How do you defend yourself against pirates and terrorists?

[David Armstrong]

The pirates do not have access to any weapons with the range of an M2.

Being as they are in Somalia, they have accesss to many weapons with the range of an M2, including M2s of their own. There are plenty of recoiless rifles, portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, assorted Surface to Air missiles, TOW anti-tank missles, etc. What some folks either forgot or don't know is that the U.S. was the major supplier of weapons to Somalia back in the 1980s when they were our friends, and before that Russia gave them huge amounts of weapons including tanks.

[Hook686]

I avoid areas that have a reported high level of traffic by terrorist and pirates.

[amprecon]

I am having trouble understanding the prolonged intricate dialogue in the media in regard to a simple question. My answer is for Americans to cowboy up for a change. Nobody can protect yourself better than yourself. It makes me sick to hear people offering the advise to cower in a corner and wait until the cavalry arrives.
Step one, have a weapon, step two, use that weapon to protect yourself and your shipmates.
Good lord I hate lawyers, make you second guess the legality of living.

[Ian0351]

IMHO the bases of these pirates need to be ID'ed and then dealt with militarily if possible. I think the Marines did it once and wrote a song about it.

Well said sir. That's also how Marine Officers acquired the fancy sword they wear to this day.

Oh, one small fact about the RPG. There is a significant backblast and its use aboard a smallboat would be dangerous. The smallboat bobbing up and down would also make it difficult for the shooter.

FWIW the American "equivalent" of the RPG (actually superior to the RPG) has a back blast of 50 meters for the propellant and 85 meters for debris, and they are very hard to aim while moving.

Also, I think it bears repeating that the best way to defend against piracy is not to travel in areas frequented by pirates. Especially, for the moment, the
Gulf of Aden.

[David Armstrong]

Step one, have a weapon, step two, use that weapon to protect yourself and your shipmates.

How about protecting your shipmates by not starting a fight where they will get hurt or killed? Folks, I appreciate fighting when it is likely to help the situation, but it seems sort of silly to do it when it is likely to make it worse. Again, there is a reason that most all the experts in the field give the same advise, and that advise is that arming the crews will make things worse, not better.

[Naterstein]

Hire Ninjas.

[Hondo11]

At this point in time, there is no way the Captain will come out of this alive except if the ransom is paid. If the ransom is paid, then that will send a message to terrorists, hijackers and pirates that all you have to do is take an American hostage and you will eventually get what you want.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa...tes/index.html
Captain is safe and 3 out of the 4 pirates are dead.


While everyone was wringing their hands and saying, "Why aren't they doing anything?".....well, they were doing something.

[JohnH1963]

I have never fired a weapon aboard a ship. I wonder how accuracy would fly out the window with the ship constantly moving up and down. Automatic weapons would probably be the best tool on board one of these ships.

Well, this was the best possible outcome. The pirates getting killed and the Captain being freed. However, look at how the Captain did it. He kept resisting. He jumped into the Indian Ocean twice. After the first time, automatic weapons were fired. Then he did it a second time despite the risk of certain death.

This is how to behave when you are captured. If he had simply sit in the corner and let the pirates do their business then that would have only encouraged more pirate attacks.

No sir, the government did nothing in this instance. "They" did not do anything. It was one brave Captain and a crew who decided to intervene and not let these pirates get away with it yet again.

I do not support the conventional advice of waiting it out patiently with your captors or raising the flag of surrender. That doesnt work, it never worked. The Captain did something, the crew did something...it had nothing to do with the Navy.

The military teaches their soldiers well. Survive, evade, resist, escape...thats how everyone should think when confronted with these types of situations. Dont let yourself become a victim.

[Creature]

I have never fired a weapon aboard a ship. I wonder how accuracy would fly out the window with the ship constantly moving up and down. Automatic weapons would probably be the best tool on board one of these ships.

I have....and accuracy is not as nearly as adversely affected as one might expect. While pin-point accuracy and tight groupings are more difficult to achieve, rolling dips and swells are much easier to compensate for than say the inconsistent bumping and jerking one encounters while onboard a helicopter.

[bamafan4life]

ill just bring peter pan to defend my self from pirates lol everything else the second amendment and 80 million nra members shall handle.

[hogdogs]

As creature points out, the ship has far less motion and more predictable than a small boat...
But anyway that is neither here nor there as this case will set the motion for other ship crews to fight back and re-take their vessels. Or better to fight first and avoid the taking of the vessel in the first place Congrats to Capt.Phillips!!! And to his crew a big ATTABOY as well!
Brent

[Tucker 1371]

3 Pirates dead, 1 captured, Captain Phillips safe. That oughta teach the bastards not to mess with an American ship ever again. GO SEALs!!! GO USA!!




btw

FWIW the American "equivalent" of the RPG (actually superior to the RPG) has a back blast of 50 meters for the propellant and 85 meters for debris, and they are very hard to aim while moving.

I believe you're talking about the AT-4 and they've actually worked out a version that can be used indoors that has significantly decreased backblast...

thanks Future Weapons .



Happy Easter to all

[SPUSCG]

Hit them with a .22 while they try to climb on the ship, so they're still alive hitting the water but bleeding.....let the sharks do the rest. There are a lot of sharks in those waters.

[skydiver3346]

In the end, the Navy Seals and their guns took these scumbags out, (which is the only way to deal with pirates who take over ships and/or threaten our merchant seamen). I'll bet this at least will slow it down a little (at least on American ships) and make them think twice. But who knows, we may have to call the Seals again and again until the threat goes away. But at least, someone acted and ended the situation. Someone higher up the command ladder must have given the go ahead to take them out. Give that man a cigar!

[Wildalaska]

Someone higher up the command ladder must have given the go ahead to take them out. Give that man a cigar!

Barack smokes cigs

WildheshowedhehadasetAlaska TM

[skydiver3346]

Not that high up Ken, as I don't believe he has the guts to make that kind of a call as yet.

[Wildalaska]

Not that high up Ken, as I don't believe he has the guts to make that kind of a call as yet.

Well if you believe the news he did...if you dont, he didnt...but knowing the way the government works, its clear that no go bang bang in international waters without POTUS approval

WildabsentrulesofengagementpermittingsameAlaska TM

[armsmaster270]

Sorry Wiid that's bul**** the Coast Guard does it all the time without POTUS and the Coast Guard is DOD they wear two hats DOD and Homeland Security We have at this time many small CG units in the War zone They were at Guadalcanal, The rivers and coast of Vietnam They are an Armed Force as well as Drug interdicters & SAR sailors.

[pax]

Not quite on topic anymore (if it ever was).

Feel free to PM me if you regularly sail as a merchant seaman in pirate territory, and want to re-open the thread to get more tips from the abundance of other experienced tactical sailors on TFL.

Closed.

pax