Pirate Attack - First hand account

[RPC]

We have just posted a first hand account from the yacht Bambola that was attacked by armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden in 2003.

If you have not read this very interesting account then take a look at this link

http://www.onpassage.com/Emergency_M...experience.htm

If anyone has a first hand account of a pirate attack I would be very interested in talking to you.

Thanks
Rod

[CSY Man]

It would be tempting to have a hidden, fixed mount machine gun on the foredeck ready for use when approaced by pirates.

That is what Norwegian fishing trawlers had during World War II when they were smuggling under-cover agents and radio equipement and other contraband to and from the Shetland Islands under the watchful eye of the invading Nazi,s:

If attacked by German Fighter planes or E-boats that thought this would be an easy kill, they removed fishing nets and fenders from them covered the guns and gave the attackers a dose of their own medicine.

Since then most Norwegian commercial vessels to this day have re-inforcements in the fore-deck area so a machine gun can be bolted on fairly easy.

Perhaps not very practcal on a crusing sailboat, but the idea is good when transitioning the Gulf of Aden:

"Honey, there is the bad guys, take the tarps off and sink them bastards"...
Then settle down for a rum-punch in the sun-set as the gun cools off and the blood is disappearing from the surface.

Job well done, nobody got hurt except the pirates, and the sharks got their evening meal....
All is well.

Aye, one can only dream of making it an even playing field....

[Factfind]

Nothing wrong with that story from Aden that a couple of scoped .308's wouldnt fix. Start sending a few of these feral dogs where they belong and the piracy rate will go down.

Some people do escape attack by being compliant, just as many others are murdered . As for myself and my crew, there are no willing victims. You want to take what's mine, you are going to have to fight for it. and you better be good, real good.

US couple fights Red Sea pirates (Yemeni pirates successfully routed by middle-aged couple)

[ssullivan]

How I miss New England... Good post, Factfind.

[sneuman]

Well, I'd have to disagree. The pirates got $600 and what looks like maybe $3000 worth of equipment. Michael is still alive. What if he'd decided to have a fire-fight with a bunch of professional thugs armed with AK47s? I think the story would have read quite differently and may well have been written by someone other than Michael.

Nobody likes to be on the receiving end of a "mugging" - whether at sea or on land. But there's no sense in risking your life over a bit of cash and some radio equipment.

I'm a bit curious about how five yachts "outran" what I assume was a speedboat or runabout. That's a neat trick.

[Factfind]

With respect to your differing opinion on this. We could get into a philosophical debate about the sanctity of human life, the laws of regulation on firearms and the associated risk of being a firearms user. But thats a topic for another day.
My point is that we make choices, and I would never question another persons best guess as to what works for them in an emergency. If it works out, thats great.
All I was trying to state is that it is my opinion that force should be met with force. It does send a message and if more sailors were properly, armed, and trained (training is paramount) then the neer-do-wells might be disabused of the notion that sailboats are easy prey..

The devil is always in the details...choices..choices that free people have.
Cheers!

[Factfind]

One more for effect

12ga shotgun vs. 2 boats of Pirates

[bru]

Red Sea Piracy Update 09 April 2003

It's a bit dated but never the less informative and about the most balanced comment I've yet read on the subject

[mudnut]

Originally Posted by Factfind

One more for effect

12ga shotgun vs. 2 boats of Pirates

Go shoot them up!It's your choice.These are old reports,all be it a good outcome,and few and far between.At 30miles off shore,"Riff raff will come out and have a go",Riff raff might be dissueded.I am amazed that the aurthorities tell sailors to venture further out to 200 miles.More than 100 and ya only gonna get pro's.It's all been said and done before and the thing that sticks out about being able to protect yourself,if you so choose,At sea is the reluctance of countries to allow weopons onboard serious cruisers.In fact all people who would come into contact with these low-lifes.So what do ya do,sail close and shoot the **** out of the riff raff cause ya got a good chance they will give up(But don't do anything untill they shoot first)Most of the riff raff that close ARE fishermen and they will all have their statements ready to give to the people that be to see you in jail for trying to kill them.Or do ya go way out where only the pro's go.Now there's a place for the bow mounted machine gun/rocket launcher type arsenal,but seriously,do ya think the pro's are gonna come to a fight like that with AK 47's.Trouble begets trouble.The better way would to not go there in the first place.But cruisers being cruisers will go there and only help to feed the crime.And even more to the point,It's not like it is 1or2 boats a day

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by mudnut

Most of the riff raff that close ARE fishermen and they will all have their statements ready to give to the people that be to see you in jail for trying to kill them.Or do ya go way out where only the pro's go.Now there's a place for the bow mounted machine gun/rocket launcher type arsenal,but seriously,do ya think the pro's are gonna come to a fight like that with AK 47's.Trouble begets trouble.The better way would to not go there in the first place.But cruisers being cruisers will go there and only help to feed the crime.And even more to the point,It's not like it is 1or2 boats a day

I agree with Mudnut. At least it's the way things work here in Southeast Asia. The vast number of "pirates" out there are in fact fisherman. If all the yachts are armed, it's only a matter of time before one of them gets shot. As if the cruising community doesn't have enough problems!

What intriqued me about that report was not how many but how FEW incidents of piracy it cited. 10 in 5 year, two of which were wholly avoidable if the yachties had just stayed well enough offshore as they were advised. Compared those numbers against the number of yachts that went through that area in the same 5 year period and I think you'll find the probability of getting attacked by pirates is probably lower than the probability of getting hit by lightening at sea. Now, how many of you fully-armed skippers have a lightening arresting system in place?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Interesting point about inshore (Fisherman / opportunists) and offshore (pirates / proffesionals)............

If the combined naval forces of "western civilisation" can't keep a relatively narrow part of a major and strategic shipping route clear of Pirates, Gun runners, people smugglers (and gawd knows what else) then I think perhaps "we" are in a spot of bother..........

I would suggest that a Navy runs Q-ships (Q-Yachts?!) through the area, supported by helicopter gunships / fast patrol boats.

[bru]

Sneuman makes the point that I'd picked up on - even in the biggest piracy hotspot the chances of being attacked are low and there are simple measure to reduce them yet further (travel well offshore, travel in company with at least five or six other yachts) without resorting to extreme measures.

What really surprises me is that some enterprising ex-special forces type (lots of whom have set up various commercial security companies operating in the area to protect businessmen etc.) hasn't set up an escort service.

[Borden]

It's one thing to be sitting at a computer typing a gung-ho response to this thread with images of Rambo and Bronson in one's mind. It's a whole lot different when faced with an AK47 in the hands on someone who doesn't give a damn for your life and not much more for their own.

Sneuman wrote a response that I agree with. I can give you loads of sources for new equipment but as yet I don't know of a store wher you can buy a return from death ticket .

By the way a 12 g shotgun is really useful up to about 50 yards whereas the AK47 will kill you from 300 and more. Think about it.

Borden

[ssullivan]

Bru... good idea! And Borden: Agreed. Shotguns are only for defense of boardings, not for any long distance defense. Complete useless against AK's, aircraft carriers, scud missles, etc...

[Moby Dick]

How about an inflatable machine gun on the foredeck? Legal deterence, and no need for strengthening the deck.