Time for some .50 cals on the poop deck...
 

Or maybe time to reinvent the Q ship? It worked once.

And it will work only once again.

Pirates will shoot rather than board, maybe.

The French special forces are probably fighting who gets the go to get them.
Im sure the pirates wont live to regret this.:arrgh!:

Unfortunately a lot of shipping companies just fold and pay the ransoms. :nope:

Well, the originals worked for some years. And there is nothing saying that just one Q ship could be used. In any case, pirates are generally after some sort of financial gain, be it the ship and/or its cargo for resale or just loot. There's little profit in a sunk vessel, so boarding has to remain in their TTPs.

Even more write it off and totally ignore a lost ship, because of the huge insurance penalties that will follow if they report it.

It's harder than it sounds to sink a ship. Small arms and an occasional RPG is not going to do it; a small yacht like this maybe, but today's thick multi-hulled cargo ships and tankers, no way. Therefore it's preferable to just rake the decks with gunfire to kill or incapacitate any defenders rather than approaching normally and risk surprise or just give up piracy.

Not arguing that gunfire is likely, but it was originally posed as an either/or proposition, which it is not.

A French rear admiral is currently in command of the international martime security TF in the area, FYI.

http://www.cusnc.navy.mil/command/ctf150.html

PD

I am filled with confidence.

What an ugly ship!

As is always the case. One of these cruise ships will sustain alot of damage and loss of civilian life then, this vermon will be stalked at a HUGE expense, caught and held for trial until some World (nutcase) Organazation says their rights are being violated and they will be let go.

There Parents abused them when they were young.

These guys are lucky their government cares enough to actually do something. Most civillian vessels nowaday are of hazy nationality, and anything like that ends up like a game of ping pong between third world nations.

Q Ships probably aren't the solution. These guys operate with awfully good intelligence... In fact, I've heard more than one story where the officials coming onboard to investigate the attack looked an awful lot like the attackers, if you get my drift.

And I don't see the civillian boats getting armed anytime soon - Especially the luxury yacht market! - for various reasons. It ends up being cheaper to insure. Some of the adventure-lite cruise boats (One of the Seabourns, I think) got some of those ultrasound no-kill weapons installed, if I recall correctly. I can't see anything more potent being installed.

Really? I think it looks lovely, a nice blend of a traditional three master with a modern hull design. :D