With the problem of piracy being a world wide threat and on the increase, I have been pondering ways to track and attack pirates. One thing would be to patrol
shipping lanes where pirate attacks occur, but they would avoid warships like the plague and still attack ships in between patrols. Therefore I think the best
option would be to use submarines to try and take out pirates. These submarines would need to have good endurace, fairly shallow draft for operations in
shallow waters (painting the hull to operate in the color of shallow water would be a must have). A good speed would be preferrable, torpedo armament
wouldn't need to be massive (a single Mk 48 ADCAP should be able to eliminate a single run down merchant or a small modern speedboat), so figure a
complement of six or eight torpedoes with two tubes forward. It wouldn't need to be quiet either. Perhaps a poor man's version of an Alfa class?
Pirate Hunter class SSK/SSN
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 Joshua Kintner |
Pirate Hunter class SSK/SSN |
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Registered Member
Posts: 419 (19-May-2008 06:16:01) |
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emc |
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Posts: 3770 (19-May-2008 13:54:41) |
Joshua Kintner wrote: Too expensive. Given the general level of equipment used by the pirates, any of the larger OPV's (such as the Icelandic Týr, the Irish Eithne, or the RN's new "River" class) would be more than adequately armed. I suspect that the most effective solution is to have fairly high endurance ships equipped with helicopters, so that there is a constant and visible presence. Pirates are economic criminals, not terrorists, so they are much less given to suicidal gestures. Besides, using a Mk48 to sink a modern day pirate is not the wisest use of resources. A ww1-era 3pounder would be overkill. A 20mm on a helicopter would
be just dandy.
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E F Draaijers |
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Posts: 200 (19-May-2008 22:52:13) |
I agree with EMC, since modern Piracy is much different from the classical Age of Sail period. Modern pirates operate as small gangs in very small and fast
coastal craft, or even less, making any normal ocean going warship of both surfaced and submerged origin serious overkill. At best defend ships with
surveilance and both fast patroll naval and air patrolls, while also using economic presure to deny piragtes their main reason to become criminal. Piracy is
born out of differences between wealth and poverty and can be effectively combatted with both education and project based development in erea's were
pirates are active. This is far more effective (and cheaper) than fighting them with very expensive overkill weapons, such as complex naval vessels.
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Terminus1973 |
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Posts: 5 (21-May-2008 01:31:26) |
Besides, you can't actually hit and kill an "average" speedboat with a Mk 48. It's too small and maneuverable.
As others have said, it's a bad idea. |
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Terminus1973 |
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Posts: 6 (22-May-2008 13:57:18) |
I'd use OPV's equipped with high-endurance sensor UAVs and then light, fast helicopters (think AH-6) for kill vehicles. Hang a proper night
sensor/attack system along with some miniguns and rocket pods on one of those and Mr. Pirate and his speedboat will be going to the bottom of the Malacca
Strait or Somali coastal waters toute suite.
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emc |
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Posts: 3779 (22-May-2008 16:24:32) |
In addition to EF Draaijers' comments, I'd like to add that the Somali pirates are operating out of a basically lawless nation. Other pirates are
operating out of countries with either no effective government or with quite corrupt governments.
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 NoOneFamous |
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Posts: 1212 (22-May-2008 19:52:53) |
Sounds like you need a modern day Q ship.
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emc |
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Posts: 3780 (22-May-2008 21:59:11) |
NoOneFamous wrote: just Hornblower or Jack Aubrey. |
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Terminus1973 |
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Posts: 7 (23-May-2008 00:45:00) |
A Firescout UCAV could be useful as well.
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Joshua Kintner |
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Posts: 423 (25-May-2008 09:28:04) |
Besides, you can't actually hit and kill an "average" speedboat with a Mk 48. It's too small and maneuverable. Just a quibble on this point here, but you wouldn't try for a direct hit, but go for a proximity explosion instead, which should be enough to snap a small boat in half. Now a Q-ship would not be a bad idea. Mount a retractable 25mm Bushmaster cannon or two on a motor yacht (some of which are now the size of frigates), which should suffice for eliminating a speedboat or two. |
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Terminus1973 |
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Posts: 8 (25-May-2008 17:29:32) |
Not enough mass in a speedboat to set off the exploder.
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E F Draaijers |
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Posts: 207 (25-May-2008 18:55:53) |
Why not trying a different way, Active piratehunting is quite obvious and even these lawless people are not without brains at all and can learn from earlier
mistakes, leaving you with the (finacial) consequenses.
Since pirates prey on easy targets, why not putting mobile security teams on vessels for the trip through pirate invested waters. A small four to eight men team of experienced special forces, like SAS or Navy Seals can be used to deny pirates to board a ship or yacht, simply by small arms fire at close range. Should pirates board, they face not the unarmed sailors, but heavily armed special forces, trained for close quarters combat. Even if you can succesfully put some teams on some ships, since covering all is not very logical, this simple knowledge would make pirates think twice of boarding a vessel at all. Their motive is money making, not waisting their own lives. It is however essential to make this well known, although not precise, since names of ships cannot be given, for obvious reasons. |
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