Cruise Ship fends off pirate attack

[deanws]

It was worth every penny of it. It was the nicest cruise that we had ever been on. Your own private maid and stuff. It was a really really beautiful ship. We booked through VACATIONS TO GO. They have great deals. You can get a cruise for a reasonable price. We took the Spirit for 9050.00 per person (plus 300.00 gov taxes) and the list price was almost 20,000 per person. We usually go on NCL and RC so this vacation with Seabourn was different. :dance: We are going to take the Panama Canal trip for our anniversary. You also get a discount for senior ages. My husband is quite a bit older than I am. :woohoo: But he is a real cutie. :blushing: So, if yall take your parents or anyone over the age of 55 you can qualify for a discount. If one person in the room is over 55 then the other person gets the same rate.

 

[Casshew]

I was reading some more articles on the attack of the Spirit and this struck me as interesting

While passengers were ordered below decks by captain Sven Erik Pedersen,the ship's crew sounded a deafening acoustic blast, a defence mechanism to trick attackers into believing they had come under return fire.

So it is not as if this type of thing is not prepared for?

More of the article

"Stay inside, we're under attack," Capt Pedersen said over the PA.
"My daughter saw the pirates out our window," Edith Laird, a US passenger, said in an email from the ship.

"There were at least three RPG that hit the ship, one in a stateroom four doors down from our cabin."

Fellow passenger Norman Fisher, a UK lawyer, said he saw pirates armed with several rifles and at least one RPG launcher.

"One of the rockets certainly hit the ship. It went through the side of the liner into a passenger suite," he said.

"The couple were in there at the time so it was a bit of an unpleasant experience."

Canadian passenger Mike Rogers said the Spirit turned on one of the attacking boats.

"We're always looking for adventure but this is probably a little more than we would normally look for," he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said a consular official would meet Australian passengers to offer help, and said it was possible the attackers were terrorists.

"We don't know . . . whether they were pirates or . . . people with terrorist intentions."

Passengers paying the minimum $10,000 for the trip included 48 Americans, 22 from Britain, 21 Canadians, 19 Germans and six South Africans.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_paE662,00.html

 

[lilpony]

I was reading some more articles on the attack of the Spirit and this struck me as interesting

So it is not as if this type of thing is not prepared for?

More of the article

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_paE662,00.html

Oh my, I couldn't imagine the fear I would have, if the captain said stay in your rooms. The ship is under attack. I would be scared to death. Good Lord, I would not handle the situation very well, believe me. Thank the lord all the passengers and crew member are safe.

 

[mysteriew]

Pirates who attacked a luxury cruise liner off Africa's coast this weekend may have struck before.

Maritime authorities said it's likely the same bunch that hijacked a UN-chartered vessel in June and held its crew and food aid hostage for 100 days.

The pirates approached the Seabourn Spirit about 100 miles off the Somali coast on Saturday and fired rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles while the bandits tried to board. The ship changed course and sped away.

Officials said the attack is a sign the pirates are getting bolder.
http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=156010

 

[angelmom]

Yeah, you know, now that I think about it, I'll be crossing that top dollar Somalian cruise off my Christmas wish list. Just to be on the safe side.

 

[Toby]

Reading this thread has me considering...what would I rather do?

Be involved in an attack where the Captain understands 2 - 3 25 ft. speedboats armed with rifles and one or two grenade launchers are no match for a cruise liner.

Or

Be involved in a hostage situation that lasts for over 100 days.

I'll take fighting back anytime.

 

[Casshew]

Here is a pic of one of the boats

 

[mysteriew]

Passengers described their horror as pirates in speedboats chased their luxury cruise liner at sea, firing rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles -- with smiles visible on faces otherwise hidden by ski masks.

A woman survived an explosion in her stateroom simply because she was taking a bath at the time. Others flung themselves to the floor to avoid bullets that were zipping through the ship, Forsdick told Associated Press Television News.

"I tell you, it was a very frightening experience," WWII veteran Charles Supple, of Fiddletown, Calif., recalled by phone after the liner dropped anchor off Seychelles.

The retired physician and World War II veteran said said he started to take a photograph of a pirate craft, and "the man with the bazooka aimed it right at me and I saw a big flash.

"Needless to say, I dropped the camera and dived. The grenade struck two decks above and about four rooms further forward," Supple said. "I could tell the guy firing the bazooka was smiling."
http://www.clickondetroit.com/travelgetaways/5269753/detail.html

 

[Casshew]

Thats strange- there are no ski masks in the pic :waitasec:

 

[Norma]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/5382451/detail.html

An Amherst, Mass., couple that was on a cruise ship attacked by pirates off the coast of Africa a few weeks ago will be having a very thankful holiday this week. They made it home safe and sound.

Terrified passengers hit the deck as grenades were fired at the ship during the attack, and Realtor Richard Eagan and his wife, Betsy, told Boston TV station WCVB that it was a trip they will never forget. The cruise down the east coast of Africa was Richard's 70th birthday present and he's glad it wasn't his last.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Here is a pic of one of the boats

It will probably end up being a sign of the times; cruise liners will begin to carry a small contingent of heavily armed mercenaries. Those small boats, used by the pirates, should be sitting ducks, for anyone with a good weapon at their disposal. It may become the twenty-first century version of "Victory At Sea." Take No Prisoners.

 

[Floh]

I was made aware of modern day piracy by one of my English students (i see him for a couple of months every 5 months nowadys, as he's out on the high seas much of the time -- he's a first mate on a container ship).

apparently, it's illegal for merchant ships (this will, of course, include cruise liners) to carry guns and other arms.

they are advised if pirates approach to let the pirates take what they want. too dangerous to quibble.

it's rough out there . . .

 

[Floh]

It will probably end up being a sign of the times; cruise liners will begin to carry a small contingent of heavily armed mercenaries.

My understanding is they aren't allowed to do this. illegal under international law.

 

[Casshew]

Floh, from what I have heard ships do have some small arms in case of emergency - and a jail.

The Master of Arms is responsible - and it is not for terrorist reasons but for problems with an international crew and the occasional passenger.

This is what I have heard around the cruise forums I have posted at for years (I actualy have not been arrested on a cruise... yet :dance: )