's were killed almost immidiatly after entering that base, the rest managed to escape into a building with that luitenant and his pistol. they got hold of an AK-47 and a grenade. they fought on for about an hour (or so the story goes)

what you probably never heard off. not far from that base, there were belgian para's surrounding it, wih elements of the belgian special forces. They asked to go in, but were denied, even after hearing the fighting down at the base. (hence my they could have been saved).

Thats why to this day, most para's who were there wont wear the blue beret. and the UN flag on their shoulder.

 

[A Can of Man]

That is new information for me.
What a **** up... and that's the sort of folks the UN are. No wonder they're useless.