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Norwegian ships attacked by pirates (Norway)
Aftenposten ^ | March 30, 2005 | not specified

Posted on 03/30/2005 2:12:48 PM PST by franksolich

Norwegian ships attacked by pirates

Seven Norwegian vessels were attacked by pirates last year, with Indonesian waters being the riskiest on the seven seas.

Small bands of pirates dared to take on large vessels, and attacks and attempts to board were recorded on seven Norwegian ships, as well as a range of foreign ships with part Norwegian ownership, newspaper VG reports.

The 48,000-ton "Syrena" was stormed by seven pirates armed with jungle machetes, who made off with valuables and supplies after threatening three crew members. The Syrena was boarded at night, when the ship anchored in Kalimantan in Indonesia.

Ugland Shipping's 38,000-ton "Jorita" was attacked in the Gelasa Straits. Six masked and heavily armed buccaneers drew up alongside the vessel in a small speed boat, fired on the bridge and ordered the ship to halt, but were frustrated after the captain sounded the alarm, turned floodlights on them, and took evasive action.

Indonesian waters saw 93 of 325 acts of registered piracy last year, with Nigerian waters a distant second with 37 attacks.

The International Maritime Bureau believes the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia was directly responsible for a lull in piracy in that region at the end of 2004.

Attacks dropped to zero in the wake of the earthquake but began again in early March.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bison; longboats; norway; piracy; pirates; ships; transportation; vikings
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Hmmm.

One wonders what happened to the Viking spirit of old.

1 posted on 03/30/2005 2:12:49 PM PST by franksolich
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To: franksolich

"Arrr arrr arrr, shiver me timbers."


2 posted on 03/30/2005 2:14:45 PM PST by dfwgator (It's sad that the news media treats Michael Jackson better than our military.)
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To: franksolich

Why is that damned Spongebob theme stuck in my head? "Are you ready Kids? I can't hear you."


3 posted on 03/30/2005 2:15:27 PM PST by Lekker 1 ("There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be attainable"- Albert Einstein)
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To: 68 grunt; beckysueb; Born Conservative; cinives; Constantine XIII; dennisw; Eurotwit; feefee; ...
Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Ping for the Norway ping list.

You know, I never paid attention. How big were those Viking ships, back about a thousand years or so?

Being where I am from, of course I measure things relative to football fields, which are 100 yards long.

If placed stern-to-stern, how many Viking boats would fit on a football field--two, three, four?

4 posted on 03/30/2005 2:16:04 PM PST by franksolich (coming soon (April 17): the Albania ping list)
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To: Lekker 1

Only 173 days until "Talk Like a Pirate Day."


5 posted on 03/30/2005 2:17:37 PM PST by dfwgator (It's sad that the news media treats Michael Jackson better than our military.)
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To: franksolich
Arrrrgh!

6 posted on 03/30/2005 2:19:52 PM PST by 506trooper (No such thing as too much guns, ammo or fuel on board...unless you're on fire)
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To: franksolich
Longest longship excavated was 110 feet.

Average length probably 95 feet.

7 posted on 03/30/2005 2:20:50 PM PST by wideawake (God bless our brave soldiers and their Commander in Chief)
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To: franksolich
>Norwegian ships attacked by pirates


Heave to, you lubbers!
The bikini team needs to
sunbathe now! Argh, argh!

8 posted on 03/30/2005 2:22:00 PM PST by theFIRMbss
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To: dfwgator
"Arrr arrr arrr, shiver me timbers."

Wrongo ~ they're muzzie pirates, religion of peace pirates.

9 posted on 03/30/2005 2:23:28 PM PST by 68 grunt (3/1 India, 3rd, 68-69, 0311)
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To: franksolich

They were much smaller than you'd imagine. They've got some in the Viking museum in Olso. If memory serves correct, models came anywhere from 40 to 100 feet.


10 posted on 03/30/2005 2:25:27 PM PST by 68 grunt (3/1 India, 3rd, 68-69, 0311)
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To: franksolich
I was stationed in Indonesia 30+ years ago...one of my parting gifts was a modern boarding cutlass (circa 1970), or should I say anti-boarding cutlass; really a nice piece, basket, curved blade and super balance. Piracy has been a problem down there for many decades, but I find it appalling that no one seems willing to fight back
11 posted on 03/30/2005 2:27:53 PM PST by 506trooper (No such thing as too much guns, ammo or fuel on board...unless you're on fire)
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To: franksolich

I didn't realize piracy was still a career option.


12 posted on 03/30/2005 2:29:25 PM PST by GretchenM (Diplomacy is the art of letting the other fellow have your way--former Canadian PM Lester B. Pearson)
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To: 506trooper

Vietnamese fleeing the paradise of the workers and peasants used to tell me their greatest fear, when on the water, was attacks by, apparently, Indonesian or Malayan pirates.

Are such pirates outlawed by these countries, or are they tolerated. Where would they go to port, to replenish and refurbish, before going out again?


13 posted on 03/30/2005 2:30:05 PM PST by franksolich (coming soon (April 17): the Albania ping list)
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To: franksolich

.50 caliber--problem solved


14 posted on 03/30/2005 2:30:48 PM PST by johnandrhonda (have you hugged your banjo today?)
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To: franksolich

Avast! Heave to and deliver all yer lutefisk!


15 posted on 03/30/2005 2:38:26 PM PST by LexBaird ("Democracy can withstand anything but democrats" --Jubal Harshaw (RA Heinlein))
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To: franksolich
...stormed by seven pirates armed with jungle machetes...

Are guns illegal even on Norwegian ships in international waters or something?

16 posted on 03/30/2005 2:44:58 PM PST by nosofar
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To: franksolich
I believe there was a blind eye turned toward it in the Straits of Malacca, but that was many years ago....hmmm, have to do some research
17 posted on 03/30/2005 2:46:22 PM PST by 506trooper (No such thing as too much guns, ammo or fuel on board...unless you're on fire)
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To: nosofar

You know, I wondered about that myself.

Surely firearms would be tolerated under such circumstances, even by the most lily-livered liberals.

And one hesitates to place Norwegians in the same category as Swedes or Frenchmen; and besides, the Norwegian tradition is that THEY are the terror of the seas.

Perhaps someone might know what "security measures" are usually taken on Norwegian ships; surely there must be some, but the news reports (this is not the first one) omit such details.


18 posted on 03/30/2005 2:47:45 PM PST by franksolich (coming soon (April 17): the Albania ping list)
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To: franksolich

Time to mount some big guns on these freighters and lay in a little suprise for the pirates.


19 posted on 03/30/2005 2:58:10 PM PST by Tench_Coxe
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To: franksolich

(source and discussion at this link
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=130642)

"We are safe in port of Aden. It‚s been 3 days repairing the damage. 30 bullets holes in deck, cabin house, dodger, and alas, newly varnished mast. Our bow shows evidence of a satisfying crunch. Our new paint job was not meant to be. Dinghy on deck was seriously wounded but in stable condition, much repatched. No wine was hurt.

This is the „official‰ report filed with the Yemen Coast Guard, Yemen Navy, Aden Port Control, US Coalition 5th Fleet, US Embassy and State Department? but not Carol‚s mother. Unfortunately, the poor guy that shoots has to write up the paper work. The one that rams does not engender any paper-work, except sand paper work.

March 11, 2005, written by Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retired
Pirate Attack off Yemen Coast

On Tuesday, March 8, 2005 at position 13 Degrees 28 North / 49 Degrees 07 East, in the infamous Pirate Alley of the Gulf of Aden, two sailing yachts, Madhi and Gandalf, were moving SW 30 miles off the coast of Yemen proceeding to the port of Aden from Salalah, Oman.

At about 0900 local, two outboard powered fiberglass longboats, about 20 feet long, each containing 3 men, passed off our sterns moving south at about 25 knots into the open Gulf between Yemen and Somalia. An hour later they returned, one coming quite close and looking us over carefully. The second boat passed off our bows but quite a ways away. These boats were obviously not engaged in a normal activity like fishing. At that time we were south of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The area around Al Mukalla is well documented as being a piracy, drug & people smuggling problem area and we maintained a careful watch for anything out of the ordinary.

At about 1600 we observed two different boats approaching us head on from the west with the glare of the sunset in our eyes. These were 25-30 feet long, had inboard diesel engines and higher freeboard. We immediately motored closer together. As soon as they saw us close ranks they started coming very fast directly at us. There were 4 men in each boat. They separated at about 200 yards with one boat coming down Madhi‚s port side, shouting and firing into the cockpit. The other boat, firing automatic weapons came at Gandalf. There were no warning shots. Carol on Gandalf began sending Maydays on every frequency.

The first boat swung around behind Mahdi‚s stern to come up and board us. At that point, I , Rod Nowlin aboard Mahdi and armed with a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot, started shooting into their boat. I forced them to keep their heads down so they could not shoot at us. I am not sure I hit anyone at that point. I could see the driver of the boat crouched down behind the steering console. After firing three shots at them, their engine started to smoke and I swung around to try to shoot at the second boat ahead. At that point I saw Jay Barry on Gandalf ram the second boat amidships almost cutting it in two and turning it almost completely over. I turned back around to shoot at the boat still behind Mahdi. That was when they turned away from Mahdi and headed toward the stern of Gandalf. Gandalf was beside us about 100 feet away. The bow of the pirate boat came right up against Gandalf‚s stern and two men stood up on the bow with guns to board Gandalf. That was a serious and probably fateful error on their part. I shot both of them. That boat then veered away and I shot the driver, although I am not sure of the outcome because they were farther away and I didn‚t knock him down like the other two trying to board Gandalf.

Mahdi & Gandalf kept going at full speed to put as much distance between the pirates and us as possible. As soon as we were out of rifle range, we looked back and both attack boats were drifting and seemed to be disabled.

A merchant ship nearby finally answered our Mayday and diverted course to position itself between the floundering pirates and the fleeing yachts. They said they would contact the authorities‚ by Sat phone and then sailed alongside us for 4 hours after dark to make sure we would be all right. Best speed was made to the Port of Aden 180 miles away.

If Jay on Gandalf had not had the presence of mind to veer over into one boat and ram it, the outcome of this attack would have been totally different. All the guys needed to do was stand off a ways and shoot us to pieces with automatic weapons. We were extremely lucky. We broadcast Mayday calls on VHF 16 and all HF radio frequencies, including two HF frequencies that were supplied by the US Coast Guard near Oman only a few days before. Frequencies which the Coalition Forces Warships in this area were supposed to be monitoring. There was no response. The pirates were well organized and well armed. There were at least 4 boats involved. They had set up a picket line out from the Yemen coast probably covering 75 miles out, so if you transited the area during the day they would not miss seeing you. The two attack boats appeared to have come from the south before positioning themselves ahead of us in the sunset.

There has been speculation in the past that this ongoing piracy problem off Yemen‚s coast was being carried out by Somali pirates. Given the number, the types of boats involved, and the direction the supposed spotter boats were coming from, this does not appear to be the case. The men in the attack boats looked both African and Arab.

There was no evidence that this was a people smuggling operation. There were no men, women or children cowering in the boats. These were not fishing boats with nets or overhead sun protection. They appeared to be purpose-built boats, 25-30 feet long, with wooden splines or poles fashioned above the gunwales to which a plastic tarp or shield was hung chest high for the men to hide behind after shooting. The problem is getting worse and the pirate attacks are getting deadly. One could only expect that the Yemen Government will take more direct action At very least, allow yachts to group in Salalah, Oman and at some point along the NW Yemen coast request an escort until Aden or the Straits.

Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retire
March 11, 2005


20 posted on 03/30/2005 3:09:56 PM PST by ibbryn (this tag intentionally left blank)
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