Scarecrow technique for Pirate problem?

[ArmyCop]

Of course I think the best things for our ships would be a small trained ARMED security team for the problem with pirates - but - if the shipping company wanted to save some bucks and take the risk - this might be a good concept - as long as everyone involved kept their mouth shut.

Yahoo!

Not tanks on board of course - but maybe a few fake mounted Grenade Launchers or other big imposing guns around the ships to "scarecrow" away possible pirate boardings???

HMCS Haida - 40MM Bofors Guns on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[qwert]

yea. where can I buy one?

[C9H13NO3]

I think we should send in random cargo ships with a small army instead of cargo. Make it look defenseless, and as soon as it gets boarded, shoot all the pirates. Not very "diplomatic", "politically correct", etc. but it could work.

[jeephipwr]

The caption on the video said to "help the russians fend off allies". I thought allies were your friends?

[alelks]

The caption on the video said to "help the russians fend off allies". I thought allies were your friends?

Haha! Don't worry we'll back you up. Check out all our jets and tanks!

[Shadowsbane]

Didn't the pirates hijack a cargo ship full of tanks and other heavy weaponry not too long ago?

[rottkeeper]

I think we should send in random cargo ships with a small army instead of cargo. Make it look defenseless, and as soon as it gets boarded, shoot all the pirates. Not very "diplomatic", "politically correct", etc. but it could work.

The old Trojan Horse so to speak.

[falcon1]

Q-Ships armed with Phalanx:

The Phalanx Naval Defense System - Video

Phalanx Anti-Missile System - Video

Overkill, but....

[ArmyCop]

Originally Posted by C9H13NO3
I think we should send in random cargo ships with a small army instead of cargo. Make it look defenseless, and as soon as it gets boarded, shoot all the pirates. Not very "diplomatic", "politically correct", etc. but it could work.
=========================================

Sounds like when the PD sets up a "bait car" for car thieves I've seen on some of the COPS tv shows - except with more serious results for the offenders.

I like this idea.

[rstickle]

The German Navy did this during both World Wars to successfully attack Allied shipping.

[redline4200]

I think that we need to send some inflatable soldiers over there to take care of that stuff!

[DblTap]

I don't see what it matters.
These thugs just get slapped and set free.

'Somali pirates are getting wilder'

Here they are found,
their "mother" ship is found,
they are in possession of men they have kidnapped,
and what do the Dutch do, as mandated by NATO forces???

THEY are removed of their weapons and RELEASED ?
Seriously?
How about after the 20 hostages were rescued, the "mother **** Ship" is blown up & sunk, then if you want to release the Somali Coast Guard i.e. Pirates, do so off the plank.

What in the world are we doing letting these animals go ?

[AgentX]

Somalis don't scare from a fight, generally. And a simple RPG shot or machinegun burst from the pirate boats, which they're not hesitant to unleash, will pretty much call a truly-unarmed ship's bluff pretty fast.

I also don't think the trojan horse ships will work very well to deter piracy. (Tactically, it'd be another story...you'd win every time...but you can't wipe them out this way, just take out a trivial amount at a time and not deter a thing.) Again, they're not scared of a fight and the odds remain in their favor--each individual ship is still likely to be a ripe target far more than a trap. And when one boatload of pirates dies, the rest won't be deterred in the least--they love fighting and they love their jobs. Plus, they have a damned good intelligence network and often have their targets chosen before it puts to sea...this would make operational security difficult, and they're less unlikely to attack an unknown target anyhow.

I am in favor of getting some good intel from our captured pirate buddy (the friend of the headless 3 others from the lifeboat; give him a choice of a court-martial and execution on the boat, or cooperating and going to jail in the US instead) and sending a MEU in for another historic anti-piracy punitive raid on the particular pirates' haven community. Not airstrikes; shoot/capture the right people and anyone who gets in the way, satchel charge all their boats. Withdraw back to sea and leave the ruins behind--no Blackhawk Downs or attempts to be touchy-feely. We'll get some bad press when the (disarmed) bodies (including the women and children who will assist in the fight) are photographed for the news, but we can survive that politically if the raid succeeds in doing tangible damage to the particular group of pirates.

Other communities in which pirates are based might get the message...and/or we might end up destroying a LOT of seaside communities in the Puntland. But just as Somali communities are beginning to resist Al-Shabaab thugs who bring more trouble than they're willing to tolerate, they might begin to tire of the pirate presence if it's destructive, rather than bringing income without risk to the larger community. Unlike a war of attrition, this would attack their actual ability to exist...they need a home base, and if no one will allow them to roost, they can't do their thing. Worth a try IMHO.

Also, high-seas action against the larger motherships would be a good idea, if they can be identified. Men, small boats, and guns are in infinite supply in Somalia, so fighting a war of attrition against them is useless. Larger ships are not so easy to find or buy. (although they're adept at seizing new ones, I must admit...) I can only imagine we have some submariners who've been itching to let some torpedoes fly for quite a few years now and could use the practice. Without motherships, the pirates' range is quite limited, and thus they could be contained near shore with far less effort while passing shipping stays in safer waters.

That's my two cents of guesswork...

[United93]

Agreed, adrenaline, I like that idea.

[Rexster]

I bet the motherships are quite often rather innocent-looking dhows. I am not so sure torpedoes are the weapon of choice there.