Where Are the Convoys?

[coinflipper_21 (imported)]

I'm not a naval officer, but it seems to me that the naval forces in the Indian Ocean are not handling the piracy thing correctly. Why don't they return to the tactics of the 18th century and use the warships to escort convoys of merchant ships through the area?

The Indian Navy sent one frigate to escort their shipping, at the beginning of November, and has foiled several pirate attacks and sank one pirate mother ship since the beginning of the month.

Another old tactic is using Q-boats, heavily armed, navy crewed, merchant ships disguised to look like tempting, easy targets sailing through the area. When the pirates attack, the Q-boat crew acts like a confused merchant crew until the pirates are too close to get away and then open up on the pirates with heavy weapons.

Will some of you ex-navy types clue me in. Am I missing something?

[ramses (imported)]

I've been wondering the same thing. All they'd need to do is put about 4 good Blackwater guys on each boat with the right toys to play with and the problem would cease...

[Dave (imported)]

I've been wondering the same thing. All they'd need to do is put about 4 good Blackwater guys on each boat with the right toys to play with and the problem would cease...

Especially that oil tanker with all the explosive fumes rising from the oil.

[Dave (imported)]

I'm not a naval officer, but it seems to me that the naval forces in the Indian Ocean are not handling the piracy thing correctly. Why don't they return to the tactics of the 18th century and use the warships to escort convoys of merchant ships through the area? ...

Only the USA and Russia have navies big enough to do the job and our fleet is tied down right now. We have too much around the Med and the Middle East serving the war in Iraq and Afganastan, and the rest is out in the Pacific near Taiwan.

The other reason is that Somalia is Moslem and we don't want a part of that.

Saudi Arabia moved in because they can force (or buy) a government and some order.

Somalia is chaos and starvation. These pirates support whole towns. It's hard to argue that they should stop stop and die of starvation...

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

Don't underestimate the Indian Navy. It is one of the largest and most modern in the world. --FLO--

[HairyHarry (imported)]

Don't underestimate the Indian Navy. It is one of the largest and most modern in the world. --FLO--

I did wonder why the Indian govt wanted to buy the Russian submarine recently in the news with the fire extinguisher accident.

Piracy isn't the right way to cure poverty and starvation: Stability, enterprise, and hard work is the solution, but which country in Africa is anywhere near that? Tribalism is the ruin of Africa, until national pride takes precedent, they will struggle to survive, let alone prosper, in a continent with huge potential.

[Paolo]

Why don't they just blow the seized ship out of the water, with a nuclear warhead, innocent civilians and all?

ONE time is all it would take to stop this crap.

[coinflipper_21 (imported)]

Why don't they just blow the seized ship out of the water, with a nuclear warhead, innocent civilians and all?

ONE time is all it would take to stop this crap.

I think that a nuke would be overkill in this situation. Besides, if we start throwing them around, everyone will want to.

Seriously, the admiral in command of the 5th Fleet said, in an interview, that a close watch is being kept on that Ukrainian freighter with the load of tanks and other heavy weapons, that the pirates are holding. He seemed to imply that if any attempt is made to unload that ship, definite action will be taken.

[Ernie of Maine (imported)]

Coinflipper convoys work if you can start at one port and end at 2rd port. Hear we have a crossroad. A small carrier and taskforse would be better. Q-boat mite be included.Other aircraft could be used as well. Ernie

[DeaconBlues (imported)]

Why don't they return to the tactics of the 18th century and use the warships to escort convoys of merchant ships through the area?

Will some of you ex-navy types clue me in. Am I missing something?

Aye aye! I am one of the ex-navy types. And you are quite correct, you are missing something....

What you are missing: the piracy problem could and should have been solved long ago. Even a non-navy person can see that simple escorted convoys, or even UNescorted convoys would drastically reduce the piracy problem. But the simple fact is this, the people in charge do NOT want to just solve this problem simply and quickly. Solving problems like this "simply and quickly" is NOT the way to get fleet budgets increased.

I hate to say this, but government leadership, not just U.S. government but all governments NEED to have some "big bad boogey man" sort of a problem to keep the status quo (which favors the current leadership) in place. These pirates are doing a huge service to the cause of the U.S. navy.

Ramses rightly offered another quick and simple solution, put a few "Blackwater types" (private commercial security specialists) on board... again, this would be a quick and simple solution.... and then the problem would be solved.... and there would be no further need for the government to solve this problem.... and....

No, no way do the hot shots in Washington want this problem to go away, they WANT another good reason for their pals to boost the price of oil, they WANT another good reason to scream to congress that "we NEED more money!" They REALLY want the pirates to do some more horrible and terrifying things, so that people will be inordinately scared of this laughable bunch of untrained thugs with guns, they want them to be the new "big bad boogey man" since Usama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda bunch seem to have quieted down quite a bit. These pirates are going to get the U.S. Department of Defense an increased budget to "combat this new and emerging threat...."