Somali pirates attavck cruise ship...oops the ship was armed

[Isabo]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1173805/Cruise-ship-opens-pirates-Somalis-attack-luxury-liner-AK47s.html

I'd call it a warning shot. Next time it shouldn't be.

[azasadny]

Fighting back... imagine that!

[onewhippedpuppy]

I heard on the radio that two pirates were killed. Hopefully this is only the beginning.

[cgarr]

Don't they usually shoot skeet off the back of those ships? PULL!

[cmccuist]

I saw a show on the history channel about modern day pirates. There are usually only about 5-10 of them armed with automatic weapons and RPG's. But the boats they use are pathetic! One sniper could take out all five before they got close enough to launch those shoulder mounted RPG's.

And the solution to not being able to dock at non-military sites if there are weapons aboard - put the security personnel and their gear in the launch and let them circle the harbor while the tourists are on-shore buying thier souvenirs and liqour and seeing the sights.

[vash]

Originally Posted by cmccuist

I saw a show on the history channel about modern day pirates. There are usually only about 5-10 of them armed with automatic weapons and RPG's. But the boats they use are pathetic! One sniper could take out all five before they got close enough to launch those shoulder mounted RPG's.

And the solution to not being able to dock at non-military sites if there are weapons aboard - put the security personnel and their gear in the launch and let them circle the harbor while the tourists are on-shore buying thier souvenirs and liqour and seeing the sights.

i say give the harbor master another job. install lock boxes on all ships. when approaching the docks, have the weapons put in the box. then the harbor master locks it up when the ship arrives, unlock when it leaves.. when they leave, hand them out to the tourist, for another fun afternoon of ship activities. shuffleboard, or some sniper action...you chose.

[jyl]

Good, but the cruise ship's private security team was armed with pistols only. That is lame. Much, much room for improvement.

[varmint]

how hard is it to chuck a molotov cocktail over the side?

from what i read, this cruise ship company had owned the achille lauro. guess they learned.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by jyl

Good, but the cruise ship's private security team was armed with pistols only. That is lame. Much, much room for improvement.

No kidding. It is just a matter of time until one of those pirates gets pissed off and fires an RPG at the a ship. Hopefully not an oil tanker.

[varmint]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

No kidding. It is just a matter of time until one of those pirates gets pissed off and fires an RPG at the a ship. Hopefully not an oil tanker.

they already have, the previously mentioned history channel documentary is actually pretty good. a cruise ship called the seaborn spirit was was hit with a dud rpg. unless the bad guy i smart enough to go for the rudder, an rpg isn't going to stop a big vessel.

oil tankers are another matter.

[m21sniper]

The reason these ships are not armed is because their insurance companies typically forbid it.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Is there anything worse than a cruise ship being hijacked? 1500 hostages, yikes!

[legion]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

The reason these ships are not armed is because their insurance companies typically forbid it.

That is simply a calculation on what is more likely to cost the insurance company money. I'd be surprised if the numbers don't start working out in the other direction soon...

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by varmint

they already have, the previously mentioned history channel documentary is actually pretty good. a cruise ship called the seaborn spirit was was hit with a dud rpg. unless the bad guy i smart enough to go for the rudder, an rpg isn't going to stop a big vessel.

oil tankers are another matter.

Doesn't have to stop a cruise ship. An RPG through a port window has the potential to kill a lot of people. I don't think any ship line wants that kind of negative publicity.

[Heel n Toe]

I saw that History Channel show... the Seaborn Spirit had LRAD and (finally) used it to run those pirates off. Why they waited so long to use it is beyond me. The pirates saw the guy aiming it and shot at him, too... I think the narrator said he was injured/hit by shapnel/ricochets.

They only had one unit, though, and with LRAD being directional, it seems like they'd need more if they were attacked by more than one boatload of pirates.

[Heel n Toe]

At wiki:

According to the manufacturer's specifications, the equipment weighs 45 pounds (20 kg) and can emit sound in a 30° beam (only at high frequency, 2.5 kHz) from a device 33 inches (83 cm) in diameter. At maximum level, it can emit a warning tone that is 146 dBSPL (1,000 W/m²) at 1 metre, a level that is capable of permanently damaging hearing, and higher than the normal human threshold of pain (120–140 dB). The maximum usable design range extends to 300 metres. At 300 metres, the warning tone (measured) is less than 90 dB. The warning tone is a high-pitched shrill tone similar to that of a smoke detector.

The luxury cruise ship Seabourn Spirit employed an LRAD while repelling pirates who attacked the vessel with RPGs about 160 km off the coast of Somalia in early November 2005.[6] [7] The effectiveness of this device during the attack is not completely clear, but the pirates did not succeed in boarding the vessel and eventually fled.

The Liberian vessel MV Biscaglia was attacked on November 28, 2008. The security detachment aboard Biscaglia used an LRAD device in an effort to repel attackers armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. Following a one-sided shootout, the ship was seized and the unarmed security contractors forced to abandon ship or be killed.[8] The incident caused the usefulness of LRADs to be called into question by Lloyd's List.[9]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_range_acoustic_device

[jyl]

If you have a security team on board with pistols, not sure what is the reason for them not to have rifles, MGs, etc.

[Bill Douglas]

Maybe Mr. Barret on board taking a .50BMG (or 12) to a gun show with a dozen of the boys as company - not armed, just happened to be going to a gun show. A water cannon filled with acid/acaline might do the trick too.

[legion]

One really simple solution would be not to have ladders that extend down to the waterline on boats in the area...

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by legion

One really simple solution would be not to have ladders that extend down to the waterline on boats in the area...

The pirates usually board with some form of grappling hook and ladder.