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Daylife/Reuters Pictures
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| Captain Richard Phillips, (R), alongside Cmdr. Frank Castellano, CO of USS Bainbridge after his rescue |
Hero Capt. Richard Phillips was freed today in a dramatic ending to a four-day high seas standoff that riveted the world.
Three of the four ragtag pirates who held the world’s most powerful Navy at bay on the Indian Ocean were killed, and the fourth was taken into custody.
Phillips was said to be in good condition.
On Saturday negotiations had broken down when the Somali pirates reportedly insisted they would only free Phillips in exchange for their own freedom – a deal nixed by US officials.
Phillips, 53, captain of the 17,000-ton relief cargo vessel Maersk Alabama, offered himself as a hostage to save his 19-man crew Wednesday when armed pirates took his ship.
He and the pirates had been drifting in an out-of-gas lifeboat, surrounded by massive US warships who could do little but keep pirate reinforcements from reaching the lifeboat.
The audacious pirates even opened fire Saturday on a small Navy vessel sent from the destroyer USS Bainbridge.
Bravo!
#29
What are you smoking? The absolutely correct answer to this situation is to take out as many of pirates as possible and make it clear that such nonsense will not be tolerated in the future. It was piracy that brought about the creation of the Navy in the first place. Believe me when I say that the US Navy is adept at eliminating pirates. The “next” time, the pirates will get a Harpoon up the aft and that will be the end of it.
A couple of rocket-propelled grenades would ward off pirates in Zodiacs.
Yet the owners seems to not want this. There must be a reason I don’t understand.
Paddy-O,
My guess is that, yes, an American flagged freighter will be preyed on again.
I seriously doubt these guys care whose flag is on there.
Greg
Why did it take so long to free the captain?
It’s easy! “The Defense Department twice asked Obama for permission to use military force to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips from a lifeboat off the Somali coast. Obama first gave permission around 8 p.m. Friday, and upgraded it at 9:20 a.m. Saturday.”
http://tinyurl.com/d4zuy3
Upgraded? Do you understand what that means? Obama didn’t give the kill order until 9:20 am Saturday!
So the Navy didn’t have permission to take out the pirates till Saturday morning. Therefore, when the captain jumped ship on Friday, all the Navy could do was watch.
So some SEALs got to get their rocks off by shooting some black teenagers who were just trying to survive in a world that has abandoned them.
Sounds like the American definition of a perfect day!
Dear hateyanks,
One day if some pirates capture YOU and are holding you at gunpoint, we’ll leave you in their hands because we know that you just want to give the poor kids a chance. We understand that you value their survival over your own, and that you don’t mind them capturing you and threatening your life.
#40 Dallas
I accept your apology for calling me a pussy. As for being a prick I consider that a complement.
I did not threaten to beat you up. I said if you wanted me to prove that I’m not a fucking pussy I’d be happy to meet you.
I also did NOT say I had SEAL training, I said that I once trained a SEAL team for a specific weapons task.
It is extremely unlikely that there is anyone on this list qualified to carry a SEAL’s jockstrap.
Like all of my posts if I am wrong I change my position , and it seems as though the CiC(Commander in Chimp) may have given the order to take out the pirates. If so, it is the first thing the CiC has done since taking office.
While I’ve never read any specifics close to the issue, I “assume” I could carry anyone’s jockstrap = = not that I would especially want to, but still.
ObamaGod sure is confronted with the Goldilocks Conundrum by his critics. He never seems to get anything right and credit for only what goes wrong. Its not like he’s Bush who actually never did do anything right except leave when his time was up.
JimR,
#21, Jägermeister… I’m not “spreading” anything. I’m just asking a valid question, which you can’t answer… can’t even speculate on.
You weren’t there. Jag wasn’t there. I wasn’t there. So therefore none of us have anything meaningful to add to the discussion since it would only be your vision of what cuda shuda happened.
Oopps, except for Mr. Diesel. He is a really smart dude. He knows the entire involvement of everyone and what everyone did and their responsibility and their contribution and what brand of toilet paper he uses.
#26, Mr. Diesel,
I trained SEALs for a certain task involving weapons during a short period so if you think I’m a fucking pussy, by all means meet with me some time.
Shall we bring a bucket of mackeral to make you do tricks?
#50 Mr Fusion
You could but they pretty much eat and drink like the rest of us with the exception that they are wound a little tight.
#48 bobbo
I did say it was the first thing Obomba had done right since he took office. I tried to give him credit on other things he had done right a few days after taking office but once he started lying about the little things like lobbyists I realized he was exactly like every other elected dipshit.
I gave him the credit for it this weekend and pointed out my error.
Not that he would want to but if he really wanted to impress me he could push for a 4 or 5 hundred ship navy and start doing what the Second Mate of the Maersk Alabama said and take care of the pirate problem once and for all.
Sheeet, I shouldn’t try to post before I’ve finished my first coffee and trying to get the kid off to school.
#49 is addressed to JimR. The first paragraph is a quote and thus should be in italics. The second and third paragraphs are my responses and should be in regular type.
Sorry for any confusion.
(more coffee, more coffee, more coffee, …)
#52 Mr Fusion
I went back and read 49.
Thank you for recognizing my amazing talents.
# 28 JimR said, “#23, Paddy… I’m being the devils advocate here… but what if “next time” the pirates take the captain and tie him up so he can’t jump overboard, then demand their ransom AND …”
Valid question indeed. I highly suggest the following book: Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy
http://amazon.com/Six-Frigates-Epic-History-Founding/dp/0393058476
It will thoroughly answer that question. I’m not being sarcastic. It’s a great read even without the historic lessons…
# 42 Greg Allen said, “Yet the owners seems to not want this. There must be a reason I don’t understand.”
Strangely enough it is an insurance situation. Most cargo ships have Western officers but 3rd world crews. Insurance companies won’t insure an armed ship as it is likely that the crew will steal it. Got this from an agent at Lloyds.
#45
FFS, grow up. Does their age really matter? Are you really trying claim that because they are teenagers, they don’t know that thievery and holding people hostage is wrong? If I claim that the “world has abandoned me” (cue the dramatic music), that any action I take is justified? They are dumb criminals. If they had been smart, they would have not chosen to capture a citizen from the nation with the most powerful navy on the planet.
You would think you would have watch standers looking out for navigation hazards, pirates, other ship, etc. I heard the surface ships in the Navy had such things.
A few M-16′s could repel the pirates. Hell, charge u the fire hoses and blast the pirates off the ship. Then make any you catch walk the plank. (Don’t think modern ships have yard arms from which to hang pirates.
We have overhead drones that can track pirates to their home base and send in the bombers to wipe the block out.
More limited would be to simply have the navy blow the pirate ships out of the water–hostages and all. I wonder how many innocent crew members would be lost with such an overwhelming response (moderated as the squeamish may demand)?
I did some Google Earth up and down Somalia. It looks like the movie set for Terminator 5 AFTER the machines have won. Amazing tool that Google Earth. Cant wait for them to lift the high resolution restrictions. Its an education–and free.
# 58 bobbo said, “We have overhead drones that can track pirates to their home base and send in the bombers to wipe the block out.”
A better use of the drones would be to patrol launch points and just blast the pirates on the way out to sea. No harm to non-pirates. It’s called a blockade and historically is effective.
#59–Paddy==I heard a report a few hours back that that is a proposal being put forward==ship in essence to file a “flight plan” and if a non-filed vessel gets found near the shipping lanes, they get blown out of the water without further questions.
I doubt such a proactive response will actually be undertaken–but it could be. Perhaps with the first crew that gets butchered. These situations always escalate.