"a swift firefight"

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Has anybody out there heard how the "swift fire fight" that rescued Captain Phillips went down?

I'm guessing that the chopper saw him jump into the water and comunicated that to the Bainbridge, and that they had their Vulcan Phalynx trained on the life boat...

Phtppppppp!

fire fight over.

I suspect the chopper is a Lamps MK III (ASW platform) and I doubt it even has a mounted machine gun.

I hope we get to hear some details as to how this went down.

Gotta love the spunk of the U.S. Merchant Marine crew.

So far it appears that...

Skipper gives himself up as hostage to secure the saftey of the crew.

Chief Engineer and crew member jumped and stabbed an armed pirate whilst giving him a tour of the engineering spaces.

Said stabbed Pirate was then held as a "counter hostage"

Crew makes the mistake of thinking the pirates will actually keep up their end of the bargain in a hostage swap, as they give up their captive pirate, only to have their Skipper retained by the pirates.

Skipper, while held at gun point on life boat, attempts escape by jumping in the ocean and swimming towards the Bainbridge. Unfortunately, the Bainbridge is asleep at the wheel and fails to capitalize on the situation.

After being re-captured and tied up, the Skipper again jumps into the water.

This time the Bainbridge is ready and 3 of the 4 pirates are killed in "a swift firefight".

One heck of a sea story going on out there.

Did anybody catch Atty. General Holders response that he's investigating what courts and law the pirates could be prosecuted under.....

and he's the Atty. General of the United States of America?

This isn't exactly something that came up out of the blue. It's only been going on for a year now, and they just decided to look into it?
 
Where are you getting your news source. I can't find anything stating that the hostage jumped overboard again. I'm glad that they got the captain back, I just wish they hadn't captured the fourth pirate.
Mauserguy
 
Wow.

We are looking at a watershed moment in international maritime law.

The French started it with their "no compromise" (thus no ransom)

Response to piracy.

Now we, the USA, are on the same track.

I've got a sweet hunch that in the next few months

The Somali gangstas are going to go from riches to rags.

I'll lay down a hundred dollar bill (and I'm not a betting man) that

Within the next year there will be an international protocol

Agreed to and enforced, as to keeping global shipping lanes

Safe from piracy.

isher
 
As crises go, this is small potatoes, but makes for great television coverage.

I just like making all the obvious pirate jokes and going "ARRRR!" when the subject comes up socially.

Politicians always want to ignore pirates -- until the public demands action. This happened with the Barbary Pirates in the early nineteenth century. We eventually settled their hash, but it was an absurdly long time coming.
 
The law on the subject of piracy has been clear for nigh on 300 years, approaching 200 years for the USA. The only lack is the will to enforce it.

Maybe ol' Hussein will help the authorities find some backbone. "The French and the Americans will regret starting this killing. We do not kill, but take only ransom. We shall do something to anyone we see as French or American from now," Hussein, a pirate, told Reuters by satellite phone

Good for the Navy - some sources say SEALs - for pulling him out and shooting pirates.
A big attaboy for Captain Phillips for keeping his head and being rescuable instead of giving in.
 
Tomorrow is Thomas Jefferson's Birthday- He knew how to kick the crap out of the pirates- Hang 'em all.
 
The law on the subject of piracy has been clear for nigh on 300 years, approaching 200 years for the USA. The only lack is the will to enforce it.
Click to expand...
Yeah really...pirates are the OGs of terrorists. Back when the West actually had backbones, being a pirate meant that if caught, you were hung from the yardarm. End of story.
But now we're all 'civilized' and have to 'protect the rights' of such scum at the expense of our own people.
 
What I'd love to know is how these snipers hit these guys from one bobbing boat to another bobbing boat. Maybe they fired from helos? Either way that's some extreme marksmanship.
 
Piracy will continue.

Somali pirates will think twice now before taking Americans hostage.
 
Ned Kelly: "Somali pirates will think twice now before taking Americans hostage."

ARRR!

Ye Dread Pirate Hussein "Left Hook, Bloody Arse" Mohammed Abdi will think himself twicet methinks, 'ere he again challenge ye stars and stripes asea.

Arrrr.
 
What I'd love to know is how these snipers hit these guys from one bobbing boat to another bobbing boat. Maybe they fired from helos? Either way that's some extreme marksmanship.
Click to expand...

News reports are saying they fired from the fantail at 25-35 meters.

GO NAVY!!
 
Wow, my thread on this got shut-down in short order, someone's hob nobbin' with a mod.
 
The guns connection on this thread is nebulous at best, but it certainly is a red-letter day for the folks involved ... and for all Americans. This could have ended in any number of ways, and most of them were ugly.
 
searcher -

Dunno about the nebulous.

Kinda reinforces that old phrase

"an armed society is a polite society."

Maybe the Somalis learned a little more politesse

From this action.

isher
 
USS Bainbridge (DDG 96)
- Armament
Land attack cruise missile capability is provided by Tomahawk Missiles, which are launched from her Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS). The MK 41 VLS is a multi-warfare missile launching system capable of firing a mix of missiles against airborne and surface threats. It is modular in design, with eight modules symmetrically grouped to form a launcher magazine. The modules contain all the necessary components for launching functions when interfaced with the ship's AEGIS Weapon System. VLS is a product of Martin-Marietta. The shorter range Harpoon Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles have a range in excess of 65 nautical miles which are fired from stand-alone launchers. The 5"/54 Caliber Gun, in conjunction with the Mark 34 Gun Weapon System, is an anti-ship weapon which can also be used for close-in air contacts or to support forces ashore with Naval Gun-Fire Support (NGFS).

U.S. Navy SEAL Team: Varied and various small arms

Somali Pirates: AK-47's and pistols

Nebulous
–adjective
1. hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused: a nebulous recollection of the meeting; a nebulous distinction between pride and conceit.
2. cloudy or cloudlike.
3. of or resembling a nebula or nebulae; nebular.

Please explain to us how this situation is "nebulous at best" regarding firearms?
 
Fox news is reporting Navy Snipers (my guess SEALS) used high powered rifles (3000 fps) to make three simultaneous head shots. Navy flew in the SEALS with a air drop and they made their way to the Banebridge(sp?). Pirates popped their heads up to get some fresh air and ... it was all over. The SEALS transferred him from the lifeboat to another small vessel then to the Banebridge. It's definitely another proud day for the Navy.
 
I would like to know where to OP got his original information on the rescue. It was way off base dude.
 
I too heard 3 simultaneous head shots were made. The pirates apparently let their guard down and were protruding above the hatches. Navy says one pointed his AK at the captain, which prompetd the shots.

Shooters were about 30 meters away on the USS Bainbridge. 30 meters ain't much, but don't forget, both vessels were effected by swells. There ain't no easy way to benchrest off a bobbing bench at a bobbing target.
 
My guess is that the wave heights were 30 meters apart at the time. Those sneaky Navy types probably measured and had the rope long enough for both the fantail and life boat to rise and fall together.

he he he.
 
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