A U.S. military commander urged the shipping companies on Monday to provide armed guards for their cargo boats in case of piracy in the Horn of Africa.Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, who is in charge of the U.S. Navy’s Central Command fleet, said during an interview with CNN that shipping companies needed to provide a last line of defense against being boarded by pirates, including armed guards and barbed wire around the lower parts of the ship, among others.
“You need two things to have a successful piracy attack. You need pirates that are seeking monetary gain and you also need a ship that’s able to get pirated,” he said.
The commander said that two vessels survived pirate attacks last week because they had put barbed wire around the ship on the closest avenues of approach…
There really is nothing new about defensive armaments in the Merchant Marine. Vessels were armed during both of the World Wars as defense against submarine and aircraft attacks. A maximum of four 50-calibre automatic weapons mounted for raking fire – two on each side of the craft – with trained gunners – is about all you need.
A lot less expensive than a million-dollar ransom. If you can get it past the fracking lawyers.
Right on, #10. Throw in a few Wall Street bankers with those lawyers, too. If no one paid the ransoms, the pirates wouldn’t have the scratch to buy better toys to make piracy more efficient. Hell, the pirates that got the $40 million ransom probably have a sub already.
Since onboard arms are a bit sticky, why aren’t the cargo ships hiring armed escort boats for the vulnerable locations, or do they think our navy should be doing it pro bono?
# 21 Patch said, “or do they think our navy should be doing it pro bono?”
We should protect US flagged ships. Other countries can protect ships flying their flag…
# 7 RTaylor said, “These guys can now afford to buy stand off shoulder launchers, which can be fired out of the range of a .50 caliber gun.”
Bzzzzt. Wrong answer, Quick search of the Internet produces an effective range of an RPG as 500 meters. As god pointed out that isn’t even close to a .50cal (my hopefully next gun).
#18 sailor said,
1. Shoot the Navy’s lawyers with the .50 cal
2. Arm the ships
3. Sink the mother ships
4. Destroy the towns they live in
What Navy are you referring to? It isn’t the Navies of the world that have a thing to do with it and it sure as hell isn’t our Navy.
International Law probably covers this, I don’t know since I’m not a lawyer. Shoot the lawyers would have been more appropriate.
You may need some guys from, um, blackwater, on some of these ships. Four heavy machine guns and a couple of rockets.
Tankers have special issues but cargo haulers could do it. Of course 25 million could cover the cost of putting some rockets on a lot of tankers…I think that was what one was worth.
Of course if you waited till they got close and dumped some crude over board at the bow and set it on fire…Yeah that might ruin their day.
I used the term RPG loosely, I should have stated shouldered fired anti-tank weapons, not a $50 50 year old RPG. Al those millions can buy some good black market weapons. The range of an M2 is useless unless you have a well trained gunner. That speed boat is moving also. You would need constant training for the gun crews. Sometimes you have to hit someone hard enough, they’ll not come back for more. Blow the kingpins to bits. By the way have everyone forgot how great these hoods behaved a few years ago with US troops on the ground? Screw’em, lets move on.
#25 So? As stated above: If they destroy the vessel there is no money in it for them.
What was your point?
Arrrr! Cutlass aint going to do it.
Arming merchant ships again(like in times of war) seems logical.
If you have weapons you will need training. I wonder if they will need to work with the STCW to add certifications and job descriptions. You can’t just plop a mounted 50cals on the decks and tell the crew to have at it.
Some non-lethal water canons manned from an armored positions and Razor Wire and moving at flank speed over troubled waters would go along way cutting down boardings
Please don’t make the Navy (i.e. the taxpayer) protect these ships. Make the ships pay to protect the ships. Then maybe our manufacturers will become a little more competitive and who knows, some jobs might start flowing back to the 1st World.
Every pirate killed just creates more pirates.
What about a firehose, spraying kerosene, with a flare-gun providing the chaser. Douse them when they get close. Let them use the RPG if they care.
Everything necessary is already on board a freighter. I’m presuming the cargo ship could withstand the conflagration. Anyone know?
Paddy-O, how about catapults? I doubt they’re classified as weapons anymore. And I’m sure you could fire lawyers at the pirates pretty quick with a motorized winch to reset the things. You’d have to practice to get proficient, and as we all know. lawyers ain’t cheap. Bankers and stockbrokers are a glut on the market though, might get a deal there on practice rounds for the catapult.
Cmon guys. You’re from the land of opportunity.
I can’t believe that no one has mentioned it.
I’m gonna start selling cruises on these target ships to NRA members.BYO guns.
Maybe we could launch MV Charlton Heston if there is enough interest.
#31 & #32 – Great ideas! Doesn’t Obama have some website where you could propose these? Should definitely submit them…
# 29 MikeN said, “Every pirate killed just creates more pirates.”
Pirates of the Caribbean IV
Better yet have the shipping companies pony up for a MK 15 Phalanx on each ship. With the proper set up it can take out both shoulder fired weapons and small surface craft.
I have watch this thing decimate floating targets at sea in a matter of secounds. Just the sound of the this firing would make the pirates turn tale and run.
The weapon is short range and defensive in nature. Sounds good to me.
I don’t understand why they just can’t use the assets at hand to protect these ships, and you don’t need to arm them to do that.
A combination of P3 Orion Navy recon aircraft and Air Force predator drones might be able to track and sink these terrorists. Both systems were created for long duration recon missions, though the predator probably not so much for maritime use. Both can carry armament in an attack role.
Really, how hard can it be to sink a boatload of Islamic terrorists zipping around the horn of Africa in Boston Whalers?
Another thought occurs to me. How about using less-than-lethal measures like the LRAD “sonic cannon”? It was used with good effect back in 2005 aboard the “Seaborn Spirit” cruise ship right there off the coast of Somalia. Why aren’t there more of those deployed?
Hmm Q ships making a comeback?