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Air Cannon Ties Pirates In Knots
Hugh Pickens writes "Numerous high-tech devices have been proposed to help ships cope with piracy on the high seas. Now a company has developed a ship-borne launching device that fires a net or coiled rope into the path of pirate vessels using compressed air with a range of up to a range of 400m. The payload net or rope, which has a parachute attached to the end, will unravel and lay out across the surface of the water so that as the pirate boat travels through the water its propeller shaft will pick up the line and become entangled. 'With the trials and testing we've done, it has taken us some 45 minutes to cut and disentangle the line from the propeller itself,' says Jonathan Delf. 'Within that time of course, the target ship is on its way and hopefully help has arrived in the form of naval forces or helicopter support.' The system can be fired up to five times off just a cylinder of air like a simple scuba tank." The video mentions that the device can also fire a payload of golf balls. The systems have recently been sold to "several large shipping companies that travel near the oil-rich Nigerian Delta, which, like the Somalian coast, is rife with piracy."
It also won't work against pirates riding trained sharks, which you're about as likely to see.
This word "commandeered" ... I do not think it means what you think it means.
I'm not a boatologist but ...
Best. Disclaimer. Ever.
Yeeeeah. He was... fishing... at night, in stormy weather,
... in eel-infested waters ...
John
Greetings and Salutations...
If all of you chicken hawks REALLY think that blasting pirates out of the water is the best option, I would suggest this:
1) Band together (facebook is a good option).
2) Pool your savings and buy a freighter (lots of them parked now, and available for cheap).
3) Join the crew, and bring your biggest guns along.
4) Cruise the Somolia coast a few times and have fun blasting the pirates.
5) PROFIT!
Now...do not be too surprised if, after the second or third time you blow a group of attacking pirates out of the water, you find yourself
visited by support ships with RATHER larger guns.
Pleasant Dreams
Dave Mundt
YAB - http://blog.beemandave.com/
I'd go with a different approach. A tightly packed array of 50x50 green lasers with a calibrated spotting scope on it. Optionally, protect the person manning the laser station with bulletproof shielding. When you see an obviously hostile craft approaching, everyone on the friendly ship dons their protective eyewear which blocks out the green laser frequency in case of any bounce-back. Then spot them through the scope and flip the switch and pan across the whole ship. Makes them nice and blind.
After that, the crew can follow up with a little napalm or ship-mounted flamethrower. A sulfuric acid cannon would be pretty sweet too. Or a few remote controlled .50 cal turrets with armor piercing bullets setup to pin each vessel in a crossfire. Or these mounted on the bow and stern of the ship setup to be armed when enemy vessels approach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP6GpAnmAPU
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
He was fishing until he got caught in the storm. Storm took out his radio and blew him off course until nightfall. Fortunately he found the only found the only merchant ship within 50 nautical miles and was sailing to it to ask for help.
Let's just sprinkle some crack dust on him and get out of here.
Maybe they just REALLY want to borrow a cup of sugar...
Queue the 1/2" kevlar rope! A quarter mile of the stuff ought to do the trick. The worst part about lines jamming the propeller is that the line gets coiled up in the space between where the propeller and the hull meet, and the motion causes the prop to pull the propshaft out of the boat (with the engine attached).
My pirate ship is equipped with a bow-mounted motorized spaghetti twirling fork, arrr!
Set your phasers on "funky"!
Inconceivable.
Troc's dubious podcast and blog: http://www.trocnet.net
Quote: "fire a payload of golf balls"
Do you yell "fire" or "four" before you trigger this weapon?
Yes, the golf courses in Somalia are beautiful. They play golf everywhere.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.