Saturday, November 05, 2005

From the Shores of Tripoli

It appears that several Somalis don't remember history. These Somalis attempted to hijack a large cruise ship just offshore (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4409662.stm). The ship captain put the coals to it, started evasive manuevers, and even attempted to run the attackers over at one point.

He didn't succeed, damn it.

Oh, well. Better luck next time.

What these pirates don't seem to understand is that piracy is one of the first problems that the US Marines took on after being formed. The part of the Marine Corps hymn "from the shores of Tripoli" refers to the Marines taking on (and defeating!) the Barbary pirates operating off of Libya in the late 18th century.

Fellas, let me point out some things that might make your life more livable:

1) Anyone on a ship has a very clear field of view, except at night and in storms.
2) Night vision goggles work really well at night.
3) Unless you are highly trained spec ops warriors, taking down a moving ship is not an easy-to-do.
4) If a ship captain decides to run you down, the laws of physics apply. A 50 pound raft / dingy / rowboat is no match for a 10,000 ton cruise ship.
5) If a friendly nation parks a warship in the area, all bets are off. You've been warned.

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