observer Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Assuming you had the inclination to realise a dream of sailing the world's oceans and the means to do it: would you sail the Indian Ocean in the area of Somalia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Me neither... .....and expecially now that Asp the 'sea god' has said NO with loads of !!!!!'s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 I would, but my wife wouldn't pay a ransom to get me back. Â I did the journey back and to in a troopship in 1951 and 1952 to and from Korea , which was not a pleasure cruise. Â The Red sea and Indian ocean were magical places - flat as pancakes; idyllic weather; watching cinema on deck; the wild life around the ship was a sight to behold. Â The modern fashion is now flying - you gain a lot but also lose a lot. Â Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted October 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Unfortunately, in the 21stC, we are tolerating this anachronistic situation, so until we get the bottle to start systematically sinking these pirates on sight; it's not an area for a pleasure cruise and one can have little sympathy for these hostages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 It happens in a lot of places. When my very posh friend was cruising, she observed a small boat (OK, OK, just for you Asp - a small floating vessel with an engine ) leave the main ship, meet another boat and then come back. That was the cruise line paying their protection money to the pirates. Local industry, complete with Trade Union and charter, it seems..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted October 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Sink 'em all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Bring back the Q ships. Â http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Too right Ink; Pompey the Great cleared the Med of pirates over 2,000 years ago - if they could do it then - we could do it now: divide the Oceans into operational areas, and systematically sink every unauthorised craft in sight - gradually working towards their bases - then shock and awe on everything from a canoe up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 That sounds about right. Just give me a small sailing boat equipped with a few cruise missiles and I?ll willingly volunteer for the job. I think that in such cases you need to fight fire with fire rather than pussy footing around worrying about human rights. Â Fly along the coast and drop leaflets advising the people that unless the piracy stops the next things dropped wont be leaflets! Â Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Deary me! Out come the sledgehammers again. All you have to do is hire the existing pirates to police the seas and pay them a decent wage for doing it. Regular, safe, respectable income for all of them as long as they don't let anybody rock any boats..... nothing for anyone if there's trouble. Â Why do blokes always have to do things the noisy, horrible way? It's easier, cheaper and just plain nicer to give people an incentive than it is to threaten and maim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 You are of course joking LP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Nope. Deadly serious. Piracy is money-driven. Give people a decent, respectable living and natural laziness will do the rest. Why risk your neck kidnapping people for a few grand a year if you can stay home and get twice as much? Â Or start a war you can't win, encouraging future generations of pirates to kill first and ask questions later. Kill their Dads, make them hate you. Sink their boats, force them to kill cruising couples to get new ones. Â Seems a no-brainer to me. Cruise liners have no trouble, same principle on a larger scale will see the end of piracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Hiring pirates? You have totally lost the plot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Think LP is pursuing the "danegeld" principle - buy 'em off and they'll go away - isn't that what's been going on to-date?! A simple dose of shock and awe, should produce enough trauma to sanitise the area, and give our Navy some good training experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Cruise liners haven't been targetted because they are fast and are harder to board because of their high freeboard. They also have a very large crew. Much easier to board a slow moving cargo ship with low freeboard and small crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Hiring pirates? You have totally lost the plot. Â No, poachers turned gamekeepers is the principle. It's been working for centuries. Instead of wasting endless resources and lives trying to stamp them out of existence, invest a bit of time and money to turn them into keepers of the peace. You won't win by blowing up this year's crop, and why should our lads be sent there? Â Piracy is about feeding their families. Kidnap and ransom are done in a relatively civilised manner, people are well treated, amounts negotiated and hostages returned unharmed. How long will that last under siege and threat? Give them an honourable alternative and everyone wins, as they'll police the troublemakers themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Cruise liners haven't been targetted because they are fast and are harder to board because of their high freeboard. They also have a very large crew. Much easier to board a slow moving cargo ship with low freeboard and small crew. Â Not the liners - the transfer boats and tourists in them. Easy pickings...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Methinks your somewhat naive LP: Somalia is a failed State, with a weak Government and a multitude of criminal gangs/factions, already at each others throats - which particular faction are you thinking, can become the "gamekeeper" - when none has the capacity to achieve supremacy to-date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 I think the little tinkers would have to work plenty of overtime to get anywhere near the ?4million they are asking for the English couple. Â By the way ,apparently Somalia is now being flagged up as a future terrorist threat on a par with Al Qaeda so maybe the way forward is to nip this problem in the bud with military or naval action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inky pete Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Give people a decent, respectable living  There's your problem right there, the words give people a decent living.  Nobody should be given a decent living - especially not just to stop them doing something which carries the death penalty in most places in the world. If they don't want to work for a living, they ain't hungry enough yet.  Sink their boats, force them to kill cruising couples to get new ones.  Not if they're on board at the time you don't!  Seems a no-brainer to me.  There's only one no-brainer involved in that post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Â Seems a no-brainer to me. Â There's only one no-brainer involved in that post! Â Â The joy of a forum like this is that one can simply elect not to engage in conversation with people like you, Pete, who lack charm, humour or manners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LymmParent Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Methinks your somewhat naive LP: Somalia is a failed State, with a weak Government and a multitude of criminal gangs/factions, already at each others throats - which particular faction are you thinking, can become the "gamekeeper" - when none has the capacity to achieve supremacy to-date? Â Which faction? Pirates. What goes on inland is another discussion. We are talking about the options for stopping piracy in international waters. There are three options: shoot them all on sight, stay out of that area altogether or try to find a way that gives everybody what they want. Pirates want money, everyone else wants to be safe. I'm not condoning piracy, just saying that the quickest, cheapest and most pleasant method is the compromise. Won't happen, of course - either nothing at all will be done, or there'll be some miserable drawn out naval battle and once again, our servicemen will be shot at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 W're not talking about Blackpool beach here LP, quite a lot of coastline and no doubt, quite a lot of pirate gangs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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