USS Cape St. George & Gonzales Battle Somali Pirates

[Amac]

Navy Exchanges Fire With Suspected Pirates

8 minutes ago

Two U.S. Navy ships exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates Saturday off the coast of Somalia, and one suspect was killed and five others were wounded, the navy said.

The early morning gunbattle ensued after sailors spotted 30-foot fishing boat towing smaller skiffs and prepared for a routine boarding, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.

Passengers on the fishing boat then began shooting, and U.S. naval gunners returned fire with mounted machine guns.

(now, what on earth would make the captain of a 30 foot fishing boat take on this?)

[coyote]

<(now, what on earth would make the captain of a 30 foot fishing boat take on this?)>

Well, think about it. They took on 2 of the baddest ships in the world, one a destroyer, the other a guided missle cruiser. The ships are bristling with well-trained sailors, technology, and weapons systems that are unmatched in lethality.

The handful of pirates lost one man and had 5 wounded. The reports don't mention the fate of their vessel.

The next boatload of goobers has got to be thinking that if they attack the US Navy with 2 boats and a dozen pirates they've got at least an even chance of seizing them.

I'm not an advocate of using violence or war to settle disputes, but once engaged in international waters I firmly believe that there should be no questions after the shooting ends as to who rules. Like the proverbial schoolyard bully, pirates, armed robbers, and other criminals keep committing the act until someone demonstrates convincingly that it just ain't worth it.

[CaptainK]

Two U.S. Navy ships skirmished with a group of suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia Saturday, killing one and wounding five, the Navy said.

No U.S. soldiers were injured.

At the time, the USS Cape St. George, a guided missile cruiser, and the USS Gonzalez, a guided missile destroyer, were conducting maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean, the Navy said.

It was during a "routine boarding" of the suspected pirates' vessel that the naval boarding team noticed the men were armed with what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade launchers, said the Navy.

"The suspected pirates then opened fire on the Navy ships," a press release from the Navy stated. "The Cape St. George and Gonzalez returned fire with small arms in self-defense."

Photographs released by the U.S. Navy were of a small outboard motor speedboat with three men aboard and writing on the side. Another photo showed what appeared to be small bullet holes on the side of a U.S. naval hull, and in a separate photo, a small boat engulfed in flames, with a long plume of black smoke.

Pirate attacks and hijackings are common off the eastern African nation's coast and usually target U.N. World Food Program vessels carrying relief food for the millions of people affected by the drought.

Last week, Somali pirates kidnapped 50 Yemeni fishermen off a Yemeni island just east of Somalia, according to Yemen's state news agency Saba.

On November 5, pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades at a 440-foot luxury cruise liner operated by Seabourn Cruise Line. No one was hurt, and the captain was able to get away before the pirates could board the ship.

[markpj23]

Go NAVY... Beat ARMY.... oops, wrong thread

Glad to see us engaging the bad guys who prey on the unarmed cruising community.

[CaptainK]

Rat-a-tat-tat and all the rats scattered!!

GO NAVY!!!

Navy it's not just a job. It's an adventure!!:cubalibre

[Alan Wheeler]

Nah they have it all worng. That's sail boats, not Priate boats in the picture. Can't the yank navy boys tell.

[CaptainK]

Alan.

That photo above is either a archive photo. Or that warship is escorting those "sailboats" safely along to another destination?

"Yank", huh? Alright,"Limey." Whatever you say!!

[BC Mike]

Please explain Limey.
Michael

[CaptainK]

Ahh come on Micheal.

You mean to tell me you don't know what that word means?

Man, are sure you're from planet Earth?

Ok. I'll explain the word just to enlighten you.

Limey
[Chiefly British:] A pejorative noun meaning ``British'' or ``English.'' This word is an underappreciated feature of the English language. Somewhat like sesquipedalian, it refers unfavorably to most of those people who know and use the term.

This is not normal. Does the French language have a disparaging term for Frenchmen? (It's a rhetorical question; don't interrupt.) Human languages do not usually have a derogatory term for people in general: If one says, ``every person can be bought,'' the derogation occurs in the sentence as a whole, but there is no word that one could use to replace person that, standing alone, would be recognized as pejorative and general.

The word Limey originally referred only to British sailors, but was later extended. (It was a reference to sailors' eating of citrus to prevent scurvy. The Germans pioneered the practice of vitamin-C supplementation with Sauerkraut. This was adopted by the British first; the switch to citrus came later.)

The word Limey ironically undercuts itself -- it's a weasel word to itself. It'd be downright postmodern, if it weren't so retrograde. Another class of words that may be regarded as self-denying, in a contrived sort of way, are heterological words like monosyllabic.

[GordMay]

Kevin:
Please choose your references more carefully (as posted, that one's mostly drivel) , and reference the source when you quote, so that others can examine the fuller context, and the reputation of the author.
As a pompus (sic: pompass) 'sesquipedalian' myself, I'm impressed (tho' not favourably) with the vocabulary.

Gord

[BC Mike]

The British could not grow oranges so they grew lemons and that is how the Limey thing got started. They did not have good relations with their neighbours at the time.
But, you were addressing wheels who is a Kiwi.
Michael

[Alan Wheeler]

Yeah Im just a Kiwi.That lot just went right over my head K. I can't even find half of those big words in my dictionary

[CaptainK]

Yeah Alan.

Gee. I thought you too would have known that. But I only said that out of humor though!!

Yeah a long time ago. Like when you refer to us Americans as "Yanks". We always say "Limeys" to the English and I suppose other countries like yours and Australia.

But since we are in more modern times. You really don't here people calling people "Limey" anymore. But, I learned about all that through my older realitives. Who were alive at the time, when that word was used. And is considered an insulting word!!

But to those who have read that one post. And you didn't notice the after the post. Get a life!! It was only mentioned as a joke. Since Alan referred to us as "Yanks"!

No harm here Alan. I knew you were only kidding around!!

The word Limey originally referred only to British sailors, but was later extended.

Which extended to all of the former British colonists!! New Zealand & Australia!!

[BC Mike]

The Kiwis call the pomms Limeys, but I have never heard a Kiwi or an Ozzy referred to as a Limey. It is not common usage, actually not used at all when referring to Kiwis or Ozzies. Generally you can call a Kiwi anything you want, as long as you don't call them late for dinner.
Michael

[Alan Wheeler]

Brittish are Pommes. French are Frogs. Americans are Yanks. I don't know if any of those are considered "not nice" to the nationality it refers to.
Australians are Ozies, we are Kiwis. I believe the Ozies may call us Sheep shaggers, but I am not sure

OK, here are a couple of jokes.Please do not feel offended if they refer to your nationality.

How do you know when a plane load of Pommes have arrived in the country?
Cause when the engines have stopped, you can still here the whining.

How do you know when an Ozie is on the level?
When he dribbles out of both sides of his mouth.

Did you know they have invented a Camera with a shutter speed so fast, they can now take a photo of an Ozie with his mouth closed.

Why do Ozies drink out of sourcers, because we have all the cups.
Umm, that last one tends to change sides often, depending on how well our Football teams go.