Calling all SH4 Superstars -- The Navy needs your help

[Drednots]

"bounty hunters" if you will. Private mercenaries on the seas that are contracted out by either governments (laying out the rules of engagement for them and or weapons used etc, whatever) or the shipping companies. In colonial times this was a popular and most cost effective choice to protect shipments from pirates. The costs involved when you assign a government's navy is too high.

[Mush Martin]

Yeah as I recall blackwater is supposedly operating a privateer frigate
in the gulf of oman, do you suppose she is carrying letters of marques and reprisal
from the queen of america ?

[Stealhead]

I do believe that there are already some PMCs already working for various shipping companies.The issue is that international maritime laws are very strict about the carrying of weapons by ships that are not acting as vessels of a nations naval forces they must be naval forces not contractors.So the PMCs have rather limited options they can only use less than lethal means to discourage the pirates.If Blackwater has it own vessels they are going to limited in what the can do.

I rather doubt that modern nations would have the desire to use the old time system that was used back then.And in effect those guys where not being employed to protect ships from pirates they themselves where being allowed to commit piracy against certain other nations merchant vessels they where legalized at least by the employing nation.

[Anthony W.]

It doesn't take too much of a brain to operate Ma Deuce on a BASIC level. Load. Point. Shoot.

Start mounting them.

[Stealhead]

You cant that is the whole issue it is illegal for any non naval vessel to be armed in international waters every nation on earth agrees with this and it this way for logical reasons.
Do you know anyone with a captains license? They will tell you the same thing civilian ships can not be armed then comes the whole issue of different nations ports many of them ban all weapons at best you only have small arms like handguns and rifles(sort of) which makes you outgunned because the pirates have light machine guns like PKMs and they have RPGs you'd need the type of fire power that is not allowed to have a chance if you tried to fend them off with deadly force an M2 is not a legal weapon for a merchant vessel.



Have you ever fired an M2? Have you ever fired one on the high seas? I doubt that you have because if had you'd not say that they are so easy to use.It is a very loud weapon and I even saw other folks in the military be rather nervous when firing it the first few times. The M2 is too complex for a lay person to use with any effect hell they'd sit there all day trying to get it to fire after only cocking the thing once when you need to rack the handle twice I bet.No firearm is as simple as point and shoot to use with any effect.That may be true when the person is 3 feet away but not for a speed boat shooting at a person with no training being nervous and trying to hit a boat on the high seas.

[TheAbyss]

Preaching to the ... .

Mount some M2s on all boats (2 per boat to get adequate coverage), train a few crewmen to use and maintain said M2s as a secondary job (no more than a weekend of training will get you up to speed). No need for expensive PMCs.

So simple.

[Mush Martin]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

You cant that is the whole issue it is illegal for any non naval vessel to be armed in international waters every nation on earth agrees with this and it this way for logical reasons.
Do you know anyone with a captains license? They will tell you the same thing civilian ships can not be armed then comes the whole issue of different nations ports many of them ban all weapons at best you only have small arms like handguns and rifles(sort of) which makes you outgunned because the pirates have light machine guns like PKMs and they have RPGs you'd need the type of fire power that is not allowed to have a chance if you tried to fend them off with deadly force an M2 is not a legal weapon for a merchant vessel.



Have you ever fired an M2? Have you ever fired one on the high seas? I doubt that you have because if had you'd not say that they are so easy to use.It is a very loud weapon and I even saw other folks in the military be rather nervous when firing it the first few times. The M2 is too complex for a lay person to use with any effect hell they'd sit there all day trying to get it to fire after only cocking the thing once when you need to rack the handle twice I bet.No firearm is as simple as point and shoot to use with any effect.That may be true when the person is 3 feet away but not for a speed boat shooting at a person with no training being nervous and trying to hit a boat on the high seas.

The argument goes something like this, an M2 on a large vessel
can only be perceived as a defensive weapon, with really no
significant offensive potential.

To my mind though the thing to do is deploy "home navy" "gun crews" aboard home flagged shipping. Like during the convoy days.

Its cheaper than supporting a patrol sqdrn abroad and
really probably more deterring if done right.

Just my thoughts.
M

[Stealhead]

It will still not fly with international maritime laws if they thought that was a good idea they'd have already done it anyway and they have not.

I dont think that the use of military gun crews on a merchant ship is legal either unless during a time of war.

Also even if you could mount just say 2 heavy machine guns then the pirates would just up the game and use more boats them selves.

A system that is legal that has worked well is the use of those noise making machines they have a range greater than most small arms and are so loud that they discourage attack.

Obviously they seek out the softest target if they get near one ship and they fire warning shots or use some other from of deterrent then the pirates simply leave and find a softer target.

Anyway there is not much point in me saying more really you guys want to daydream that mounting a few MGs and then giving some dude a small amount of training on it is simply nonsense why are they going to risk their life using a weapon when they can choose not to and take there chances that the pirates will only rob the ship.Militray men have the will to fight a merchant man has the will to make money as soon as the ---- hits the fan he will be finding a good hiding spot and wait for the SEALs to come and save him.

[WernherVonTrapp]

Well, I really haven't put a lot of thought into it but, I say we fight fire with fire. The pirates launch skiffs from a mother-ship? I say we commission a new class of armored FPT boats, maybe with a TOW missle launcher, a minigun and a Bushman 30mm cannon, yeah that ought to do it. Then, send three or four of them out from one of our own (newly commissioned) mother-ships to draw their fire. Once they fire at US, we obliterate them.
They haven't technically declared war, so why should we? We can call it, hmmm let me think here, this may take some imagination. Ooh, I know. We can call it a "Limited Engagement".

[I'm goin' down]

Let's dangle Penelope Cruz on the bow. We win!

[Anthony W.]

Aircraft carriers are considered US territory no matter where they are, right?. Consider the ships and anywhere within 500 yards of it while in international waters US territory and open fire in defense of federal law. Have other countries do the same.

Give the crew flashbangs?

How about that experimental directed energy sound weapon?

[TheAbyss]

The pirates utilize all the heavy weapons they can muster (it doesn't get heavier for a speedboat in that part of the world, barring self-guided derka derka suicide boats, but that's not their aim); RPG-7s (70mm and up), RRs (usually 73mm and up), DShKs (12.7mm HMG) and various small arms -- none of these can do much against a merchant vessel.

However, put several bursts of 12.7mm of API on a speedboat and that's all she wrote.

The Spaniards [and everyone else] of the past are crying at the yellow-belly nature of current international shipping.

[clayp]

You know this really piss's me off!!!!! The mightest country on the planet and they have to ask what to do....We can crush them,we can crush their dam country..Just do it..We can also crush pakistan and the rest of the stans!!!!!! Do it...Just do it once and for all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Daniel Prates]

Originally Posted by TheAbyss

The Spaniards [and everyone else] of the past are crying at the yellow-belly nature of current international shipping.

Oh yeah, bring back the Jack Sparrows of the past to deal with those somalis.

[deceptiboat]

Originally Posted by clayp

You know this really piss's me off!!!!! The mightest country on the planet and they have to ask what to do....We can crush them,we can crush their dam country..Just do it..We can also crush pakistan and the rest of the stans!!!!!! Do it...Just do it once and for all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but even the mightiest country on the planet can't withstand the combined forces of the rest of the world. Think before you do anything, or you will regret for what you've done