Pirates Take German Ship Towards Comrades Off Somalia

Radionz.co.nz ^ | 11 April 2009 | Staff

[BarnacleCenturion]

Pirates on Friday sailed a hijacked German freighter and its crew toward a lifeboat off Somalia where an American hostage is being held.

They are reportedly doing so an attempt to help their comrades in a standoff with the US Navy.

Four pirates are holding the American captain of a cargo ship, Richard Phillips, in a drifting lifeboat and demanding $US2 million for his release and a guarantee of their own safety.

They have been holding him since a foiled attempt on Wednesday to hijack the 17,000-tonne, Danish-owned Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean.

A destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, is close by.

Another group that hijacked a 20,000-tonne German container vessel, the Hansa Stavanger, a week ago is reportedly heading to the scene of the standoff.

[BarnacleCenturion]

[fso301]

This is turning into a three ring circus on the high seas.

[Boiling Pots]

Is there a minute by minute news source on this?

[Mamzelle]

When guns are outlawed, only outlaws have guns.

We do know something interesting from all this. The Somali pirates do not leave their own behind, or do a lot of sacrificing and martyrdom. They've some kind of code, and probably excellent leadership.

And they know a coward and a weakling when he bows to them.

[Momaw Nadon]

Cargo ships need to be armed. Then this type of nonsense wouldn’t happen.

[mainepatsfan]

Obama can’t be bothered by this...he has to prepare for the Easter egg hunt.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

They have a pretty nice collection of boats.

[al baby]

A lot of these ships are a little long in the tooth

[Ben Hecks]

America Held Hostage - Day 2

[Conservative4Ever]

I’m with you in thinking the pirates are organized with excellent leadership. I am still wondering why a couple of snipers on our war ship didn’t take out the pirates in the life raft before this!!!! What in the hell are hillary and zero doing for crying out loud?!!! [rant over]

[Conservative4Ever]

I get it!!

[unkus]

I haven’t seen any minute by minute coverage.

[struggle]

Someone needs to turn this into the first stage of SOCOM.

Have a naval general send a SEAL team out and after they achieve their mission and return, say, “Well, it IS customary for the armed forces ro protect American citizens.”

He would still be fired by Obama though...

[bboop]

Um, just a wild idea here — could they not send some cloud of SOMETHING their way, put them all to sleep, pick up the captain and sink the ship? Just a thot.

Or a bazooka.

What a bunch of wienies the Westerners are. ‘Negotiators? We don’t need no stinken’ negotiators.’

[Eye of Unk]

The Navy may have to disable or sink the vessel, it may have been set up as a massive floating bomb.

Being that its been offloaded and riding way too high its apparent that it also has no sea ballast, it would be way too easy just by looking at this image if its for real to shoot the prop or rudder from a deck gun.

This could be a good thing, we can rescue a lot more hostages all at the same time, plus claim salvage rights.

[Jemian]

I am concerned about that drifting boat. Really, in a humanitarian gesture, the Bainbridge ought to attach a tow line to it and take it farther away from land (where there is surf) and hold it there. Just to keep it safe from being accidentally bumped by something in the overcrowded shipping lanes or whatever.

Perhaps their lives are in so much danger that there won’t be time to get orders from Baba Yaga’s Hut (aka the White House where there is so much spin).

[kellynla]

[Jemian]

I am still wondering why a couple of snipers on our war ship didn’t take out the pirates in the life raft before this!!!!

It isn't a raft. It is a covered pod.

[kromike]

Aside from the hostage’s families, I also truly sympathize with the U.S. Navy. I can only imagine the frustration that our men & women must feel being embarrassed by that babbling lightweight metrosexual milquetoast in the White Hut.

[driftdiver]

What are they doing? Making announcements about the seal hunts.

[Cementjungle]

I haven’t seen any minute by minute coverage.

Not needed any more (for a distraction). Everyone has already forgotten about Obama's dismal failure at the G20.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

LOL!

IT’S A QUAGMIRE!

[LibLieSlayer]

Because the cic will not issue the order to do so... he is a muzzie after all.

LLS

[KittyKares]

I don’t understand how it is that the whole world is afraid of a bunch of mangy pirates. They should have been blasted out of the water years ago.

[thecabal]

Please, for the love of God, tell me that the US Navy will not allow this to happen.

[Lion Den Dan]

U.S. Navy Seals could, after some hours of make ready, reduce this situation to a non event avter about 15 seconds of drama and trauma. Odds are the American Captain would come home safe. Damn this surrender monkey we have in the White House.

[Jemian]

There needs to be a malfunction with all communications. It is easier to apologize for a past action than ask permission for a planned action.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/documents/hostages.phtml

[Eye of Unk]

We have EMP devices, we used them in Iraq. Could also disable a ship for a brief time until they get manual control.

[cookcounty]

The Captain tried to precipitate his own rescue by jumping overboard.......that should have given the Navy the chance to take out the pirates at that moment.....but they probably were caught by surprise,...too bad.

[LibLieSlayer]

To quote Patton when ordered in a radio dispatch to stop his march to Messina and allow Monty to get there first... he said, “No, that is what you THINK it says... tell them the message was garbled... ask them to resend it. That should take at least half a day”.

I pray to GOD ALMIGHTY to supply us with leaders like that once again. Amen.

LLS

[1000 silverlings]

If there were little Christian children being held hostage they’d send in Janet Reno

[Prophet in the wilderness]

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-zQ4CCQRDxKo/reagans_record_1980_political_commercial/

[Cementjungle]

The Captain tried to precipitate his own rescue by jumping overboard.......that should have given the Navy the chance to take out the pirates at that moment.....but they probably were caught by surprise,...too bad.

They probably couldn't get the OK from the CIC fast enough to do anything... he was busy bowling or something.

[RC2]

Easy fix. The US Navy should take one of their cargo ships, paint it like the one above, but.........have it loaded for bear and take out the priates. A sleeper if you wish.

[Jemian]

Wait a minute while I do a search and learn what EMP devices are.

[Jemian]

Good idea.

I pray for leadership with the ability to father children.

[Jemian]

And that’s another good quote from Patton. It is not good enough to do the “right thing.” The right thing must be done at the “right time.”

[OldNavyVet]

Merchant ships were heavily armed during WW-II.

There was an “Armed Guard” school in the Norfolk, Virgina area — with facliities at Little Creek and Virgina Beach — to train Merchant Marine gunnery crews in using 5 inch 38 weapons.

[SunkenCiv]

Time to sink that lifeboat.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

I still remember that terrible time in our nations history when those Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Iran.
The Soviet Union was in Afghanistan, and the year after where threatening to invade Poland.
Our military moral was at it's lowest after the Vietnam war, high interest rates, high inflation, high un employment, our economy was in stagnation and heading down, yeah.... Obama has change for us, change back to the Utopia of the Carter years when you can only get gas for you car either on odd or even days.
Even the clothing styles in the late 70’s where horrible.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

How on earth does a small group of punks in a speed boat get aboard a ship that size without being noticed and then take over the crew? Doesn’t a ship like that have radar, someone in the tower looking out at the water?

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

“...embarrassed by that babbling lightweight metrosexual milquetoast in the White Hut.”

LOL!!!

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Who's to say that the PI RATS and the guy who was caught entering US airspace in a airplane ( who happens to be .... MUSLIM ! ) and had 5 US fighter jets following him are some how connected ?? .....

[proudCArepublican]

Yes this is a disgrace we have a US Citizen being held hostage and he is worried about an Easter Egg Hunt, working out to have a Pizza Chef from MO to the White House and refuses to answer any reporter question. WE HAVE AN AMERICAN HERE AND HE DOESN’T SEEM TO GIVE A DARN.
Even if the behind the scenes people are working hard he should make an attempt to act like he was in charge of this.
I guess this is what you call talking to them, respecting them, and we are all citizens of the world so we must not rush anything.
IS IT 2010 OR 2012 YET!!!