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Royal Navy in firefight with Somali pirates
The Times ^ | November 12, 2008 | Michael Evans, Defence Editor and Rob Crilly

Posted on 11/12/2008 12:59:23 PM PST by Mercia

Pirates caught redhanded by one of Her Majesty’s warships after trying to hijack a cargo ship off Somalia made the grave mistake of opening fire on two Royal Navy assault craft packed with commandos armed with machineguns and SA80 rifles.

In the ensuing gunfight, two Somali pirates in a Yemeni-registered fishing dhow were killed, and a third pirate, believed to be a Yemeni, suffered injuries and subsequently died. It was the first time the Royal Navy had been engaged in a fatal shoot-out on the high seas in living memory.

(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: killemall; maritime; navy; noprisoners; piracy; pirates; royalnavy; somalia; somalipirates; uk
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To: Jeff Head

“Where do they get these journalists?”

From journalism school. That should explain everything.


41 posted on 11/12/2008 1:43:30 PM PST by mesoman7
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To: Doug4McCain

Ah you make the mistake of judging our (UK) armed forces by our politicians and high command.

On the ground they are the real thing.


42 posted on 11/12/2008 2:09:08 PM PST by vimto (To do the right thing you don't have to be intelligent - you have to be brave (Sasz))
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To: nralife

That’s a pirate boat?

Bwahahahahahahahaha....


43 posted on 11/12/2008 2:17:26 PM PST by texmexis best
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To: TexasCajun
I remember reading where the Somalians hijacked an Iranian ship full of radioactive material/waste.

Once they opened the sealed containers everyone who came in contact with its contents died shortly after.

Were there any follow-ups to this? After reading how intelligence agencies enjoy planting such fear-friendly stories in the press, I figured I'd wait for confirmation but never saw any.

44 posted on 11/12/2008 2:19:15 PM PST by Dumb_Ox (http://kevinjjones.blogspot.com)
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To: Mercia

Good show, boys!!


45 posted on 11/12/2008 2:20:42 PM PST by Star Traveler
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To: Mercia
Time for a real shootout!

Bring back the battleship. Just one broadside, and then I'm okay with giving the survivors a lawyer and reading them their rights.

46 posted on 11/12/2008 2:26:30 PM PST by MathDoc (26 December 1860; 7 December 1941; 11 September 2001; 8 November 2008)
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To: vimto
Were HM government to allow HM Marines to do that voodoo that they do so well, the world would be a better place in short order.
47 posted on 11/12/2008 2:27:29 PM PST by Mr. Lucky
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To: Lurker

To quote from the globalsecurity.org website (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/malvinas.htm)

Falklands/Malvinas War

The Falklands War was by far the largest and most extended series of naval battles since the Pacific campaign in World War II.


48 posted on 11/12/2008 2:29:44 PM PST by opocno
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To: nralife

“I’m afraid as Her Majesty’s envoy, we will not accept your suprising surrender.
Instead, we’ll shall expedite your oft-stated wish to collect
your 72 virgins, or 72 raisins, or whatever in Paradise.”

(no, I don’t advocate shooting surrendering thugs...but in such a case
I’d be tempted to make an exception)


49 posted on 11/12/2008 2:33:41 PM PST by VOA
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To: TexasCajun
I remember reading where the Somalians hijacked an Iranian ship full of radioactive material/waste.

Once they opened the sealed containers everyone who came in contact with its contents died shortly after.

You're referring to the MV Iran Deyant. There was speculation about what you report. Was it actually confirmed?!? Are we sure Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was telling us the truth?

50 posted on 11/12/2008 2:34:04 PM PST by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: Jeff Head

I took it to mean a small arms battle.


51 posted on 11/12/2008 2:36:47 PM PST by DemonDeac
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To: vimto

I’m very glad to hear that.


52 posted on 11/12/2008 2:38:07 PM PST by Doug4McCain (I'm ashamed of myself for supporting McCain, but I still love Sarah Palin.)
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To: Doug4McCain

Glad they didn’t pull a Cornwall, that’s for sure!


53 posted on 11/12/2008 2:38:57 PM PST by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: Mercia

Hope the remaining pirates were hanged from the yardarm in accordance with the law of the sea.


54 posted on 11/12/2008 2:39:59 PM PST by kaehurowing
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To: DemonDeac
There were small arms battles in WW II on the high seas. ie. with PT boats and the likes against small Japanese vessels, and even off the coast of Eurpoe.

But what the artcile said was a "shoot out", and if the battles leading up to the sinking of the Bismark (ie. the loss of the Hood) was not a shoot out, there never was one.

55 posted on 11/12/2008 2:42:28 PM PST by Jeff Head (Freedom is not free...never has been, never will be. (www.dragonsfuryseries.com))
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To: Ingtar
The Falklands War did not involve this sort of fighting (at sea.)

Sailors on the HMS Sheffield may beg to differ. Same with the sailors on the Admiral Belgrano (Actually this vessel was the USS Phoenix (CL-46)- the first ship to exit Pearl on December 7, 1941).

56 posted on 11/12/2008 2:43:21 PM PST by frithguild (Can I drill your head now?)
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To: frithguild

The Sheffield and the Belgrano were not sunk using small arms... that is what I think the author is referring to.


57 posted on 11/12/2008 2:44:45 PM PST by Ingtar (For the first time in my adult life, I am NOT proud of America.)
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To: Ingtar

Considering that the Frigate was standing by, and the two assault boats had heavy machine guns mounted plus a number of commandos, the skinnies were obviously at a loss.


58 posted on 11/12/2008 2:50:06 PM PST by Concho (Bitterly Clinging to Guns and Religion)
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To: Ingtar
that is what I think the author is referring to

So poorly written it's hard to tell.

59 posted on 11/12/2008 2:51:24 PM PST by frithguild (Can I drill your head now?)
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To: Robert357
them in the brig of a ship of the line of a nation that still allows the death penalty

Here's one place where the Chinese would be useful. The last pirates they caught were tried, convicted and executed within three days.

60 posted on 11/12/2008 3:00:54 PM PST by antiRepublicrat
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