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Yaaaar!

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Somali pirates. US-flag ship. New president looking to show he's tough. Anyone seeing an ass-kicking finally coming around the Gulf of Aden?

Only problem is that Somalis (Somali pirates, specifically) simply won't care about it and probably find it validating. It's like punching Tyler Durden.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Soon Xe (formerly Blackwater) will get a contract protecting ships
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,938
13,133
Portland, OR
Somali pirates. US-flag ship. New president looking to show he's tough. Anyone seeing an ass-kicking finally coming around the Gulf of Aden?

Only problem is that Somalis (Somali pirates, specifically) simply won't care about it and probably find it validating. It's like punching Tyler Durden.
It certainly makes for an interesting situation. If we were to strike hard, fast, and calculated, they might actually get the hint. But you may be right about punching Tyler.
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
I'm sure the special forces guys the world over are just gagging to have a Steven Seagal moment. There must be a reason they're paying these guys all the time instead of letting the terribly rough guys off the lead.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,229
20,005
Sleazattle
I'm shocked that there is an actual American flagged ship manned by Americans that isn't a Naval vessel.
 

Damo

Short One Marshmallow
Sep 7, 2006
4,603
27
French Alps
Just give them what they are asking for!

They wouldn't do if they didn't really need it...
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,938
13,133
Portland, OR
That didn't take long.

US crew reportedly takes over ship from pirates

"The crew is back in control of the ship," a U.S. official said at midday, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak on the record. "It's reported that one pirate is on board under crew control — the other three were trying to flee," the official said. The status of the other pirates was unknown, the official said, but they were reported to "be in the water."
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Soon Xe (formerly Blackwater) will get a contract protecting ships
They tried that a while back. No takers. Anti-piracy security has been largely unpopular AFAIK, especially fully-armed security. (Difficulties getting in and out of ports with that one.) Blackwater had a ship named the MacArthur, though, from which armed security could have been based or which may have been able to perform an escort in international waters.

Personally, I think they should have just based themselves on Little Ping Island after clearing the pirates out of the Hotel Citroen.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,559
24,182
media blackout
They tried that a while back. No takers. Anti-piracy security has been largely unpopular AFAIK, especially fully-armed security. (Difficulties getting in and out of ports with that one.) Blackwater had a ship named the MacArthur, though, from which armed security could have been based or which may have been able to perform an escort in international waters.

Personally, I think they should have just based themselves on Little Ping Island after clearing the pirates out of the Hotel Citroen.
Dammit must spread rep!

Nice Life Aquatic reference.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
team zissou ftw!

I'm sure the special forces guys the world over are just gagging to have a Steven Seagal moment. There must be a reason they're paying these guys all the time instead of letting the terribly rough guys off the lead.
they should just use the pirates target practice
 
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jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,938
13,133
Portland, OR
23 vs. 4, I see that as an easy retaking. But maybe that's just me. I would think that maybe having some arms on board and a some trained crew like an emergency response/security team would be enough. It's not like they have 300 pirates attacking these ships.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Having arms on board is often impossible for legal reasons. Can't pull into port with them, assuming you're honest.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
23 vs. 4, I see that as an easy retaking. But maybe that's just me. I would think that maybe having some arms on board and a some trained crew like an emergency response/security team would be enough. It's not like they have 300 pirates attacking these ships.
you cant have any firearms on board typically...especially pulling into most ports

plus these pirates usually carry assault rifles, grenades, rpg's and possibly pocket knives.

i dont know about you, but the thought of pocket knives and rpg's would scare me
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,516
7,063
Colorado
you cant have any firearms on board typically...especially pulling into most ports

plus these pirates usually carry assault rifles, grenades, rpg's and possibly pocket knives.

i dont know about you, but the thought of pocket knives and rpg's would scare me
Especially the pocket knives. The crew might not be able to overpower men with pocket knives while wielding onboard fire axes...:busted:
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,938
13,133
Portland, OR
I guess the only ships I've been on have been haze gray and we had all sorts of guns, so I never thought about commercial shipping and firearms issues.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
I guess the only ships I've been on have been haze gray and we had all sorts of guns, so I never thought about commercial shipping and firearms issues.
especially on a giant LNG tanker...you get some dumbass with a gun on a ship that could blow up a small country, and its over johnny
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
Anyone else hear Rush Limbaugh going off today about MUSLIM pirates and we are not at war with Islam?
Man I love that moron. Idiot running off at the mouth spouting nonsense and getting PAID for it. Rush, Homer Simpson and Al Bundy are my role models
 

ridiculous

Turbo Monkey
Jan 18, 2005
2,907
1
MD / NoVA
Anyone else hear Rush Limbaugh going off today about MUSLIM pirates and we are not at war with Islam?
Man I love that moron. Idiot running off at the mouth spouting nonsense and getting PAID for it. Rush, Homer Simpson and Al Bundy are my role models
yeah that was a bit silly today. He and Hannity have been on the same crazy track lately.
 

ridiculous

Turbo Monkey
Jan 18, 2005
2,907
1
MD / NoVA
That's because however dumb Americans as a whole are, we're not stupid enough to own a ship that big WITHOUT guns.
Talking with a coworker today, apparently when shipping humanitarian aid theres some stipulation in US law that states that a US crew must accompany US Aid during transportation, I think that its also supposed to be US operated as well.
 

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,160
2,685
The bunker at parliament
Talking with a coworker today, apparently when shipping humanitarian aid theres some stipulation in US law that states that a US crew must accompany US Aid during transportation, I think that its also supposed to be US operated as well.


The US is quite noted for tying its aid money to the condition of it being spend on goods and services from the US. :pirate2:
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
The US is quite noted for tying its aid money to the condition of it being spend on goods and services from the US. :pirate2:
In your lust to cast stones, you're mixing your issues up. How the manner in which the US ships aid products to other nations have anything to do with the way aid funds are spent by recipient nations?

Is it in any way nefarious to require our aid goods to be carried on our own shipping? Should we ensure our aid products are carried on a ship with a Chinese flag, you know, just to be fair? I wouldn't think it at all troublesome that the Chinese or Brits or anyone else would ship food or necessary supplies to hungry people on a ship flying their flag...actually, I'd find it odd if it was not.
 

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,160
2,685
The bunker at parliament
Slightly different issues but I'd call them linked.

Personal opinion on it is that aid should have NO strings attached as to what nation the aid is spent in other than to make sure that the money gets the most bang for the buck at the coal face.

(Did I put enough metaphors in there??)
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
OK, but the ship flag that carries the aid over has nothing to do with any strings attached to dispensation of aid products, aid money, or anything else vis-a-vis the recipient country...

They're not slightly different issues; they're entirely different issues. Arguing to the contrary is demonstrably incorrect.
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
I cant wait to see interviews with pirate families telling us how their kids were mistreated. "Sure he had a gun to the Captains head, but he was misunderstood..."

My solution was to have Bugs Bunny swim under the lifeboat and saw a round hole in the bottom and let it sink out from under them.

I would have loved to be on the Navy ship negotiating with the pirate mouthpiece when the snipers took out his pals..."See your buddies? Now you dont!"
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Hah, now the pirate spokespeople (??) are saying that they'll kill future hostages.

Riiiiight. Because the point of taking a hostage is preventing the navies of the world from vaporizing you. Kill the hostage and you're going to have a worse day than you did otherwise.

I do seriously think we need to (with the 'permission' of the Somali 'gov't,' of course) need to take out a few known pirate havens onshore. Maybe hold some trials on captured pirates and execute them, too.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
The definition of a raid, for the uninitiated, is a limited objective attack followed by a planned withdrawal. If that spells "Mogadishu" for you, I don't really know how to continue conversing because you don't live in reality.

This wouldn't be peace enforcement or political sustainment, but a punitive action.
 

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,160
2,685
The bunker at parliament
*Sigh* Culture referrence, I was referring to the blackhawk down thing..... which is often referred to as a "raid"

To borrow from the dreaded Wiki

Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War is a 1999 book by Mark Bowden that chronicles the United States Armed Forces' attempt to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid in Mogadishu and the intense battle that resulted between U.S. forces on duty with the United Nations against local militia and citizens. One of the key events is the downing of a UH-60 Black Hawk and the subsequent rescue attempt of its crew, from which the book derives its title.

The raid quickly became the most intensive close combat Americans had engaged in since the Vietnam War. The events of the raid were later renamed the Battle of Mogadishu by international media, as opposed to the operation's name of Gothic Serpent.

The book is fairly distinctive in its style; Bowden is not a historian, but a journalist, and, as such, writes his account of the battle as a narrative, rather like a fiction novel. Though organized like a novel, the book is drawn from actual events. Bowden's sources included extensive research, interviews with participants from both sides of the conflicts, footage recorded by observation aircraft, and recordings of radio traffic.
And having just had a look at the plan of operation gothic serpent, it does meet your criteria for a raid, a "limited objective attack followed by a planned withdrawal" It's just that the withdrawal was turned into a bit of a mess.

Hopefully your punitive action dream wouldn't cross over into collective punishment. The Pirates are based in towns, and not everyone living in those towns is a pirate or works for pirates.