Red Sea piracy attack - First-hand report.

[Peppermint]

Re: Has anyone

found any news coverage of this tale?

I'm a little curious that Ex US naval guys are yachting around Yemen. Not the sort of thing the US state dept would approve of.

Successfully standing up to automatic weapons with shotguns is a possibility, though I wouldn't fancy it myself. The yachts may have made a better firing platform than the fast moving boats. After all they must have been big yachts to ram a 25ft pirate boat.

 

[ongolo]

Re: Red Sea piracy attack - First-hand report.

One more thing.

The moderator of the cruiser log site, jeanne, who has some 16 years of cruising experience a year ago defended the point of view of not having any arms on board. In the comment on this incident, they again recommend to go "in convoy". if they had been 10 boats in convoy unarmed, they would have lost. The shotgun saved the day and not the number of yachts.

Dont like to be sitting duck

Ongolo

 

[BrendanS]

Re: Red Sea piracy attack - First-hand report.

[ QUOTE ]
Now you can attack me for wanting to finish the pirates off, but they would give us no quarter, why should we?

So go for me if you feel like.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not a chance. I'm totally with you on this one

 

[ongolo]

Re: Has anyone

No, that is not it. Most moderately or untrained people dont know that typically an automatic weapon climbs from the bottom left upwards to the right. That is why an experienced person, will always aim at the lower left point of the target and let the shots stich across upwards and to the right.

If you dont start low left, only the first in a burst will be near the target. If a guy has an automatic weapon on single shot, he will be able to fire an accurate shot every second and recover from recoil to fire anothe acccurate shot a second later.

Full auto fire from a distance has more a psychological as a practical effect. I am stating this here, so if it happens to anyone, he should realize he is safer under "hail of bullets" fired from more than 30m than rapidly fired single shots. The latter indicates a well trained adversary.

ongolo

 

[graham]

I wonder if the chap concerned had a bit more firepower than he is admitting to(I dont blame him,it has saved his and his crews lives)Also remember that he was firing from a relatively stable platform while the pirates were being tossed around in a highspeed boat probably drugged up to the eyeballs .

Re the pirates boat being rammed and cut in two,A heavy yacht stemming into a lightly built highspeed craft would be capable of that,especially if it was a steel yacht.

As for the knock on effect I dont think he would have been thinking more than about 10 seconds into the future at any time during the attack.

I salute the man its the only response these scumbags understand.

Also as Ongolo has said a well trained man firing single well aimed shots can take on a rabble firing hundreds of rounds all over the parish.He was still very very lucky IMHO.

 

[Sgeir]

 

[graham]

Re Cowboy is too fast for me..

Can you slow him down a bit Sgeir. Im not as sharp as I was and keep missing.

 

[Sgeir]

Re: Re Cowboy is too fast for me..

Only Elfie (El Fideldo is her Sunday name), can slow Lobey down.

Elfie is Lobey’s faithful steed and companion, and could be considered unique in a couple of respects; she has only two legs and has learned to talk, although the latter talent is rarely exploited.

 

[jimboaw]

I find this story just a little fishy for the following reason. No US press source mentions it. A retired US Naval "officer"? comes under fire from Moslem pirates? They would have been all over it had it happenned the way it was reported The only reference I can find (Google) is of a Rod and Becky on a sailing vessel called Mahdi mentioned in another cruisers log.

 

[GazzaUK]

Ooh, you cynic!

But you may have a point!

 

[Peppermint]

Re: Well...

I would always start of from the position that the owner operator new how the thing fired. They were clearly using automatic fire because aimed single rounds don't get the job done when your bouncing over the sea at 30 knots. If your trying for control, flashing your firepower can work. Particularly against untrained opposition.

I still think this is a work of fiction, but if it isn't, they were lucky the pirates were muppets.

 

[dedwards]

True or not, it doesnt sound too far fetched to me.

A while ago Jeremy clarkson did a tv program on guns where he stood pretty close to a transit van and emptied an AK47 clip at it. Not one bullet hit it.

As for the taking out two pirates with his shotgun.. firstly remember this is an american so his gun will likely have a a lot more rounds stored in it than our guns do. Secondly, he only said that he knocked them down - i'm sure that even a light peppering from a shotgun would knock me off my feet when balancing at the bow of a mobo.

As for the cutting the boat in half, I dont know much about that but I have seen the total destruction when a steel car hits a caravan, which is enough to convince me its possible.

 

[ongolo]

Re: Red Sea piracy attack - First-hand report.

Mr. if I had killed a couple of pirates, of the coast of any country, I would shut up and be gone. Even if I was right, and there was one surviver, it would or couid end in endless legal hassle and inquiry.

I finish the job and be gone. Why should a retired US Navy sailor need permission or be the concern of the US State Department.

And who says the pirates were Muslims? Islam, for bids crimes, so if they were anything, that were common criminals that we call pirates.

An Uzzi fires a 9mm x19 cartridge and can NEVER penetrate anything that is made of 3mm mild steel, which is the thinnest part of any metal boat. Aslo an Uzzi is rarely in Arab hands. Ak and related systems are easy to get by and are the weapon of choice.

I have no doubt that the story happend almost as told, the guy might have kept shooting at the pirates when he attack was over, and does not tell for a good legal reason.


ongolo

 

[snowleopard]

Re: Red Sea piracy attack - First-hand report.

anyone who reported such an incident to the local police would be taking a grave risk. a lot of countries take the view that in a dispute between a foreigner and a local, the foreigner is in the wrong, regardless of evidence.

for example one of the RTW races had a stop in uruguay. a french crew were robbed by some locals but the police did nothing. the crew found the culprits and went and got their gear back. the police then locked up the crew who missed the start of the next leg.

my father's stationary car was rammed by a police motorbike in spain. guess who ended up paying for the damage.

a little more controversially, in the louise woodward case the fact that the defendant had an english accent seemed to override the lack of any sort of conclusive evidence. it's not just the countries with a reputation for corruption.

no, if you shoot a pirate, get well away and keep very quiet. the guy you shot may turn out to be the local police chief's brother.

 

[Peppermint]

Re: Retired Servicemen

Many retired serviceman are still subject to certain military rules & regs. Some are still subject to travel restrictions or have to report if they visit areas of concern to their governments.

 

[Das_Boot]

Re: Retired Servicemen

Death to pirates.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Still a conundrum

Analysts of Peter Blake's death have suggested that had he not pulled his weapon he would still be alive.

Many people suggest they would never sail without a weapon, not surprisingly they tend to be from the USA, SA or other such countries where carrying a gun is perceived as a normal everyday practise.

Are we just too soft in yuouope?

The world is a harsh and dangerous place, but what is the answer. It seems from this report that a shot gun saved the crews of these two yachts. But on another occasion it might fuel the problem from 400 fags and $200 to funeral arrangements.

Is it just luck for many of the world cruisers or avoiding potential areas. The trouble being from what I have read, travelling East to the Indian Ocean is fraught and the safer option would be to cross West and through Panama. This is one hell of a diversion.

Many knock the Med, but the more I read of this, at least in principle it is a fairly safe area to cruise for the time being.

 

[Peppermint]

Re: If your not a shooter

a gun just makes it worse.

When it all gets a bit out of hand untrained people have a bit of trouble dealing with the reality of being attacked. In truth if your being fired at from the outset, little that you do can make the situation much worse, so if you've got a gun you might as well start blazing away.

The worse thing you can do is bring more guns to a party where there is no shooting going on. That is unless you've got a bit of an edge, like the surprise you've just given everybody, and you're prepared to shoot everyone there dead.

If your not prepared to keep shooting people dead until the situation is resolved, I'd suggest that you leave your guns at home.

It often amazes me that yotties, who'd not consider visiting a rough pub in Gosport, will load all that they own and everyone they care about into a shiney yacht and troll of into the heart of the worlds badlands. That's adventurous alright.

For what it's worth, I think the yanks tactics sucked, they were very lucky.

 

[brianrunyard]

Hard to believe, 1 shotgun beat 8 pirates with automatic weapons!!!!

 

[rhinorhino]

1 guy in Ulster - took down four gunman with a pistol - training is all!