I Bet They Went Arrrrggggghhhhhhhh!

[Menzies]

Oops, Pirates Rush French Military Ship

The French Navy said they seized 11 pirates Sunday after they apparently mistook a French military vessel for a commercial ship and made a run at it off the coast of Kenya.

Two pirate assault boats approached the Nivose "at great speed," Capt. Christophe Prazuck said, but a French helicopter intervened before the attackers had time to fire at the French navy ship.

The helicopter fired warning shots, he said.

The pirates, who had a mother ship as well as the two assault boats, are being held for questioning on the Nivose, Prazuck said. The vessels were carrying AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, but the pirates did not fire, he said.

In the past three weeks, the Nivose has intercepted 24 suspected pirates as part of a European Union anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia, which has become a piracy hotspot. Over the past year, more than 100 suspected pirates have been picked up, Prazuck said. Of that total, 27 have been released, and more than 70 taken to jail in France, handed to authorities in Somalia or taken to Kenya under an EU agreement with the government in Nairobi.

The Nivose seized three other suspected pirates Thursday morning, the French military spokesman said, but released them the next day for lack of evidence.

[rchanner]

I have the solution to this pirate thing. Multinational cooperative effort to plant a Special Ops team on as many ships as possible (each country responsible for ships sailing under it's own flag). Shouldn't take long to tip the scales.

[TheShortAnswer]

ah cmon........they were just looking for their stimulus checks.

[Trollnheel]

Well, goes to show they're not very bright!

[dave11]

We're paying $20 MM to help poor Hamas refugees immigrate to this country. Why not Somalli pirates now that they are becoming oppressed?

[Jup31]

I thought this was a great report on why the pirates do what they do. They actually have a business plan, they have investors, share profits, keep track of expenses and have time sheets! I suggest that you listen to the news report.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...oryId=103657301

[OReely]

I have the solution to this pirate thing. Multinational cooperative effort to plant a Special Ops team on as many ships as possible (each country responsible for ships sailing under it's own flag). Shouldn't take long to tip the scales.

I read recently that over 20,000 commercial ships transit that area annually, makes the task a bit tougher but still doable. If they set up flotillas with armed escorts running in a defined shipping lane, I think they would have a better shot at stopping it.

Charge a modest fee for the security of joining the flotilla to help offset the cost. Any ship not willing to pay the fee is on their own.

If you approach a flotilla you get the time honored tradition of a burial at sea, courtesy of some 20mm shells (or whatever armament is prevalent) from a helicopter gunship.

[rchanner]

I read recently that over 20,000 commercial ships transit that area annually, makes the task a bit tougher but still doable. If they set up flotillas with armed escorts running in a defined shipping lane, I think they would have a better shot at stopping it.

Charge a modest fee for the security of joining the flotilla to help offset the cost. Any ship not willing to pay the fee is on their own.

If you approach a flotilla you get the time honored tradition of a burial at sea, courtesy of some 20mm shells (or whatever armament is prevalent) from a helicopter gunship.

I think maybe we're on to something....How do you think the pirates would react when they are climbing their rope ladders on to a merchant ship and a hovercraft brimming with pissed off US Marines pulls alongside? I'd love to see that!

[CJS]

I think maybe we're on to something....How do you think the pirates would react when they are climbing their rope ladders on to a merchant ship and a hovercraft brimming with pissed off US Marines pulls alongside? I'd love to see that!

Put a light carrier loaded with Predators armed with Hellfire missles off the coast

and let our boys play video games. Let a few get back to their home port or mother

ship, and as soon as they toss the dock line, light em up. How hard can it be to

distinguish a legitimate fishing boat from one loaded with armed thugs?

[r.waddill]

surprised the French ship didn't surrender