10-04-2008, 12:48 AM
Anyone who has seen any number of old movies about the merchant marine
is familiar with scenes where the Captain or other officers breaks out the
ships supply of small arms to fend off pirates, sea monsters or hostile natives. Sadly almost no nation, cruise line or shipping company now permit their merchant mariners to have weapons making the seas a giant "gun free zone" where pirates (terrorists among them) freely capture ships
to rob or hold them for huge ransoms. No country has had the guts to field a few secretly armed "Q" ships and just blow the pirates away when they approach. I guess they don't want to violate the pirates "rights". It makes me sick every time I hear about new pirate attacks in the news.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship
Info from Wikipedia:
21st century
Despite a rise in modern piracy it is very unusual for modern merchant ships to be armed, save for maybe a number of small arms and the use of the ship's fire hoses to repel boarders. One exception to this are the ships of PNTL [4] used to transport spent nuclear fuel and reprocessed uranium on behalf of BNFL. Transporting enough fissile material between them to produce 50 to 60 nuclear weapons these ships, beginning with the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal, became armed in 1999 to avoid the cost of a Royal Navy escort, .[5] Travelling together in convoy during these ships intermittent voyages they have an onboard escort of armed police from the UKAEAC and its successors [6] and are equipped with two to three automatic cannon of 30mm calibre.[7]
is familiar with scenes where the Captain or other officers breaks out the
ships supply of small arms to fend off pirates, sea monsters or hostile natives. Sadly almost no nation, cruise line or shipping company now permit their merchant mariners to have weapons making the seas a giant "gun free zone" where pirates (terrorists among them) freely capture ships
to rob or hold them for huge ransoms. No country has had the guts to field a few secretly armed "Q" ships and just blow the pirates away when they approach. I guess they don't want to violate the pirates "rights". It makes me sick every time I hear about new pirate attacks in the news.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship
Info from Wikipedia:
21st century
Despite a rise in modern piracy it is very unusual for modern merchant ships to be armed, save for maybe a number of small arms and the use of the ship's fire hoses to repel boarders. One exception to this are the ships of PNTL [4] used to transport spent nuclear fuel and reprocessed uranium on behalf of BNFL. Transporting enough fissile material between them to produce 50 to 60 nuclear weapons these ships, beginning with the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal, became armed in 1999 to avoid the cost of a Royal Navy escort, .[5] Travelling together in convoy during these ships intermittent voyages they have an onboard escort of armed police from the UKAEAC and its successors [6] and are equipped with two to three automatic cannon of 30mm calibre.[7]
John Kaler MSG, USA Retired
Member Legio V (Tenn, USA)
Staff Member Ludus Militus https://www.facebook.com/groups/671041919589478/
Owner Vicus and Village: https://www.facebook.com/groups/361968853851510/
Member Legio V (Tenn, USA)
Staff Member Ludus Militus https://www.facebook.com/groups/671041919589478/
Owner Vicus and Village: https://www.facebook.com/groups/361968853851510/
