Captain freed after U.S. Navy snipers kill pirates

[Ragan]

Go Navy!

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/index.html

[Drayu]

bout damn time.

[FozzyBear]

I just read this and was like "AWESOME!"

another article
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/12/navy-seals-kill-pirates-rescue-american-hostage/


I have a feeling there will be some retribution though.

I was secretly hoping all of the pirates would come together, then the piracy problem could have been knocked down a little in 1 blow.

[Ragan]

I just want to point out, the seal snipers are on a ship, that is moving up and down, left and right, and forward and back. Then you have the 3 assaliants on the life raft standing around the hostage. That life raft is also moving up and down, left and right, and forward and back. That is some damn good shooting, getting all three before they could kill the hostage, without wounding the hostage.

[Crotch-Rot]

I was really happy and satisfied with the outcome of this. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: for the Navy SEALs.

[Shadowryche]

I might be mistaken but I believe its still in the UMCJ for Navy Captains to hang pirates at sea.

[Fovos]

I just want to point out, the seal snipers are on a ship, that is moving up and down, left and right, and forward and back. Then you have the 3 assaliants on the life raft standing around the hostage. That life raft is also moving up and down, left and right, and forward and back. That is some damn good shooting, getting all three before they could kill the hostage, without wounding the hostage.



well its easy to see who is using an aim bot here right? damn cheaters! lol

[loopcycle]

I just want to point out, the seal snipers are on a ship, that is moving up and down, left and right, and forward and back. Then you have the 3 assaliants on the life raft standing around the hostage. That life raft is also moving up and down, left and right, and forward and back. That is some damn good shooting, getting all three before they could kill the hostage, without wounding the hostage.

that was the very first thing i thought--wicked sniping skills. that rescue was some straight up hollywood shit.

[papasan9]

yeah, great end.

taking down ships and anything else tactical on water is of course navy seals bread and butter. i was telling a friend on thursday (when i heard the whole maersk was hijacked) that seal commanders are begging for the takedown. im sure they have been boning up ever since the somali pirates ramped up. it was only a matter of time before americans were involved in a somali hijacking.

i dont think it went down exactly like we were told hehe...

such as... once they had 25% of the threat on board the bainbridge (negotiating).. that is definatley the time to do the take down. so the "imminent danger to the captain" part might be a bit played up to not look we planned it like that.

as for the actual take down... at 200 yds with 3 targets in the open, i would have opted for snipers as well. no need to put people in the water if you have snipers that can do it. i dont know how many of you have served aboard ship, but at sea level 200 yd distance between a warship and a lifeboat... if you are in the lifeboat, you are looking up at a big ship..that is very close.

for the snipers, gravity would not have been an issue. their 200 yd zero's would have been good, which means wind would have played a minimal role... so the up & down of water would have been the main shooting hurtle... but those guys train for this shit.... and rather than imminent danger choosing the time, im sure it was more like calm seas chose the shoot time.

but, the navy has to look credible, we dont want the world thinking we would kill the enemy while negotiating with them. im happy for the captain, the seals and the navy. good job all.

sidenote- when the captain made an escape attempt by jumping and trying to swim to the bainbridge, you gotta know that snipers werent in place or didnt have permission to take the shot... either way that had to be a frustrating situation to have the hostage removed and have ability to take them down but didnt.

my wifes cousin is a former navy seal, he had "retired" just before gulf 2, but was called back up and went back over of course. retired a second time several years ago.

edit- fozzy's story says 3 head shots... superb. and the pirates allowed a tow line to be hooked to the boat, classic. great outcome. did you guys hear, the reason the whole maersk went free was because the crew attacked the hijackers and when they retreated they only got the captain. outstanding all the way around.

again, i hope the info being put out is misleading...i would hope that the presidential standing order wasnt to take the pirates out only if the captain was in immininent danger. they needed to be taken out period. but again, what is released has to be cleaned up a bit.

[Killerfurby6]

that's realy nice!!
i am glad the captain is ok!!
i guess the Germans should do it like that instead of the stupid things they do right now!!

[papasan9]

ok, this makes more sense. i interpret this account as saying the snipers took a 25 yd shot, in the dark in pitch seas. still a good shot but explains 3 bullets = 3 headshots. after mooring the lifeboat to the bainbridge, they must have gotten it quite close.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy_single_shot_takedowns;_ylt=AmZslgbGcP3rD.T2 M_d1a51H2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTJ2YmRhZzgxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIw MDkwNDEzL3BpcmFjeV9zaW5nbGVfc2hvdF90YWtlZG93bnMEY3 BvcwMyBHBvcwMyBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDbmF2 eWNvbW1hbmRl

this account also says the seals chuted from aircraft to nearby water and was retrieved by bainbridge. navy seals ftw.

[Grim_Scythe]

The thing is now....do you think the government should require ships sailing in those waters be required to have a security detail? Thanks to the pirates threats....

[papasan9]

the security detail question is difficult as it relates to national security. im sure the US does not want every liner that enters our port to have an arms room with ak's, pkm's etc. we are trying to figure out how to make our ports more secure... and there are plenty of boats hiring plenty of folks that would love to use those weapons for other reasons.

however, if i was serving aboard ship anywhere in that part of the world, a weapons locker and basic training would seem pretty important to me.

i am getting ready to book a cruise. my intention is to call the cruise line's corporate office and inquire about security measures. they shouldnt tell me anything, but i want to know if some portion of the crew can be armed and has been trained.

as of the last trip i took, a security officer (might have had a pistol) standing at the loading plank was as secure as it got. i think it wouldnt take much to take a cruise ship while at port.

[loopcycle]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7996659.stm


In Eyl, a pirate stronghold on the Somali coast, one pirate chief reportedly threatened revenge against Americans.

"We will intensify our attacks even reaching very far away from Somalia waters, and next time we get American citizens... they [should] expect no mercy from us," Abdi Garad told the Associated Press by telephone.


these guys take hostages for ransom and point guns at them, then get upset when they get hit back.
what a bizarre reaction. heat/kitchen/get out/etc

[Grim_Scythe]

maybe not an arms room but like actual contractors or something etc.....they bring their own gear. Then again that can be a bad idea too

[atomicbob]

They have teh mad skillz. Pirate pwnage. Arrrgggg.

[Ragan]

So I just watched some more news coverage, the lifeboat, is a rough seas boat, which means its completely enclosed with a hatch. The three rounds went in a window about two feet wide by 8 inches tall. I dont care if it was 23-25 yards away, on a moving target thats still precision.

[papasan9]

yeah it is, i didnt realize it was that type lifeboat until i saw the picture either. ive been in a couple of those, they are clausterphobic and hot. i didnt enjoy my few minutes in them, i cant imagine 5 days.

[atomicbob]

I think shipping companies should just rim the decks of their ships with 20,000v razor wire.

[Innocent-Bystander]

They have teh mad skillz. Pirate pwnage. Arrrgggg.


It looks like Bob has gotten back into the corn squeezens

[sir_digalot]

they were not seals, they were ninjas...... ninjas > pirates ;)

[atomicbob]

Had to be ninjas. Made the triple headshot at NIGHT!

1337 FWT!!

[papasan9]

Had to be ninjas. Made the triple headshot at NIGHT!

1337 FWT!!

yup, ninjas ftw... pretty 1337
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/ninja_parade_slips_through_town

[Ragan]

I think shipping companies should just rim the decks of their ships with 20,000v razor wire.

Many already do use razor wire on their deck edges.

[Innocent-Bystander]

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3121/navydemotivator3.jpg (http://img8.imageshack.us/my.php?image=navydemotivator3.jpg)
By InnocentBystand (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/InnocentBystand)

[Ragan]

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3121/navydemotivator3.jpg (http://img8.imageshack.us/my.php?image=navydemotivator3.jpg)
By InnocentBystand (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/InnocentBystand)


Hahahahha, this is awesome, and I will hijack it!

[JustMeBF2]

they were not seals, they were ninjas...... ninjas > pirates ;)


Ninja Parade


http://www.theonion.com/content/video/ninja_parade_slips_through_town

[sir_digalot]

hahah awesome

[Sage]

I still say they should have tossed his ass over the rail. "The United States hereby drops all charges against you. You're free to go, have a nice swim home!*"

*From the middle of the Indian Ocean.

[Innocent-Bystander]

Is it true that he came aboard the ship under a flag of truce and then after the SEALs fired, he was taken into custody? I've got a problem with this if that is the case. A truce is sacred.

[papasan9]

flag of truce sounds like a purely military term to me. that would be different in war or regular armed conflict. this is more like the kidnapper holed up in the house coming out with a flag of truce, he would still be arrested and charged. is how i view it.

[Sage]

Is it true that he came aboard the ship under a flag of truce and then after the SEALs fired, he was taken into custody? I've got a problem with this if that is the case. A truce is sacred.

I dunno. I heard he was wounded and that's why he was taken aboard. That and I don't see SEALs honoring a truce when it doesn't suit their purposes... :minigun:

For what it's worth, though, truces and surrenders only work when the other side honors them, too. That's why Texans weren't too quick to accept surrender or even show mercy at San Jacinto... If these four douches were asked for a truce by the crew of a ship they were storming, what do you suppose their reaction would be.

This isn't war and it shouldn't be, either. It should simply be slaughter.

[sir_digalot]

i wondered what would happen if a pirate actually said parlee :D