Quicksand Fans

From CMDR Sal

And, it really is that simple

Sweet....

If I may paraphrase Dirty Harry... "whenever I see someone approching with the intent to commit piracy, I sink the bastard... that's my policy."

It amazes me more shipping companies don't do this. Paying a handful of guys with rifles to ride shotgun is a hell of a lot cheaper then paying a ransom and it's not like you need much firepower to fend off a bunch of half naked savages in bass boats lol......

I've heard that most shipping companies don't want to arm their ships for it sends their insurance rates sky high. Most have come to the conclusion that its better to just pay the ransom and write it off as a cost of doing business.

My opinion, if you put a few RPGs into a few pirate boats, and enough of those boats stop coming back, the word will spread quickly.

There isn't much in practical terms that is going to stop piracy in that area. The thought of getting killed isn't a huge threat to these guys because the alternative is generally to stay home and starve to death. Like most any hazardous job, soldier, fireman, cop, lumberjack, convenience store clerk, lion tamer, suicide bomber, etc. there will always be someone willing to take the risk for a big enough payoff. In this case you have an entire nation of gun toting labor to call on and nobody is in charge. As a ship owner all you can do is balance the cost of defense with the potential loss.

It might be worth noting that since the pirate attack on the Maersk Alabama that these clowns try to leave the ships of American companies and Americans in general alone. That causes way too much attention when amphibious carriers, their escorts, SEALS and thousands of marines show up.

Simple solution would just be to find out where they're operating from and then use those harbors as target practice imho.

Try what the Brits did in the First World War against German raiders... Q-Ships. They look and act like regular merchant ships, but when pirates come calling, they find out its cargo is a platoon of well armed and pissed off Marines... with Sea Cobra backup, of course...

I was going to comment about how some navies engaged in anti-piracy patrols don't mess about, Russia being one, when I spotted this from Bring the Heat

Youtube Link

The ship is an Udaloy-class DD, those remembering the good old days of the Cold War, a SERIOUS ASW Unit. And pretty damn good at other stuff too.

*Remember, there is no such thing as Overkill; there is only "Open Fire" and "I need to reload"

The Russians don't screw around, do they?

Whilst it's sad to see people dying over material things (like in the movie Do the Right Thing), they also asked for it. So I wouldn't mind if these ships armed themselves. Needs must.

If I sit in the middle of the road I should expect to be hit by a car at some point...