NEWS: Pirates Attack Cruise Ship Off Somalia

cool. Thanks for the confirmation. Do you know if they used one of those active denial jobbies or did they just turn the p.a system towards them. If it's the latter, then , that's thinking on your feet.

Does anyone know if cruise ships have any type of armament? Evn rifles, shotguns or handguns?

I still think they should mount a MK38 25mm on an evelvator so it could be stowed below deck out of sight and out of mind to the ships passengers until it's needed in a situation like this The pirates might think a cruise ship is an easy target, they might say to one another that it's like a floating a piggy bank until a 25mm cannon opened up at them even few warining shots across their bow would have probably made them leave the ship alone.

[edit on 6-11-2005 by warpboost]

Originally posted by warpboost
Does anyone know if cruise ships have any type of armament? Evn rifles, shotguns or handguns?

No, companies tend not to do that.

I still think they should mount a MK38 25mm on an evelvator so it could be stowed below deck out of sight and out of mind to the ships passengers until it's needed in a situation like this

The pirates would say think a cruise ship is an easy target, they might say to one another that it's like a flowating a piggy bank until a 25mm cannon opened up at them

[edit on 6-11-2005 by warpboost]

Well, a fire hose hitting you in the face at 4 barr might be a bit painful and might discourage you slightly.
Not to mind them actually just cranking up the engines?

Do you think that the UN, US or some other Navy will beef up patrols in the area that this happened? If the cruise companies are scared to have weapons on board would the US govt or Navy ever place armed sea marshalls on board like they have on the airlines?

[edit on 6-11-2005 by warpboost]

Originally posted by warpboost
Do you think that the UN, US or some other Navy will beef up patrols in the area that this happened? If the cruise companies are scared to have weapons on board would the US govt or Navy ever place armed sea marshalls on board like they have on the airlines?

[edit on 6-11-2005 by warpboost]

I do not think so, the pirates as I understand it go out into international waters to attack then run back in Somalian waters where international forces have no authority. That is what makes it so lucrative for them, they have nothing but anarchy in the country with little if any government control at all.

dr_strangecraft,

What if they are terrorists, exactly what does that provide in regards to information of the terrorist cell we are searching for, Al Queda? Nothing, in actuality. This was obviously a miserable failure no matter what it's objective was, and if it was a link of Al Queda's, then the link firstly must be substantiated, and then assertained as to why such a link's usage of mundane resources to attack a pirate ship was considered in lieu of something more onerouse; blowing up the ship, perhaps - now that's a terrorist attack which is in concert of proper definition of the term; an act of terrorizing to make a political end meet. The only issue we see here is thier usage of a rocket launcher which you sustain is subtantial enough to label them as terrorists, whatever that means. dr_strangecraft, would you attack such a large ship with a hand gun and a beat down vessel?

They may have been Muslims, and they may have been terrorists, but they are certainly no danger to us in the west, and they certainly were horrible terrorists to expound no political/physical damage.

Luxifero

On the lighter side, am I the only one who thinks it would be extremely fun and exciting to buy a yacht, get together some of my Marine Corps buddies, but make a quick stop at the Bakara Market for some military grade firepower, and then cruise around Somalia or Indonesia baiting pirates for fun and profit? I wonder if governments would pay you for your services .

Alas I'm sure there is some kind of law against that. Somalis don't have much incentive to follow it, but "1st world" governments can be kind of touchy about that stuff.

Actually, The Vagabond, if you are far enough out too sea there are no laws except for laws that apply to the Admiralty courts and their versions in the other Nation's.

However, there is actually no law against murder unless you are an officer of a ship. This is why many of these people do such things as piracy. It is only illegal in Admiralty courts and the laws are very out dated.

If you were to do what you wish to do and were in 'open seas' you'd stand a massive chance of getting 'away' with it.

Originally posted by Odium
However, there is actually no law against murder unless you are an officer of a ship. This is why many of these people do such things as piracy. It is only illegal in Admiralty courts and the laws are very out dated.

If you were to do what you wish to do and were in 'open seas' you'd stand a massive chance of getting 'away' with it.

That makes no sense at all. Certainly there are some maritime laws that cover murder on the high seas by other then officers of a ship.

Originally posted by The Vagabond
On the lighter side, am I the only one who thinks it would be extremely fun and exciting to buy a yacht, get together some of my Marine Corps buddies, but make a quick stop at the Bakara Market for some military grade firepower, and then cruise around Somalia or Indonesia baiting pirates for fun and profit? I wonder if governments would pay you for your services

.

There may be no interest from the gov'ts but I'd bet it would be perfectly legal to create a security escort service for commercial ships.

Private sector always pays better than public.

fingapointa - I have no idea what they used. The article/video didn't get into that much detail. Whatever it was, it worked.

[edit on 7-11-2005 by jsobecky]

Originally posted by shots
That makes no sense at all. Certainly there are some maritime laws that cover murder on the high seas by other then officers of a ship.

Well its depends where you are...
The captain can kill to resist mutiny.

Originally posted by jsobecky

There may be no interest from the gov'ts but I'd bet it would be perfectly legal to create a security escort service for commercial ships.

Private sector always pays better than public.

MSNBC reported this morning that they had British Trained Birkas on board or that is what it sounded like. I did a search and came up empty using either Berkas or Birkas, has anyone ever heard of an Elite group that goes by that name or close to it?

I believe the word you are looking for is Gurkha. The most feared mercenaries on the planet. During the Congo rebellion in the sixties a rebel commander was causing lots of trouble. The Gurkhas went in and silently beheaded every other man in the camp. The next day the rebels pulled out.

Originally posted by jsobecky

Originally posted by The Vagabond
On the lighter side, am I the only one who thinks it would be extremely fun and exciting to buy a yacht, get together some of my Marine Corps buddies, but make a quick stop at the Bakara Market for some military grade firepower, and then cruise around Somalia or Indonesia baiting pirates for fun and profit? I wonder if governments would pay you for your services

.

There may be no interest from the gov'ts but I'd bet it would be perfectly legal to create a security escort service for commercial ships.

Private sector always pays better than public.

fingapointa - I have no idea what they used. The article/video didn't get into that much detail. Whatever it was, it worked.

[edit on 7-11-2005 by jsobecky]

Blackwater Security should hire some ex SEALS and get them one of these so they can patrol hostile waters and clear them out for cruise shipsl



Here is one for sale for £650,000

www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk...

Originally posted by groingrinder
I believe the word you are looking for is Gurkha.

AH OK was I off on the spelling Me thinks I should be my ears cleaned and have the wax removed. Or perhaps the individual mispronounced it, Yeah thats it, its not me it the man on da news

Now I will have to look it up and see if I can find a story saying Gurkhas and cruise ship

YUP several crusie lines use them for general security and specfically piracy.

www.securitymanagement.com...

[edit on 11/7/2005 by shots]

Shots, I found the article with a referrence to a Gurhka.


clicke here for the article

below is from the article:

"Mr Meagher said a sonic deflector aboard the ship, manned by a Gurkha soldier, had also helped to drive off the attackers.

"On the back of these ships they have a sonic deflector (which can send) out sonic waves which when they hit you on the chest sought of pound you," Mr Meagher said.

"It's like being hit with a big rubber bullet and it bursts your ear drums.

"This device was being manipulated on the rear of the ship by a security guard - a former Gurkha soldier.

"He was, fortunately for him, kneeling down behind this device because the device was hit and shrapnel from the hit took him in the head.

"He's recovering okay. He was the only individual who had any injury. (He was) a very brave man standing by his post."

So it sounds as if he was a former Gurkha, and was also the sole casualty on board!

[edit on 7-11-2005 by warpboost]

Originally posted by devilwasp
Well its depends where you are...
The captain can kill to resist mutiny.

I know that is what I was getting at the same would apply to an airline captain or ship captains could detain someone for murder that happens in international waters. Certainly there have to be laws covering these situations.

The way it was initially put someone could take it that if you kill someone in international waters there is nothing that can be done and I do believe that is a wrong interpretation.

I also believe that anyone shooting a pirate that attacked their boat no matter what its size, would be well within their rights just as a captain has for larger ships.

[edit on 11/7/2005 by shots]

Hey shots, I found a link to Burka!
Just kidding....



[edit on 8-11-2005 by Nerdling]

In case anyone is interested I found a good picture of the LRAD (long range acoustic devide) that was used to fend off the pirates.





I think the next one shown below is the MRAD which is the same thing but the M is for Medium and the unit is about laf the size of LRAD


Source

Also wikipedia has a good article on LRAD

en.wikipedia.org...


[edit on 8-11-2005 by warpboost]

This is a reply to Dr. Strangecraft. Modern cruise ships are NOT fast (with the exception of some of the old ships still running around and the new Queen Mary 2).

The typical modern cruise ship has more in common with a diesel tugboat than a true Ocean Liner.

In the old days there was a class of ship called Ocean Liners. This ships such as the original Queen Mary were direct decedents of the dreadnaught class battleships. What was the big difference? Plenty. Ocean Liners were serious transportation. The got you from point a to point b in a hurry because they were the only show in town. The luxury aspect was for the few, but for the most part, they were commercial transportation much like the commercial airliners of today.

What made these babies so fast? Steam turbines. These steam turbines are basically jet engines driven by steam. Now today these steam turbines might be driven by nuclear reactors in some of our warships, by oil-fired boilers in the rest, but they are all steam turbines none the less. Other fast ships such as the new Queen Mary 2 and most new warships use gas turbines which are basically just jet engines without the steam.

In the old days, it was a big deal to boast that your big ocean liner was faster than the other guy's. These ships had narrow hulls to allow them to cut through the water and they could easily outrun the warships of the day (no armament or armor plating.....lots of power, streamlined shape). The original Queen Mary could run at more than 30 mph on her steam turbines. Now 60 years later, the Queen Mary 2 can maybe do 34 mph on her jet engines.

But the typical Carnival Cruise ship though awesome in size is designed for comfort and efficiency, not speed. They have diesel engines like those that go in locomotives. Efficient, but without the killer horsepower of the steam or jet turbine. The cruise ship that was attacked can cruise at 20 mph. I’m not sure what it can do if pressed, but I’d guess no more than 25 mph, if that.

Now lucky for the passengers that the “pirates” appeared to be driving something just slightly better than a motorized rowboat.