Dead pirates

[chp5]

I love a dead pirate more then the last guy, but I am pissed by the thought of the 4th pirate getting a trial in an American Court. Pirates don't get trials. Pirates walk the plank.

+1. $1 worth of ammo could have saved we US taxpayers a lot of $!

[Dan Sierpina]

This was the proper ending to this episode. It just took too long to happen.

[Nemo]

HEALTH & SAFETY AT THE WORKPLACE

TIP OF THE MONTH

Advice to pirates: Before you board check the flag on the ship you intend to jack. United States ships may pose a risk to your wellbeing.

[Seth]

YEAH!!!!! WALK THE PLANK!!!!!

[John Heiter]

Just reading an article this morning where the wife of another hostage (one of the 200 others still being held) was complaining that Capt. Phillips was receiving "undue attention due to his nationality". So ummm yeah, thanks Lady. Sorry your husband is still being held but you just made my day.

To those countries who still have citizens being held, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Tuvalu and Ukraine, among other countries, I'd have to ask why they aren't giving their citizens the same undue attention. Ok, Tuvalu, if you can't afford to send your navy after these guy, I'm sure someone else would help if you formally request it, but the rest of you guys surprise me. What ARE you doing to get your guys back and discourage it from happening again. I guess you could take the Japanese approach of negotiating them down from 14 million to 2 million with a solemn promise that they won't do it again... yah, good luck w/ that.

[gm iprod]

Back when the East India Company was running the show inth Carribean they used to tie cannonballs around the offenders ankles and drop him of the rear of the boat. Did not bother with the plank.

+1 for the Navy, I have been waiting for ages for someone to grow some balls and pot those bastards.

Gun boat diplomacy, send in the 9 x 16" shells plus anything else that is laying about and needs the cobwebs blown out.

[ap38]

Hopefully this will send a message not to mess with US ships.

Seems like the dummies have already hijacked others.

More SEAL Training Time!

[kurtm]

While I do enjoy a good "cruse missle..ing" I think a better solution to the grand pirate houses on the shore would be to vacate Viques Island for Navel gunnery practice and merely move the location a bit farther East. As for the fourth pirate, I say we do What they used to do by tying a canon ball to his feet and drop him back on his little home town from say around 20,000' with a U.S. flag as a streaming brake so they know who gave him back! Good job Navy...but a note to the hand wringing politicians....don't wait so long next time! KurtM

[Precision40]

Could you imagine the negotiations with the 4th pirate after the snipers played "Whack a Mole" with his buddies?

Yeah the 4th pirate said "April Fools?"

The SEALS were probably using .50 cal's and what I haven't read is how they were able to simultaneously take-out 3 of the pirates if they were inside that lifeboat. I've been inside a nearly identical life boat like that and there were very few ports to look out of. The Moon and the stars must have aligned just right.

Amazing shots considering they were shooting at a moving platform FROM a moving platform.

[D.Hayden]

Don't know if it's accurate.. but they showed a re-enactment on the news last night.

On of the criminals, shot a tracer over the ship.. the other 2 praire-dogged up to see.. bada-bing... one through the window, the other 2 up top.

[Religious Shooter]

From what I've read the shots were fairly close. 35-40 yards with the Pirates on a towed boat.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/st...5633&page=1

During the towing, the boat was pulled to within 40 yards of the Bainbridge, and the act of towing made the snipers' jobs easier by putting their lifeboat in the middle of the large ship's wake which calmed the unruly waves and steadied the pirates as targets.

Under those conditions (in my opinion as a chairborne warrior ) the shots weren't hard. I think like a lot of things the difficult part was getting to that point.

[Cactustactical]

From what I've read the shots were fairly close. 35-40 yards with the Pirates on a towed boat.

Under those conditions (in my opinion as a chairborne warrior ) the shots weren't hard. I think like a lot of things the difficult part was getting to that point.

Uh, the shooters weren't laying on a mat on a berm shooting at a stationary target.

The ship and the life boat were both moving up and down and side to side at different rates due to the sea. And the targets were moving, shots were apparently almost simultaneous. Have you ever shot a match where you stood on a moving bridge shooting paper at 5-6 yards? How far off were your shots from the A zone?

Don't diminish what they did. It was a nice piece of shooting done by some skilled technicians under extreme pressure.

[davidwiz]

There are some people over on Dailykos.com who are blaming the ship's crew and captain for what happened, saying that they deserved it b/c they dared to fight back.

[ironb]

There are some people over on Dailykos.com who are blaming the ship's crew and captain for what happened, saying that they deserved it b/c they dared to fight back.

maybe we need to modify what we shoot to include a pirate w/ a parrot on the IPSC target???

Edited April 14, 2009 by ironb

[davidwiz]

From what I've read the shots were fairly close. 35-40 yards with the Pirates on a towed boat.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/st...5633&page=1

During the towing, the boat was pulled to within 40 yards of the Bainbridge, and the act of towing made the snipers' jobs easier by putting their lifeboat in the middle of the large ship's wake which calmed the unruly waves and steadied the pirates as targets.

Under those conditions (in my opinion as a chairborne warrior ) the shots weren't hard. I think like a lot of things the difficult part was getting to that point.

Neither the shooting platform (the destroyer) or the target vessel (the lifeboat) were stable, I sure that there were both moving about pretty good in the open ocean. Not to mention the fact that the shooting was done upon a target that was at a lower height, which affects the drop of the bullet. Not to mention that (from what I've read) that all 3 shots were taken at the same time upon targets that were only partially exposed.

[Religious Shooter]

From what I've read the shots were fairly close. 35-40 yards with the Pirates on a towed boat.

Under those conditions (in my opinion as a chairborne warrior ) the shots weren't hard. I think like a lot of things the difficult part was getting to that point.

Uh, the shooters weren't laying on a mat on a berm shooting at a stationary target.

The ship and the life boat were both moving up and down and side to side at different rates due to the sea. And the targets were moving, shots were apparently almost simultaneous. Have you ever shot a match where you stood on a moving bridge shooting paper at 5-6 yards? How far off were your shots from the A zone?

Don't diminish what they did. It was a nice piece of shooting done by some skilled technicians under extreme pressure.

I'm not diminishing what they did... read what I wrote. And read the article.

I get that there was movement. But honestly a good 3 Gun competitor could make that shot. But getting there to take that shot... very few can do.

[Religious Shooter]

[Neither the shooting platform (the destroyer) or the target vessel (the lifeboat) were stable, I sure that there were both moving about pretty good in the open ocean. Not to mention the fact that the shooting was done upon a target that was at a lower height, which affects the drop of the bullet. Not to mention that (from what I've read) that all 3 shots were taken at the same time upon targets that were only partially exposed.

Have you done the math on that shot? 45 yards at an angle at a head target? ... not much difference.

I guess the only way to see is to make up a stage.

[ben b.]

Thermal imaging used to spot them behind the cover?

[Neomet]

I heard another rumor that the snipers were using some new uber-secret stabilization platform. Maybe true, maybe rumor.

It is one thing to make that shot on a range or in a match but try to do it with your first shot where if you miss you don't lose points on the stage, somebody dies. I can walk across a 2 X 4 while it is laying on the floor in my living room. Put it up 700 feet in the air and I am betting I wind up a greasy spot on the sidewalk.

Damn good shooting in my book FWIW.

[bdpaz]

I'm not diminishing what they did... read what I wrote. And read the article.

I get that there was movement. But honestly a good 3 Gun competitor could make that shot. But getting there to take that shot... very few can do.

I'll joke about most anything but I can't find anything funny about statements like these. You participate in some 3 Gun matches with stages where multiple shooters and multiple target are all moving, you don't get to walk through the stages, the target may or may not be clearly visible against its background, you all fire on an external command, and people die if anyone misses. Then your opinion may carry some weight, but otherwise anyone here who thinks shooting 3 Gun is comparable to making a shot like this just makes us all look silly. You can not separate all the external factors from "that shot" and compare it to a competition scenario simply based on target size and distance.

[Flexmoney]

Closed.