WTF? Another US ship attacked by pirates?

[halik]

Originally posted by: spacejamz
Did anyone else hear about this story??

Boxer Supports International Counterpiracy Effort in Gulf of Aden
Story Number: NNS090330-03
Release Date: 3/30/2009 1:23:00 PM

From Commander, Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs

USS BOXER, At Sea (NNS) -- In a show of international sea power in the Gulf of Aden, seven nations representing three task forces coordinated efforts to pursue a skiff after the pirates on board opened fire on a German oiler, the Federal German Ship (FGS) Spessart, March 29.

At approximately 3 p.m. local, FGS Spessart, reported they were being attacked by pirates who may have mistaken the naval supply ship for a commercial merchant vessel. An embarked security team aboard the ship returned fire on the suspected pirates during the initial attack.

Subsequently, Spessart pursued the skiff while providing additional details of the attack to a variety of international naval vessels operating in the area. A number of naval ships and aircraft joined the pursuit, including the Dutch frigate HNLMS Zeven Provincien, an SH-60B helicopter assigned to the Spanish warship SPS Victoria, a Spanish P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, two Marine Corps helicopters from the Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 flagship USS Boxer (LHD 4) and the European Union's CTF 465 flagship, the Greek frigate HS Psara.

Supported by an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter and a UH-1 Huey assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 (Reinforced), "Evil Eyes," embarked aboard Boxer, the international naval forces contained the armed suspects until Psara arrived with a German boarding team. Upon boarding the skiff, the team found seven suspected pirates and their weapons.

The suspected pirates were disarmed and transferred to the German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz where they will remain until a final determination is made regarding potential prosecution.

While this event showcased the incredible international naval capabilities operating in the Gulf of Aden, it also highlighted the complexity of counterpiracy operations. The crew of Spessart and the embarked security team provided the critical first line of defense, utilizing defensive measures that are essential for all ships operating in the region.

Moreover, nearly five hours transpired between the time Spessart's armed security team thwarted the initial attack and when an armed boarding team was within range of the pirate skiff. In the interim, armed coalition aircraft kept the suspected pirates from getting away.
This incident in the Gulf of Aden happened at a time when other pirates have been operating well off the eastern Somali coast.

The area off the coast of Somalia and Kenya when combined with the waters of the Gulf of Aden equals more than 1.1 million square miles, roughly four times the size of Texas or the size of the Mediterranean and Red Seas combined. In a region this large, merchant mariners must often serve as the first line defenders against pirates because naval forces will likely not be close enough to respond.

For more news from USS Boxer (LHD 4), visit www.navy.mil/local/lhd4/.

Guns aboard FTW

 

[Superrock]

I love how the pirates said they would purposefully attack and destroy any ship with a U.S. flag now. I say we disguise a bunch of merchant decoys propping the U.S. flag then use submarines to blow them out of the water.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: Superrock
I love how the pirates said they would purposefully attack and destroy any ship with a U.S. flag now. I say we disguise a bunch of merchant decoys propping the U.S. flag then use submarines to blow them out of the water.

Why would you waste a torpedo on one of these piss-ant little fishing boats they use? Do they even sit low enough in the water for a torpedo to be effective? You could easily use US-flagged decoys to just blow these pirates out of the water in a more conventional way.

 

[Pocatello]

During WW2, the Allies formed convoys with destroyers to protect supply ships from German subs. The pirates, on the other hand, are able to attack single ship which is vulnerable.

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: Pocatello
During WW2, the Allies formed convoys with destroyers to protect supply ships from German subs. The pirates, on the other hand, are able to attack single ship which is vulnerable.

as someone mentioned in the big pirate thread about the first US flagged ship being attacked last week, setting up a staging area for the convoys would be a logistical nightmare...

 

[JSt0rm]

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/F...viewtopic/t=89135.html

http://bp3.blogger.com/_BuwqdI...hfLI/s1600-h/rs002.jpg

http://www.fmft.net/African%20...tias%20AK%2047%201.JPG

 

[StageLeft]

At approximately 3 p.m. local, FGS Spessart, reported they were being attacked by pirates who may have mistaken the naval supply ship for a commercial merchant vessel.

win = false

We need a new thread that is just pirate fails.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: JSt0rm01
http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/F...viewtopic/t=89135.html

http://bp3.blogger.com/_BuwqdI...hfLI/s1600-h/rs002.jpg

http://www.fmft.net/African%20...tias%20AK%2047%201.JPG

I always lol at that pic. Reminds me of when I used to play Ultimate Online as a player killer. I'd get down to my underwear and run around with just deer antlers and a crossbow.

 

[feralkid]

Originally posted by: piasabird
Just move in and destroy every water craft they have fishing or otherwise and see how they like that. Blow up their docks and destroy all the harbor areas and they land mine the entire area so no large ships can get in to deliver them supplies.

Not generally effective against naval targets.

 

[nullzero]

Originally posted by: Bowfinger

Originally posted by: Genx87
I dont know maritime laws. But are these merchant ships not allowed to have basic firearms to defend themselves?

As I understand it, it is an insurance and corporate policy issue, just as stores and banks tell employees not to resist if they are robbed. Of course banks hire guards, so I wonder if these ships shouldn't start carrying trained security personnel.

It also appears these pirates have some pretty heavy arms including RPGs, so I don't think a couple of shotguns (as someone else suggested) would cut it. I personally would hope for something that would let me decisively sink an attacking vessel, though I suppose that would lead to an ever-escalating arms race. We don't need a return to the old days of cannon battles on the high seas.

Not if they had one of these shotguns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ebtj1jR7c

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: Arkaign
We have the ability to run multiple CVBG's, I don't see why we couldn't use that portion of the ocean for maneuvers and a good launch spot in case anything of merit jumps off in the Mideast. It would be good target practice. I don't think the pirates are prepared to deal with the full power of the US Navy.

I don't think you need an entire carrier battle group....

The Boxer can carry both Harrier jets and attack helicopters, either of which can easily deal with an attacking pirate boat...

actuall, the Harriers/helicopters might be be better suited to handle the smaller pirate boats than an F-18....

Good points.

 

[railer]

I belive that there is one carrier group somewhere off of Somalia. At least there was.

Anyway, would anyone care to speculate on why the US wouldn't use their carriers to launch F -18's vs known pirate attacks?

The vulcan canon on the F-18 would be ideal for those small pirate boats, and in the case of a known attack, I would think that the response time from a couple of jet fighters would be fairly fast, vs waiting many many hours for a ship to arrive.


I understand that the US can't send jets to bomb random boats, but when an attack is actually underway, it seems like fighter jets from a carrier would be an ideal response.

Not sure why we haven't seen that yet.

 

[Modelworks]

You don't need powerful weapons and planes. Boats with just 50 cal on the deck would work against the pirates. The problem is the area is so big that it is hard to tell where you need to be to catch them . Even if you detect them with radar or sonar, by the time you get there they have already attacked the cargo ships. Can't arm the ships because of problems with ports that ban guns. I think that is really the only solution though. Someone needs to start the diplomatic work to make it so the ships can be armed.


Or we deploy some sniper teams to the coast of Somalia and shoot the bastards in the head before they can enjoy their spoils.

 

[ericlp]

Originally posted by: spacejamz
Text

"Our latest hijackings are meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle told The Associated Press by telephone from the Somali port of Harardhere.

Protecting their waters from the enemy??? This sh!t needs to stop before another innocent sailor is killed by these bastards..

You do know how big the ocean is? Or did your forget? It's not gonna happen. Even if the entire navy fleet was out to protect against pirates alone they would still have a 3 hour time window to get to any incident ... unless you want to spend a few trillion more on navy ships so they can virtually follow every tanker/cargo/tourist ship around. Yeah, we got plenty of cash!!! SPEND SPEND SPEND!

I love how this is now a war on pirates... Hehe It's like the war on drugs ... Obviously I'm not on the pirates side but it's almost like airline safty or border control and protecting are harbors.......

GOOD FUCKING LUCK! Now you want to protect the entire oceans? GET REAL! This is gona be amusing ... And no not because someone is going to get killed and you know, it will happen. It will just be amusing to watch the sheep around here think we are gonna solve this issue.

Life is a risk.... Live a little.

 

[ericlp]

Originally posted by: piasabird
Just move in and destroy every water craft they have fishing or otherwise and see how they like that. Blow up their docks and destroy all the harbor areas and they land mine the entire area so no large ships can get in to deliver them supplies.

Nah.... Lets just nuke the fuckers! Turn the entire sea into glass!

Oh wait!!!

Your just joking right?

 

[freegeeks]

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: Pocatello
During WW2, the Allies formed convoys with destroyers to protect supply ships from German subs. The pirates, on the other hand, are able to attack single ship which is vulnerable.

as someone mentioned in the big pirate thread about the first US flagged ship being attacked last week, setting up a staging area for the convoys would be a logistical nightmare...

why?

I don't understand why they don't organize convoys

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: freegeeks

Originally posted by: spacejamz

Originally posted by: Pocatello
During WW2, the Allies formed convoys with destroyers to protect supply ships from German subs. The pirates, on the other hand, are able to attack single ship which is vulnerable.

as someone mentioned in the big pirate thread about the first US flagged ship being attacked last week, setting up a staging area for the convoys would be a logistical nightmare...

why?

I don't understand why they don't organize convoys

how many different shipping companies would need to get together to coordinate their schedules? these schedules are done months in advance of when the ship actually leaves port.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: spacejamz
Text

"Our latest hijackings are meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle told The Associated Press by telephone from the Somali port of Harardhere.

Protecting their waters from the enemy??? This sh!t needs to stop before another innocent sailor is killed by these bastards..

Following the massive tsunami of December 2004, there have also emerged allegations that after the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in the late 1980s, Somalia's long, remote shoreline was used as a dump site for the disposal of everything from uranium radioactive waste, to industrial waste, to hospital and chemical wastes. The huge waves which battered northern Somalia after the tsunami are believed to have stirred up tonnes of nuclear and toxic waste that was illegally dumped in the country by several European firms. The European Green Party followed up these revelations by presenting before the press and the European Parliament in Strasbourg copies of contracts signed by two European companies -- the Italian Swiss firm, Achair Partners, and an Italian waste broker, Progresso -- and representatives of the warlords then in power, to accept 10 million tonnes of toxic waste in exchange for $80 million (then about £60 million). According to reports by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the waste has resulted in far higher than normal cases of respiratory infections, mouth ulcers and bleeding, abdominal haemorrhages and unusual skin infections among many inhabitants of the areas around the northeastern towns of Hobbio and Benadir on the Indian Ocean coast -- diseases consistent with radiation sickness. UNEP continues that the current situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard not only in Somalia but also in the eastern Africa sub-region. "The intentions of these pirates are not concerned with protecting their environment," the UN envoy for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said.[28][29][30] At the same time, illegal trawlers began fishing Somalia's seas with an estimated $300 million of tuna, shrimp, and lobster being taken each year depleting stocks previously available to local fishermen. Through interception with speedboats, Somali fishermen tried to either dissuade the dumpers and trawlers or levy a "tax" on them as compensation. In an interview, Sugule Ali, one of the pirate leaders explained "We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits (to be) those who illegally fish and dump in our seas." Peter Lehr, a Somalia piracy expert at the University of St. Andrews says "It's almost like a resource swap, Somalis collect up to $100 million a year from pirate ransoms off their coasts and the Europeans and Asians poach around $300 million a year in fish from Somali waters."[31][32]

Precise data on the economic situation in Somalia is scarce but with an estimated per capita GDP of $600/year, it remains one of the world's poorest countries.[33] Millions of Somalis depend on food aid and in 2008, according to the World Bank, as much as 73% of the population lived on a daily income below $2.[34][35] These factors and the lucrative success of many hijacking operations have drawn a number of young men toward gangs of pirates whose wealth and strength often make them part of the local social and economic elite. Abdi Farah Juha who lives in Garoowe (100 miles from the sea) told the BBC "They have money; they have power and they are getting stronger by the day. [...] They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses; they have new cars; new guns.""[26]

Look at sources 26-35 if you want the sources

Text

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: spacejamz
Text

"Our latest hijackings are meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle told The Associated Press by telephone from the Somali port of Harardhere.

Protecting their waters from the enemy??? This sh!t needs to stop before another innocent sailor is killed by these bastards..

Following the massive tsunami of December 2004, there have also emerged allegations that after the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in the late 1980s, Somalia's long, remote shoreline was used as a dump site for the disposal of everything from uranium radioactive waste, to industrial waste, to hospital and chemical wastes. The huge waves which battered northern Somalia after the tsunami are believed to have stirred up tonnes of nuclear and toxic waste that was illegally dumped in the country by several European firms. The European Green Party followed up these revelations by presenting before the press and the European Parliament in Strasbourg copies of contracts signed by two European companies -- the Italian Swiss firm, Achair Partners, and an Italian waste broker, Progresso -- and representatives of the warlords then in power, to accept 10 million tonnes of toxic waste in exchange for $80 million (then about £60 million). According to reports by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the waste has resulted in far higher than normal cases of respiratory infections, mouth ulcers and bleeding, abdominal haemorrhages and unusual skin infections among many inhabitants of the areas around the northeastern towns of Hobbio and Benadir on the Indian Ocean coast -- diseases consistent with radiation sickness. UNEP continues that the current situation along the Somali coastline poses a very serious environmental hazard not only in Somalia but also in the eastern Africa sub-region. "The intentions of these pirates are not concerned with protecting their environment," the UN envoy for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said.[28][29][30] At the same time, illegal trawlers began fishing Somalia's seas with an estimated $300 million of tuna, shrimp, and lobster being taken each year depleting stocks previously available to local fishermen. Through interception with speedboats, Somali fishermen tried to either dissuade the dumpers and trawlers or levy a "tax" on them as compensation. In an interview, Sugule Ali, one of the pirate leaders explained "We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits (to be) those who illegally fish and dump in our seas." Peter Lehr, a Somalia piracy expert at the University of St. Andrews says "It's almost like a resource swap, Somalis collect up to $100 million a year from pirate ransoms off their coasts and the Europeans and Asians poach around $300 million a year in fish from Somali waters."[31][32]

Precise data on the economic situation in Somalia is scarce but with an estimated per capita GDP of $600/year, it remains one of the world's poorest countries.[33] Millions of Somalis depend on food aid and in 2008, according to the World Bank, as much as 73% of the population lived on a daily income below $2.[34][35] These factors and the lucrative success of many hijacking operations have drawn a number of young men toward gangs of pirates whose wealth and strength often make them part of the local social and economic elite. Abdi Farah Juha who lives in Garoowe (100 miles from the sea) told the BBC "They have money; they have power and they are getting stronger by the day. [...] They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses; they have new cars; new guns.""[26]

Look at sources 26-35 if you want the sources

Text

are you seriously trying to justify the pirate claims that they are protecting their territory by hijacking ships and holding their crews for ransom????

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: spacejamz
are you seriously trying to justify the pirate claims that they are protecting their territory by hijacking ships and holding their crews for ransom????

Just showing the "other side of the coin" so to speak. One man's terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.

Are you seriously trying to justify the dumping of nuclear, biological, and chemical wastes in their waters while trawlers take away one of the few good sources of income in the area?

I'm not saying what they are doing is right, but simply showing what led to cause them to start hijacking ships (or at least one of the main reasons) was the fault of other countries.