Another Somalia pirate has bagged another ship.

[Freiwillige]

Poor is no excuse. There are poor people all over the world, Not many of them are Pirates. And as far as law is concerned, Somalia has no government and no imposed laws. Its currently a nation of warlords who extort money from the west to buy more weapons and attack boats to increase their ability to extort money from the west. Its a cycle that needs to be crushed. They have made billions to buy weapons. This money isnt going to food or medical aid for the population. Its going to weapons pure and simple.

Its time to stop the excuses and start their destruction. It will sound like this, "Tomahawk cruise missle LOS!

Seriously start rigging up Q-ships and blast them into the depths of Neptune!

[A Very Super Market]

Well christ, what other nation has the entirety of its coastline next to a major shipping route? Indonesia has piracy problems too!

[Freiwillige]

Good point, But Indonesia has a government who is making an effort to cull those forces. So at least we have something to work with. Somalia has no Government.
Nobody we can put pressure on politically. So bring out the cannons since I'm sure ours are much larger than there's!

Might=Right in cases like this.

[Max2147]

The presence of piracy at sea is a direct result of the lack of a government on the shore.

There are poor people all across Africa. Lots of African countries have long coastlines. But no other African countries have piracy problems like Somalia. Their governments, weak/corrupt/brutal as they may be, don't let it happen.

The solution to this problem has to come from inside Somalia. The outside world has been trying to set up a Somali government for the past 20 years, and every effort has failed despite bucketloads of aid. Meanwhile, the northern separatist region of Somaliland has managed to set up a functioning and reasonably democratic government in the area under their control, despite receiving absolutely nothing from the outside world.

In the meantime, as any sub skipper knows, escorted convoys are the best way to stop attacks on merchant shipping. One destroyer from an international force with a patrol chopper should be enough to deter any pirate attacks on a convoy. Unfortunately there's no political will to make that happen.

[Frame57]

"Yo ho, Yo ho a pirates life for me..."

[Freiwillige]

I still say its time to blow anything larger than a rowboat into bags of splinters. There's enough political correctness in this world. Let every vessal they got burn!

[sunvalleyslim]

Piraticy ends when the Mighty take charge.........They (Pirates) will prevail until they get their Ass kicked hard enough...........We're talking bands of regenades who only know one thing, violence to get what they want......If it's violence they want it, bring on.....Only the mighty survive

[Tchocky]

Originally Posted by sunvalleyslim

Piraticy ends when the Mighty take charge.........They (Pirates) will prevail until they get their Ass kicked hard enough...........We're talking bands of regenades who only know one thing, violence to get what they want......If it's violence they want it, bring on.....Only the mighty survive

Piraticy ends when the Mighty take charge
They (Pirates) will prevail until they get their
Ass kicked hard enough
We're talking bands of regenades who only know one thing,
violence to get what they want

If it's violence they want it, bring on
Only the mighty survive

Make the pie higher!
Make the pie higher!

[diver]

Originally Posted by Max2147

In the meantime, as any sub skipper knows, escorted convoys are the best way to stop attacks on merchant shipping. One destroyer from an international force with a patrol chopper should be enough to deter any pirate attacks on a convoy. Unfortunately there's no political will to make that happen.

This is already underway.

But it has not deterred attacks on ships.

And it has been shown that one ship with one helo is just not sufficient to guard that much.

This stuff makes for interesting reading:
http://informationdissemination.blog...ix-months.html

"The article lays out an atmosphere of tension, stress, and anxiety among the ships of the convoy. As the French ship mans battle stations, they search in the night for the suspected vessel that spooked the Barrock. As the tension rises, other ships also start issuing alerts, and the story ends by describing what amounts to a panicked night in the convoy with the French frigate chasing ghost sightings for several tense hours"



I would say more maritime patrol aircraft on staion would be important in successfully guarding such convoys, allowing ships to be able to weed out false alarms and not risk sending thier helo out on a wild goose chase making it out of reach when really needed in a hurry.
A carrier from either the USN or an EU country would probably be a valued asset.

[JALU3]

Originally Posted by diver

I would say more maritime patrol aircraft on staion would be important in successfully guarding such convoys, allowing ships to be able to weed out false alarms and not risk sending thier helo out on a wild goose chase making it out of reach when really needed in a hurry.
A carrier from either the USN or an EU country would probably be a valued asset.

A Carrier might be a bit much, maybe a LHA/LHD outfitted in a Sea Control Ship aircraft load out as the flagship of the present multi-national flotilla. This increases air assets, adds another hull for escort or patrol duties, and provides additional fire power, and ship boarding capability if necessary.

[diver]

[quote=JALU3]

Originally Posted by diver

A Carrier might be a bit much, maybe a LHA/LHD outfitted in a Sea Control Ship aircraft load out as the flagship of the present multi-national flotilla. This increases air assets, adds another hull for escort or patrol duties, and provides additional fire power, and ship boarding capability if necessary.

That would fit the bill, but you would want to see more land based MPA aircraft assigned and integrated into the force.

But I don't think a carrier would provide wasted power.

With a USN Carrier or the Charles de Gaulle you would have organic E-2 Hawkeyes, the felxibility of another platform from which to replenish your surface combatants, and the deterrance of fast jets operating over the Area.

If such a resource were to be available I doubt its something the Commanders around the Horn of Africa would turn down.
Though I do realise that is a big assumption with forces stretched as they are.