MoD vessel 'watched yacht hijack' + a Which firearm would you take on your yacht

[camouflage762]

MoD vessel 'watched yacht hijack'

The crew of a UK military ship watched as a British couple were taken hostage by Somali pirates but were ordered not to open fire, it has emerged.

The RFA Wave Knight did not act for fear of endangering the couple's lives, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 59 and 55, from Kent, were ordered off their yacht by gunmen in the Indian Ocean in the early hours of 23 October.

The Chandlers had been travelling to Tanzania from the Seychelles.

Details of the Navy operation were leaked to the press by an anonymous crew member of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship.


We did everything we could possibly do without further endangering the lives of Paul and Rachel Chandler
Ministry of Defence spokesman

The crew member revealed that the RFA Wave Knight had come within just 50ft (15m) of the couple's yacht, the Lynn Rival, at one point.

A MoD spokesman said: "Every effort was made by the Royal Navy and the international maritime fleet to locate the Lynn Rival.

"We did everything we could possibly do without further endangering the lives of Paul and Rachel Chandler.

"We do not comment on operational detail but RFA Wave Knight did very well under the circumstances."

The replenishment tanker was carrying 75 merchant seamen and 25 Royal Navy sailors, as well as a helicopter, at the time of the incident.

An official account of the kidnap released last month said only that a Royal Navy vessel had found the couple's yacht empty, without disclosing that the couple were within sight at the time.

In a phone call on 29 October, the couple, from Tunbridge Wells, said they were initially moved from their yacht to a container ship, the Kota Wajar, which had also been seized by the pirates.

It is thought they were then moved to another ship anchored off the eastern coast of Somalia before being taken to the mainland.

The pirates have issued a $7 million (£4.3 million) ransom demand but the British government has insisted it will not make any ransom payment.

[camouflage762]

If the Royal Navy cannot protect its own, I somehow guess that the SA navy is also less than capable of pulling our
asses out of cold water! Thus with this in mind....

Question:
Which firearm (that you can legally obtain in RSA) would you take on your yacht when you decide to the round the world trip thing

I await some interesting answers.....
fighting0002

[Thorkind]

An FN FAL.

[Analyst]

From what I understand, Somali pirates use fast fiberglass-hulled speedboats, and fiberglass doesnt dig just about any kind of bullet. No doubt you'd want to keep them at a distance so the 7.62 sounds good. Personally though, being alone I'd rather be able to pull the trigger as many times as possible and store max ammo, so either an R4 (bipod baby) or piston M16. With an Acog. And a bayonet. Muthafvcker.

[FrankH]

I would want this! ;D ;D

[Analyst]

From what I understand, Somali pirates use fast fiberglass-hulled speedboats, and fiberglass doesnt dig just about any kind of bullet. No doubt you'd want to keep them at a distance so the 7.62 sounds good. Personally though, being alone I'd rather be able to pull the trigger as many times as possible and store max ammo, so either an R4 (bipod baby) or piston M16. With an Acog. And a bayonet. Muthafvcker.

Specifically:

[Craig]

Got to play with this the other day. It's a Remington 700 SPS Tactical in an AICS stock with S & B PMII, which was going onto a super yacht as an anti-piracy rifle. I suppose there some restrictions and a bolt action is easier to license? It has a 5 round a mag and 10 round mags are available.




But my choice would be the XM110 ( AR10 ). An accurate 7.62 semi. ;)

[camouflage762]

Agreed. A semi-auto 7.62 with good optics and quiet a few 20 round mags, would IMO be a minimum.
If you spot them before they get into AK range you could force them to keep their distance. How accurate one can be from a pitching & rolling vessel while it is being attacked is also a matter for conjecture particularly at 300-500m.

Assuming one can keep them out of 7.62x39 range then one has to watch out for the RPG's.

Once they are close & assuming once can remain concealed, a Pump or semi auto loaded with slugs & LG would be my preference.

[abhm]

the sounds of the newest version of the anthem sound through my head until the newest strains of Run Brittania, Brittania Runs Away, take over!

[camouflage762]

Pirates 'losing patience'
2009-11-21 13:13

London - A British couple held hostage by Somali pirates said in a video broadcast on Friday that their captors were "losing patience" and could kill them within a week if no ransom was paid.

The video of Paul and Rachel Chandler - held since their yacht, the Lynn Rival, was boarded in the Indian Ocean on October 23 - was made on Wednesday and broadcast on Britain's Channel Four News programme.

Paul Chandler, 59, said he and his wife Rachel, 55, were unharmed, but added that no-one had responded to the pirates' demand for a ransom of $7m.

"Our kidnappers are losing patience. They are concerned that there has been no response at all to their demands for money," he said, surrounded by armed men pointing their weapons at him and his wife.

'Sleepwalk to a tragic ending'

"We have been threatened that there is a terrorist gang at large in the country looking for us," Chandler said.

"We are also concerned that these people will lose patience and will not feed us - and I have no doubt that they will not hesitate to kill us, perhaps within a week or so of now if there is no response."

Chandler urged the British government and his family to start talks with the pirates "so that perhaps our lives can be brought back."

His voice broke slightly as he finished his statement, saying: "So please, somebody get in touch; otherwise we just sleepwalk to a tragic ending."

In London, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said it was aware of the video, but added: "We do not make substantive concessions to hostage takers, including the payment of ransoms.

"These are innocent tourists.... We seek the immediate release of Paul and Rachel."

Food and water

In her remarks to the video camera, Rachel Chandler said: "We are very concerned about the future... We are also feeling very much under threat now that these people themselves won't hesitate to take our lives."

It was not clear if their words had been scripted for them by the pirates.

Paul Chandler said he and his wife had been given adequate food and water and "are unharmed and in reasonably physical health" but "we are under great stress and threatened."

The couple's family released a statement saying they had seen the video. "They miss them deeply and urge their release," the statement said.

- AFP