To: Robe; All
Ah, the difference between an American crew and a European crew is that an American crew will fight back ferociously when their ship is attacked.
BTW, I heard the jerk CEO of the company that owns the ship say that the crew had been unarmed since it was "inappropriate" for them to act like "heroes." What a loser!
575 posted on
04/08/2009 10:30:54 AM PDT by
Virginia Ridgerunner
(Sarah Palin is a smart missile aimed at the heart of the left!)
To: All
But one analyst at a private security firm says the international patrols are poorly coordinated.
He pointed to a recent case where one of the security company’s guards escorting a vessel did not see a warship for over 100 miles and then came across three at once. At other times, warships were in Djibouti harbor instead of out patrolling, said the analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not want to publicly criticize naval forces.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/apr/08/after-slowdown-somali-pirates-back-action-seize-5-/
579 posted on
04/08/2009 10:35:26 AM PDT by
maggief
To: Virginia Ridgerunner
I heard an announcement on the radio, a few minutes ago, from the President of the Maersk line, saying that the US crews had been instructed not to fight back and not to carry guns against the unarmed pirates because the pirates would then up their weapons.
I just heard an update. The captain is still being held hostage by the last highjacker.
625 posted on
04/08/2009 11:21:58 AM PDT by
Eva
(union motto - Aim for mediocrity, it's only fair.)
To: Virginia Ridgerunner
An American crew will fight back when attacked as the Germans learned 67 years ago.
On September 27, 1942, the Liberty Ship, Stephen Hopkins, encountered the German auxiliary cruiser Stier and her escort, the blockade runner Tannenfels in the South Atlantic. The Stier was an armed commerce raider. The Tannenfels delivered supplies and took off prisoners from surface raiders operating in the South Atlantic. The Stephen Hopkins carried a crew of forty and a fifteen-man naval armed guard. She was under the command of Captain Paul Buck. Her main firepower was one 4-inch gun and dual 37-mm machine guns mounted on the bow. Refusing to strike his colors, but with German shells on their way, Captain Buck made his decision. He would fight rather than surrender. The Stier had met and sunk 19 other merchant vessels of various Allied nationalities. None of these ships put up any resistance. The American tanker Stanvac Calcutta put up a fight but was sunk with the loss of fourteen of her crew, including the captain, and two members of her armed guard. A gun battle between the Stephen Hopkins and the Steir and Tannenfels ensued reminiscent of the ship-to-ship battles of the War of 1812. The Stier was to follow the Stephen Hopkins to the bottom in the 2,200 fathom deep above which they had duelled. The Tannenfels, although damaged, made Bordeaux. Fifteen survivors of the Stephen Hopkins sailed a lifeboat 1000 miles from the site of the battle to a landing at the small Brazilian fishing village of Barra do Itabopana. There were many heroes of this battle; however, with the Navy gun crew dead or dying about him and the magazine afire below, Cadet Midshipman Edwin J. O'Hara continued firing the Hopkins' 4-inch shells until he ran out of shells. He was later killed by flying shrapnel. The cover painting hangs in O'Hara Hall at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Cadet O'Hara was 18 years of age. He had escaped the blazing engine room, had learned basic gunnery at the Merchant Marine Academy, and from his friend, Ensign Kenneth M. Willett, U.S.N.R., commander of the naval armed guard who was also fatally wounded in the gun battle. O'Hara single handedly manned the 4-inch gun, loading and firing the remaining five rounds scoring hits on the Stier and Tannenfels. The nation bestowed a whole cluster of posthumous awards on the ship and her heroic company. The Stephen Hopkins herself was awarded a Gallant Ship citation, and two later Liberty Ships were christened the Stephen Hopkins and the Paul Buck. A destroyer escort (DE354) was named for Ensign Willett. For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage, Willett was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medals were posthumously bestowed on Captain Buck and Cadet Midshipman O'Hara.
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On September 27, 1942, the Liberty Ship, Stephen Hopkins, encountered the German auxiliary cruiser Stier and her escort, the blockade runner Tannenfels in the South Atlantic. The Stier was an armed commerce raider. The Tannenfels delivered supplies and took off prisoners from surface raiders operating in the South Atlantic. The Stephen Hopkins carried a crew of forty and a fifteen-man naval armed guard. She was under the command of Captain Paul Buck. Her main firepower was one 4-inch gun and dual 37-mm machine guns mounted on the bow. Refusing to strike his colors, but with German shells on their way, Captain Buck made his decision. He would fight rather than surrender. The Stier had met and sunk 19 other merchant vessels of various Allied nationalities. None of these ships put up any resistance. The American tanker Stanvac Calcutta put up a fight but was sunk with the loss of fourteen of her crew, including the captain, and two members of her armed guard. A gun battle between the Stephen Hopkins and the Steir and Tannenfels ensued reminiscent of the ship-to-ship battles of the War of 1812. The Stier was to follow the Stephen Hopkins to the bottom in the 2,200 fathom deep above which they had duelled. The Tannenfels, although damaged, made Bordeaux. Fifteen survivors of the Stephen Hopkins sailed a lifeboat 1000 miles from the site of the battle to a landing at the small Brazilian fishing village of Barra do Itabopana. There were many heroes of this battle; however, with the Navy gun crew dead or dying about him and the magazine afire below, Cadet Midshipman Edwin J. O'Hara continued firing the Hopkins' 4-inch shells until he ran out of shells. He was later killed by flying shrapnel. The cover painting hangs in O'Hara Hall at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Cadet O'Hara was 18 years of age. He had escaped the blazing engine room, had learned basic gunnery at the Merchant Marine Academy, and from his friend, Ensign Kenneth M. Willett, U.S.N.R., commander of the naval armed guard who was also fatally wounded in the gun battle. O'Hara single handedly manned the 4-inch gun, loading and firing the remaining five rounds scoring hits on the Stier and Tannenfels. The nation bestowed a whole cluster of posthumous awards on the ship and her heroic company. The Stephen Hopkins herself was awarded a Gallant Ship citation, and two later Liberty Ships were christened the Stephen Hopkins and the Paul Buck. A destroyer escort (DE354) was named for Ensign Willett. For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage, Willett was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medals were posthumously bestowed on Captain Buck and Cadet Midshipman O'Hara.