In response to the recent upsurge in pirate attacks, FOXNews.com has put their own list of Ten High-Tech Weapons to Repel Pirates. All of the items on the list we have described on our own on Top-Ten lists for detering pirates. I’ve listed the items as they appear on the list from Fox, followed our descriptions with links back to articles and other sources.
Fire Hoses – The most common means of deterring pirates is with the use of firehoses. A ships crew will line up on deck, activate the large firepumps in the engine room and use the pressurized sea water to knock pirates off of boarding ladders. While this is effective it’s of little use when the boarding craft approaches with it’s 50 caliber machine gun armed.
Remote-controlled fire hoses – Kind of like Unifire’s Pirate Safe Force 80 that we mentioned as number 9 on our second list – Made entirely of marine-grade stainless steel, fully networked, controlled from a safe remote location this automatic ship protection is available with pre-programmed defensive spray patterns and is a truly impressive anti-pirate weapon.
Molotov Cocktails – I’m not too sure how high-tech Molotov cocktails are, but they proved effective when the crew of the ZHEN HUA 4 used them to fight off a group of pirates back in December. The pirates eventually made it on board but were never able to seize the ship. [Continue Reading →]
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After reading our posts (HERE and HERE) on less-than-lethal anti-piracy weapons, which system do you think has the best chance of success against Somali pirates? [Continue Reading →]
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Back in September we brought you Anti-Piracy Weapons – Top 10 For Future Use In Somalia. Since that time the piracy situation has only worsened with ten ships currently under pirate control including two that were captured already this year. In light of this we bring you 10 more anti-pirate weapons for use in Somalia’s Gulf Of Aden.
10. Optical Laser Distractor
Non-lethal optical distractors are visible laser devices that have reversible optical effects on human targets. These types of non-blinding laser devices use highly directional optical energy to support several non-lethal missions. (Powerpoint)
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http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7582246163985973299
This video is of the LRAD or Long Range Acoustic Device, a product of American Technology Corporation. LRAD is the only proven, non-lethal weapon used to fight piracy (well, except the trust fire hose but we all know how well that works) and was nominated for top billing in our post Top 10 Anti-Piracy Weapons.
The Maritime Accident Casebook has commentary HERE.
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In light of the recent piracy news from Somalia we thought it best to bring you up-to-date on the latest technology being considered for use in deterring pirates. Listed in order of likely effectiveness:
Note: You can view part 2 of this series HERE.
10. Fire Hose
The most common means of deterring pirates is with the use of firehoses. A ships crew will line up on deck, activate the large firepumps in the engine room and use the pressurized sea water to knock pirates off of boarding ladders. While this is effective it’s of little use when the boarding craft approaches with it’s 50 caliber machine gun armed.
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9. Automated Fire Monitor
The next step is a remote controlled fire monitor which can be aimed from a remote location. The only pitfall here is knowing where to place the monitors.
While Unifire’s Force 50 anti-pirate water cannon is impressive most shipboard fire monitors are manual and operate with less force (Video Demonstration).
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8. Crowd Control Munition
[Continue Reading →]
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Experts attempting to understand the strategic aims behind China’s aggressive military expansion have generally focused on Taiwan. But a new naval base points at Beijing’s significant and growing interest in projecting power into waters far from the Taiwan Strait.
The new underground base for submarines and comfortable facilities that would attract technically proficient soldiers and sailors. Its location will allow China to exert greater dominance over disputed territories of the South China Sea; to place a much larger naval force closer to sea lanes crucial to Asia’s commercial lifeblood; and to exercise influence over the critical Straits of Malacca. (Source: Wall Street Journal – NPR Audio)
If you think that it is no big deal that China is building submarines at an alarming rate take a look at this video of an Australian Navy torpedo test.
And if you think the US Navy has the ability to protect Merchant Shipping against this kind of attack first ask: can they protect themselves?
If not can they at least protect the US Mainland and that of our allies against China’s new boomers?
Details:
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) sunk HMAS Torrens on June 14th 1999 with a single Mk48 wire guided torpedo fired from the Collins Class submarine Farncomb. Torrens was the last of six Australian ‘River Class’ Type 12 Destroyer-Escort, the others (Derwent, Parramatta, Stuart, Swan and Yarra) having been disposed of previously. Before the sinking Torrens had been thoroughly cleaned of all fuels, oils and potentially environmentally harmful substances. Her gun turret was donated to the South Western City of Albany. Torrens was then towed from Fleet Base West (HMAS Stirling) 90km out to sea, west of Perth. The submarine Farncomb fired the torpedo at the stationary target from a submerged position over the horizon . (Source: BTInternet)
For the science behind the explosion click HERE.
Video:
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Want to know more about The Protector? Popular Mechanics tells us;
Robots versus pirates—it’s not as stupid, or unlikely, as it sounds. Piracy has exploded in the waters near Somalia, where this past week United States warships have fired on two pirate skiffs, and are currently in pursuit of a hijacked Japanese-owned vessel. At least four other ships in the region remain under pirate control, and the problem appears to be going global: The International Maritime Bureau is tracking a 14-percent increase in worldwide pirate attacks this year.
The Protector, which comes mounted with a 7.62mm machine gun, wasn’t originally intended for anti-piracy operations. But according to BAE Systems spokesperson Stephanie Moncada, the robot could easily fill that role. “Down the line, it could potentially be modified for commercial use as well,” she says. Instead of being deployed by a warship to intercept and possibly fire on an incoming vessel, a non-lethal variant of the Protector could be used to simply investigate a potential threat. Continue Reading…
Also be sure to check out BitterEnd’s video find: Tres Cool – RIB boarding a Chinook
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Maritime Links Editor’s Blog brings us the Pentagon’s Ray Gun.
Could this non-lethal device be the answer to piracy problems and our question “Do weapons belong aboard ships?”
Visit the blog post HERE to find out.
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