Kaptured Chat

Jeff · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 1099

Tell me, are terrorists considered "pirates" if attacking by sea? And if so was it in fact PIRATES that attacked the USS COLE? I mean after all they had machine guns and RPG's.....Tell me about pirates! Mean while check this picture out, I think it could be one of the perps!

http://home.cfl.rr.com/gooddeals/pirate.jpg

MusicMan · Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 32

I especially enjoyed the part about the captain of the cruise ship trying to run over one of the pirate boats.

Dutchman · Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 9064 Location: Hooterville

Pirates are run of the mill robbers who operate at sea. Robbery had nothing to do with the attack on the Cole.
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Jeff · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 1099

I was being sarcastic, Dutchman! Sorry.

I'm just saying, what makes a person at sea a "pirate" vs. "terrorist" ? How do they know these guys were in fact PIRATES (when the intention of robbing people) ??

How do they know the intention wasn't to shoot a hole in the ship and make it sink? Therefore trying to kill everyone on board? Unless they were planning on sinking the ship, then going scuba diving to claim the gold and coins!

Dutchman · Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 9064 Location: Hooterville

In some parts of the world, especially South and Southeast Asia, piracy is a serious problem. I didn't see the story on the cruise ship. But if you are unarmed, ramming the smaller boat might be your only option.

As far as how would you know? Assume the worst.

Jeff · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 1099

Cruise liner escapes pirate attack off Somalia
CTV.ca News

The crew of a luxury cruise liner carrying more than 300 passengers -- including six Canadians -- fended off an apparent attack by pirates early Saturday, the vessel's owners said.

The Seabourn Spirit was 160 kilometres off Somalia when at least two boats closed in on the vessel and opened fire with machine-guns and a rocket-propelled grenade, according to reports.

One crew member was slightly injured by flying debris before the pirates were repulsed, said Seabourn Cruises.

The Bahamian-registered vessel suffered only minor damage. It was hit by bullets, but it's unclear if the rocket-propelled grenade made contact.

Dan McTeague, the parliamentary secretary for Canadians abroad, said six Canadians were on board. He said there were no reports of injuries.

Americans and Britons were also believed to be on board the Seabourne Spirit, which was on a 16-day cruise out of Alexandria in Egypt.

The sound of the gunfire woke passengers, many of whom were still sleeping at 5:30 in the morning, said Seabourn Cruises spokesman David Dingle.

The passengers were brought into a public room and told what was going on, Dingle said. No one was injured, although some passengers were in shock.

The crew was reportedly able to fend off the attack by using an on-board loud acoustic bang, making the gunmen believe they were under fire, the BBC web site reported.

Dingle said there was no reason to believe that this was a terrorist attack. He said all evidence pointed to pirates.

The Seabourn Spirit was on its was to Mombasa in Kenya when it was attacked. The cruise will instead end at the Indian Ocean islands of Seychelles on Monday.

The Somali-coast is known to be infested with pirates, who are becoming more and more brazen.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), at least 23 hijackings and attempted seizures have been recorded off the Somalia coastline since mid-March.

Two days ago, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that these waters had hampered delivery of relief supplies to more than half a million people in the region.

Due to its impact on tourism, the Seafarers' Assistance Programme (SAP) is planning to convene Monday to discuss this latest attack -- the first on a cruise ship off the Somalia coast.

Somalia has been without a functioning government since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Said Barre, and is now overrun by unruly warlords.

Dutchman · Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 9064 Location: Hooterville

Thanks for the story. I hadn't seen or heard that one.

Somalia is not only a haven for pirates, but terrorists as well. "Without a functioning government" is putting it mildly.

The Horn of Africa has been a mess for centuries, as far as piracy goes. Add terrorists and it seems like an area to avoid for a vacation cruise.

Jeff · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 1099

Here's the actual picture.... This doesn't look like a pirate boat to me! All joking aside, it looks a lot like "terrorists" that are in Iraq. (that are shown on tv)

http://home.cfl.rr.com/gooddeals/realpirates.jpg

Dutchman · Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 9064 Location: Hooterville

I agree with that.

An attempted pirate raid with four men in a small boat on a cruise ship? Only if they were the stupidest pirates in the Indian Ocean.

Jeff · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 1099

News reports said "speed boats". That sure doesn't look like a speed boat to me! Also they mentioned two boats working together..... And now FNC just reported a passenger said one of the rpg's was shot into a cabin.

Dutchman · Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 9064 Location: Hooterville

Look at the wake. That boat is moving at a good clip. The man at the back is running an outboard motor.

Probably the point was to fire RPG's into the cabins and bridge, create havoc; and when the people came running out, rake the deck with small arms fire.

cymbalo(The Jen-uine one)

I don't think those pirates went home with very much BOOTY!! Laughing

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Dr. Zaius · Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 146

Aaaarrrggh! You throw some lines up the sides me hearty, and board her from the port and starboard!

Love Boat takes down pirates. Shocked

Just imagine Julie McCoy being ravished by a pirate. And we all know Gopher likes to watch...

Seriously, why would anyone want to cruise near Somalia? (But I'm told that Mogadishu is lovely this time of year. lol.)

So the pirate boat only held 5-6 people, and the massive cruise ship still had worry about it? It's sad that most ports-of-call don't allow ships to carry weapons, even for self-defense. These rules are just nuts as the terrorists/pirates are out there and very bold.

Seaborn Spirit photo:
http://www.cruiseweb.com/SEABIMAGES/SEABOURN-SHIP11.JPG

Pirate ship photo:
http://home.cfl.rr.com/gooddeals/realpirates.jpg

Jeff · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 1099

I heard on the news these passengers paid $5000 a head for that cruise! That's a lot of money for a week?? But, I still think this story is sort of fishy! I think it was the AP that reported the two pirate boats were 25 foot rubber boats or something like that. Well, that was not a rubber boat! I thought pirates liked to fight to the death and make people walk the plank? They got scared and ran from a loud noise?

Jeff · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 1099

By JOHN PAIN
AP Business Writer

MIAMI

The crew of a luxury cruise ship used a sonic weapon that blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam while being attacked by a gang of pirates off Africa this weekend, the cruise line said Monday.

The Seabourn Spirit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of its defense systems, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line. The Spirit was about 100 miles off Somalia when pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns as they tried to get onboard.

The subsidiary of Carnival Corp. was investigating whether the weapon was successful in warding off the pirates, he said. The ship's captain also changed its course, shifted into high speed and headed out into the open sea to elude the pirates, who were in two small boats, he said. He had no further details.

Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. That, combined with ship maneuvers, caused the attackers to leave the area, the company said.

The LRAD is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.

The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.

American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels.

The devices have been deployed on commercial and naval vessels worldwide since summer 2003, the company said.