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Piracy, Part Whatever
Dec. 3rd, 2010 10:15 amA few random thoughts on piracy, Somali-style. (I am the guy who wrote Pirates of Mars, after all!)
1) I wrote a few days ago that five Somalis accused of attempting to pirate a US warship were awaiting a jury verdict. Well, with exactly zero fanfare, the verdict's in guilty on all charges. See how simple that was!
2) Relating to point 1, I believe that the US warship in question, the USS Nicholas, the same type of frigate I served on, was using deceptive lighting. The pirate attack was at night, and all the pirates saw was the ship's lights. By manipulating and rigging different lights, one can make a frigate look like a fishing boat or vice versa.
3) Also on the piracy front, our frequently-maligned European allies seem to be busily sinking pirate boats and capturing pirates. Clicking through the links, one sees that the Europeans are operating very close in-shore.
1) I wrote a few days ago that five Somalis accused of attempting to pirate a US warship were awaiting a jury verdict. Well, with exactly zero fanfare, the verdict's in guilty on all charges. See how simple that was!
2) Relating to point 1, I believe that the US warship in question, the USS Nicholas, the same type of frigate I served on, was using deceptive lighting. The pirate attack was at night, and all the pirates saw was the ship's lights. By manipulating and rigging different lights, one can make a frigate look like a fishing boat or vice versa.
3) Also on the piracy front, our frequently-maligned European allies seem to be busily sinking pirate boats and capturing pirates. Clicking through the links, one sees that the Europeans are operating very close in-shore.
