Somali pirates brutally execute four Americans aboard sailing yacht

happyrobert · February 24, 2011

Hmmmmmm, they "returned fire" and after boarding found that the hostages had been "shot by their captors?"

Must be that military RRA - Rapid Response Autopsy - that I read about somewhere...

On another note, I never have had a satisfactory answer to questions along the lines of: how can people rich enough to buy an ocean-worthy yacht and sail around for ten years be so stupid as to sail in such a location?

Reminds me of the American I saw in Mexico who, when Hummers first came out, bought one and fully optionized it - probably had $100k in it. Then he stacked luggage and surf boards and other stuff on top and drove into Mexico. Decided to spend the night in Juarez, a border town known for high crime. Had to take a bus back across the border the next day.

Please advise where you found the statement, "returned fire"?

the quote is here -

"As they responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors," Gen James Mattis of US Central Command Commander said in a statement.

no mention of 'returning fire', but the word is 'responded'.

Yes, I noticed that. However there is a very large difference between the two.

Returning fire means you shoot back at whoever shot at you first.

Responding to gunfire could mean a multitude of actions, ranging from getting out of a chair to actually moving to the source of the gunfire.

The US Navy responded to the shots from the yacht by going to the yacht and taking the appropriate action. It would have been irresponsible for the Navy to shoot back since they did not know what the situation was at the time.

The original poster was disingenuous when he said they "returned fire".

Not disingenuous which, by the way, means: "not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does." If you want to call me names, no problem, I'm a big boy. But try to get the proper adjective.

I was sincere, and candid. I just don't believe everything I hear or read in the media.

"Those who don't read newspapers are uninformed, those who do read newspapers are misinformed." Mark Twain

"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." - Thomas Jefferson

Smart men.

chuckd · February 24, 2011

Please advise where you found the statement, "returned fire"?

the quote is here -

"As they responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors," Gen James Mattis of US Central Command Commander said in a statement.

no mention of 'returning fire', but the word is 'responded'.

Yes, I noticed that. However there is a very large difference between the two.

Returning fire means you shoot back at whoever shot at you first.

Responding to gunfire could mean a multitude of actions, ranging from getting out of a chair to actually moving to the source of the gunfire.

The US Navy responded to the shots from the yacht by going to the yacht and taking the appropriate action. It would have been irresponsible for the Navy to shoot back since they did not know what the situation was at the time.

The original poster was disingenuous when he said they "returned fire".

Not disingenuous which, by the way, means: "not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does." If you want to call me names, no problem, I'm a big boy. But try to get the proper adjective.

I was sincere, and candid. I just don't believe everything I hear or read in the media.

"Those who don't read newspapers are uninformed, those who do read newspapers are misinformed." Mark Twain

"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." - Thomas Jefferson

Smart men.

My last words on the subject.

I used the proper adjective. I would say your choice of words in the original post were "not truly honest" and "lacking in candor".

_____________________________________________

dis·in·gen·u·ous

Pronounced:

/ˌdɪsɪnˈʤɛnjəwəs/

Function:

adjective

Meaning:

[more dis*in*gen*u*ous; most dis*in*gen*u*ous] formal : not truly honest or sincere : giving the false appearance of being honest or sincere ▪ Her recent expressions of concern are self-serving and disingenuous. ▪ a disingenuous response —compare ingenuous

_____________________________________________

and...

_____________________________________________

dis·in·gen·u·ous adj \ˌdis-in-ˈjen-yə-wəs, -yü-əs-\

Definition of DISINGENUOUS

: lacking in candor; also : giving a false appearance of simple frankness : calculating

— dis·in·gen·u·ous·ly adverb

— dis·in·gen·u·ous·ness noun

_____________________________________________

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disingenuous

LaoPo · February 24, 2011

Somali pirates threaten to murder more hostages after deaths of four Americans

• Reinforcements being ferried out to hijacked vessels

• Those detained after killings may be tried in US

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 February 2011 20.40 GMT

Somalia pirates detained after Tuesday's killings are being held on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Photograph: Todd Cichonowicz/AP
Pirates in Somalia have said they are ferrying ammunition and men to the 30 hijacked vessels under their control, and threatened to kill more captives following the violent end to a hostage standoff that left four Americans dead.
The US military said that 15 Somali pirates detained after the killings on Tuesday could face trial in the United States. The pirates are being held on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise off East Africa. The FBI is investigating the killings of Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, and Jean and Scott Adam, of Los Angeles, who had made their home aboard their yacht Quest since December 2004.
Pirates hijacked the yacht last Friday and held the four hostage. When a US warship responded to the incident, the hostages were shot and killed.
The Adams handed out bibles during their travels around the world, but a pirate who gave his name only as Hassan said religion had played no part in their death. He said the pirates reacted violently after the US forces blocked the yacht's path.
"We had plans to either take the hostages to the inland mountains or to move on to other hijacked ships because we knew that the US navy was serious about carrying out a rescue operation," Hassan said. "The hostages pleaded with us not to harm them or take them to dangerous places. They cried when we captured them ... and asked us to release them because they were too old and couldn't endure captivity.

Story continues:

http://www.guardian....-hostages-trial

LaoPo

Hawaiian · February 24, 2011

The U.S. is not going to take the threats by the pirates lying down. The U.S. special forces in Djibouti at Camp Lemonnier have been training for such a response and are just waiting for

the word go. I believe there will be some kind of direct intervention by the American military if their intelligence indicates such operation has a good chance for success. Yes, we all know about the results of faulty intelligence.

A warning should be made that if any more hostages are killed there will be hell to pay. And a demand should be made for serious negotiations for the release of all the hostages being held. No one wants the responsibility of endangering lives, but something needs to be done soon. Another situation of damned if do and damned if you don't.

LaoPo · February 24, 2011

The U.S. is not going to take the threats by the pirates lying down. The U.S. special forces in Djibouti at Camp Lemonnier have been training for such a response and are just waiting for

the word go. I believe there will be some kind of direct intervention by the American military if their intelligence indicates such operation has a good chance for success. Yes, we all know about the results of faulty intelligence.

A warning should be made that if any more hostages are killed there will be hell to pay. And a demand should be made for serious negotiations for the release of all the hostages being held. No one wants the responsibility of endangering lives, but something needs to be done soon. Another situation of damned if do and damned if you don't.

Sad enough, people have to die first before serious action will take place, but it's the only way since paying ransomes doesn't solve the problem.

LaoPo

LaoPo · February 24, 2011

February 23, 2011

From THE NEW YORK TIMES

Seizing of Pirate Commanders Is Questioned

By ERIC SCHMITT

WASHINGTON — When the two pirates boarded the U.S.S. Sterett off the coast of Somalia on Monday, American officials thought they were headed for a breakthrough in the four-day standoff with a gang that had seized four Americans vacationing on their 58-foot yacht.

But an F.B.I. hostage-rescue negotiator aboard the Sterett came to believe the two Somalis were not serious. So the Americans took them into custody and told the pirates back on the yacht to send over someone they could do business with.

What happened next is sharply contested and raises questions about the crucial decision to detain the pirate leaders.

American officials said the pirates on the yacht, called the Quest, seemed relieved — even "exceptionally calm" — when told their senior commander was cooling his heels in a Navy brig.

But hours later, panic ensued among young pirates. Some Americans theorized that a fight had broken out among the gang members, suddenly leaderless, and fearing they were about to be overtaken by the four Navy warships that surrounded them. One person who has talked to associates of the pirates said their leader had told them that if he did not return, they should kill the hostages, though American officials say they do not know that to be the case.

The death of the four Americans — the yacht's owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., and two crew members, Phyllis Macay and Robert A. Riggle of Seattle — is certain to add momentum to a wide-ranging review the Obama administration is conducting on how to combat the growing threat from bands of Somali pirates. The episode began last Friday, when the Quest sent out a distress signal 275 miles from the coast of Oman, in open waters between Mumbai and Djibouti. A Yemeni fishing vessel that served as a mother ship for the pirates was seen near the yacht when it was hijacked by pirates in a smaller craft, maritime officials said, but it disappeared once the American warships drew near.

Story continues here:

http://www.nytimes.c...rc=me&ref=world

LaoPo

LaoPo · February 25, 2011

A very interesting read, from:

INFORMATION DISSEMINATION

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Day After Reflections and Questions

Excerpt:

"It isn't very often the US Navy has an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, and two of the largest destroyers on the planet and loses a battle, but that is what happened on Tuesday. Obviously there are reasons why it happened, but 4 Americans died - and that is the outcome. So lets start asking questions.

The Navy's official statement said the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), the guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) were all involved. Could the 58 ft yacht see all four massive ships, or just the USS Sterett (DDG 104) 600 yards away? What is the message to pirates when 4 US Navy ships with a combined displacement over 130,000 tons is looming over a hijacked yacht with 21-23 people crammed together? I think I'd be nervous, and I do wonder if that made the pirates nervous enough to shoot the hostages.

How much Khat was seized? The Navy tracked the yacht for several days, meaning 17-19 pirates were living in close quarters on a little yacht likely strung out on Khat. Did they run out? We know that during the Maersk Alabama incident that when the pirates ran out of Khat the tension rose considerably, and that led to conditions that prompted the CO of Bainbridge to take action for the safety of Captain Phillips. How much Khat was seized, and if they ran out - was the Navy aware of any Khat shortage on the yacht? Drugs might explain the violence between pirates and pirates, and/or pirates and hostages. Does the widespread usage of Khat by Somali pirates make longer negotiations at sea more dangerous than quick resolutions to hostage standoffs? The FBI prefers to be patient in hostage negotiations, but does Khat change that calculation?

Entire article and comments:

http://www.informati...l#disqus_thread

LaoPo

oldsailor35 · March 2, 2011

I notice that in this incident, 13 pirates were detained .

In my opinion, there should have been no survivors, all should have been killed in the action !

Back in the 50's i was on a naval ship ( will not disclose which navy) we departed Mogadishu, Somalia bnd for Colombo, then Ceylon. At sea 2 days we were informed that there might be 2 dhows in the area bound for the Persian Gulf from Zanzibar, which we were to stop and search as they were suspected of running slaves. We subsequently found and tracked 2 dhows for some time. As we closed on them in the early evening they proceeded to throw a number of persons overboard who were attacked by large sharks. We were unable to rescue these persons, all young boys and girls as the sharks had killed them . We were all incensed by the crew of the 2 dhows who just stood and grinned at our boarding parties. They told us that we had no right to board them as they had no slaves on board, the few girls they had ( about 14 yrs old) were wives of the crew. We subsequently took the girls away, eventually finding out that they were the choice slaves for the arab market. As we steamed away the arab crews turned their backs to us shouting and exposing their backsides. Our captain was so angry as we all were that we opened fire with our light AA guns and sank them. they soon found out about the sharks. I have never regretted this ocurrence but have no doubt that the "do gooders" would condemn us all to the gallows if they could. If this was done to these pirates a bit more often then things might be different.

Please do not ask me for more particulars as i am not going to say more. I am now in my mid 70's and still at peace with it when i think of what those animals did with those kids.

It was agreed that nothing more be said and to my knowledge nothing has.

chuckd · March 2, 2011

I notice that in this incident, 13 pirates were detained .

In my opinion, there should have been no survivors, all should have been killed in the action !

Back in the 50's i was on a naval ship ( will not disclose which navy) we departed Mogadishu, Somalia bnd for Colombo, then Ceylon. At sea 2 days we were informed that there might be 2 dhows in the area bound for the Persian Gulf from Zanzibar, which we were to stop and search as they were suspected of running slaves. We subsequently found and tracked 2 dhows for some time. As we closed on them in the early evening they proceeded to throw a number of persons overboard who were attacked by large sharks. We were unable to rescue these persons, all young boys and girls as the sharks had killed them . We were all incensed by the crew of the 2 dhows who just stood and grinned at our boarding parties. They told us that we had no right to board them as they had no slaves on board, the few girls they had ( about 14 yrs old) were wives of the crew. We subsequently took the girls away, eventually finding out that they were the choice slaves for the arab market. As we steamed away the arab crews turned their backs to us shouting and exposing their backsides. Our captain was so angry as we all were that we opened fire with our light AA guns and sank them. they soon found out about the sharks. I have never regretted this ocurrence but have no doubt that the "do gooders" would condemn us all to the gallows if they could. If this was done to these pirates a bit more often then things might be different.

Please do not ask me for more particulars as i am not going to say more. I am now in my mid 70's and still at peace with it when i think of what those animals did with those kids.

It was agreed that nothing more be said and to my knowledge nothing has.

My congratulations to you and your Captain.

Hawaiian · March 2, 2011

I notice that in this incident, 13 pirates were detained .

In my opinion, there should have been no survivors, all should have been killed in the action !

Back in the 50's i was on a naval ship ( will not disclose which navy) we departed Mogadishu, Somalia bnd for Colombo, then Ceylon. At sea 2 days we were informed that there might be 2 dhows in the area bound for the Persian Gulf from Zanzibar, which we were to stop and search as they were suspected of running slaves. We subsequently found and tracked 2 dhows for some time. As we closed on them in the early evening they proceeded to throw a number of persons overboard who were attacked by large sharks. We were unable to rescue these persons, all young boys and girls as the sharks had killed them . We were all incensed by the crew of the 2 dhows who just stood and grinned at our boarding parties. They told us that we had no right to board them as they had no slaves on board, the few girls they had ( about 14 yrs old) were wives of the crew. We subsequently took the girls away, eventually finding out that they were the choice slaves for the arab market. As we steamed away the arab crews turned their backs to us shouting and exposing their backsides. Our captain was so angry as we all were that we opened fire with our light AA guns and sank them. they soon found out about the sharks. I have never regretted this ocurrence but have no doubt that the "do gooders" would condemn us all to the gallows if they could. If this was done to these pirates a bit more often then things might be different.

Please do not ask me for more particulars as i am not going to say more. I am now in my mid 70's and still at peace with it when i think of what those animals did with those kids.

It was agreed that nothing more be said and to my knowledge nothing has.

I also served aboard ship during the 50's, but never had the experience of meting out that kind of justice. Must say that you sailed with an honorable crew for this to have been kept under wraps for all these years. Hats off to you and your comrades.

transam · March 2, 2011

I notice that in this incident, 13 pirates were detained .

In my opinion, there should have been no survivors, all should have been killed in the action !

Back in the 50's i was on a naval ship ( will not disclose which navy) we departed Mogadishu, Somalia bnd for Colombo, then Ceylon. At sea 2 days we were informed that there might be 2 dhows in the area bound for the Persian Gulf from Zanzibar, which we were to stop and search as they were suspected of running slaves. We subsequently found and tracked 2 dhows for some time. As we closed on them in the early evening they proceeded to throw a number of persons overboard who were attacked by large sharks. We were unable to rescue these persons, all young boys and girls as the sharks had killed them . We were all incensed by the crew of the 2 dhows who just stood and grinned at our boarding parties. They told us that we had no right to board them as they had no slaves on board, the few girls they had ( about 14 yrs old) were wives of the crew. We subsequently took the girls away, eventually finding out that they were the choice slaves for the arab market. As we steamed away the arab crews turned their backs to us shouting and exposing their backsides. Our captain was so angry as we all were that we opened fire with our light AA guns and sank them. they soon found out about the sharks. I have never regretted this ocurrence but have no doubt that the "do gooders" would condemn us all to the gallows if they could. If this was done to these pirates a bit more often then things might be different.

Please do not ask me for more particulars as i am not going to say more. I am now in my mid 70's and still at peace with it when i think of what those animals did with those kids.

It was agreed that nothing more be said and to my knowledge nothing has.

My congratulations to you and your Captain.

+1

Is there anyone reading these pages that thinks this scum should NOT be blown out of the water so as not to harras the innocent in the future. ?

Edited March 2, 2011 by transam

slapout · March 2, 2011

Until the International community (all countries involved) come to the realization, that what they have attempted so far has not worked and stronger measures are needed, it will continue.

This is a nest of vipers who live off the hardship they inflict on others. The entire nest is responsible for those who actually go out to sea for piracy, thus action against all inhabitants of the nest is required. This would be a good area for the Navies of the world to have live ammo target practice, with salvos fired shoreward just to ensure they hit something.

chuckd · March 2, 2011

Until the International community (all countries involved) come to the realization, that what they have attempted so far has not worked and stronger measures are needed, it will continue.

This is a nest of vipers who live off the hardship they inflict on others. The entire nest is responsible for those who actually go out to sea for piracy, thus action against all inhabitants of the nest is required. This would be a good area for the Navies of the world to have live ammo target practice, with salvos fired shoreward just to ensure they hit something.

One thing they will definitely hit are some of the 600 plus hostages.

Get the hostages free and then drop a MOAB or six.

LaoPo · March 2, 2011

I'm afraid there will be many more hijackings because part of the US fleet, patrolling the waters off Somalia, is now steaming towards Libya in the Mediterranean, including the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) as well as many other naval ships from other EU countries.....

The pirates themselves are poor b@stards and their lives are worth next to nothing to the lords who organise the hijackings and who are/became filthy rich.

Take those lords out and the problems will fade away......... but the bitter poverty will stay in this misarable corner of the world where the average GDP/capita is $ 600.-- per year...and that's $ 1.64 per day to survive...

LaoPo

transam · March 2, 2011

I'm afraid there will be many more hijackings because part of the US fleet, patrolling the waters off Somalia, is now steaming towards Libya in the Mediterranean, including the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) as well as many other naval ships from other EU countries.....

The pirates themselves are poor b@stards and their lives are worth next to nothing to the lords who organise the hijackings and who are/became filthy rich.

Take those lords out and the problems will fade away......... but the bitter poverty will stay in this misarable corner of the world where the average GDP/capita is $ 600.-- per year...and that's $ 1.64 per day to survive...

LaoPo

The world is full of poor starving people but they on the whole are not equipped with military hardware to take hostage the innocent for cash. NO excuses, rich or poor.

LaoPo · March 2, 2011

I'm afraid there will be many more hijackings because part of the US fleet, patrolling the waters off Somalia, is now steaming towards Libya in the Mediterranean, including the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) as well as many other naval ships from other EU countries.....

The pirates themselves are poor b@stards and their lives are worth next to nothing to the lords who organise the hijackings and who are/became filthy rich.

Take those lords out and the problems will fade away......... but the bitter poverty will stay in this misarable corner of the world where the average GDP/capita is $ 600.-- per year...and that's $ 1.64 per day to survive...

LaoPo

The world is full of poor starving people but they on the whole are not equipped with military hardware to take hostage the innocent for cash. NO excuses, rich or poor.

Of course not.

The problem lies with a few criminal lords who became very rich with the first hijackings (done in a primitive way) and able to buy more and more heavy weaponry, fast boats, cars and sophisticated communication tools and hire poor devils to do the job for them.

THOSE criminal lords have to be taken out, one way or another.

If the international world would have given -controlled- aid to Somali and those hundreds of millions of s to the people/farmers and workers, instead giving huge ransoms* to a few criminals, there would be no piracy.

US$ 238 million in Ransoms in 2010 alone....

Read this and understand how these criminals organise and how much it costs to protect our ships/vessels....

I recommend especially the details under the 2nd part of the link where it says:

The costs

http://www.shippingb...0%E2%80%99.html

LaoPo

koheesti · March 2, 2011

I notice that in this incident, 13 pirates were detained .

In my opinion, there should have been no survivors, all should have been killed in the action !

Back in the 50's i was on a naval ship ( will not disclose which navy) we departed Mogadishu, Somalia bnd for Colombo, then Ceylon. At sea 2 days we were informed that there might be 2 dhows in the area bound for the Persian Gulf from Zanzibar, which we were to stop and search as they were suspected of running slaves. We subsequently found and tracked 2 dhows for some time. As we closed on them in the early evening they proceeded to throw a number of persons overboard who were attacked by large sharks. We were unable to rescue these persons, all young boys and girls as the sharks had killed them . We were all incensed by the crew of the 2 dhows who just stood and grinned at our boarding parties. They told us that we had no right to board them as they had no slaves on board, the few girls they had ( about 14 yrs old) were wives of the crew. We subsequently took the girls away, eventually finding out that they were the choice slaves for the arab market. As we steamed away the arab crews turned their backs to us shouting and exposing their backsides. Our captain was so angry as we all were that we opened fire with our light AA guns and sank them. they soon found out about the sharks. I have never regretted this ocurrence but have no doubt that the "do gooders" would condemn us all to the gallows if they could. If this was done to these pirates a bit more often then things might be different.

Please do not ask me for more particulars as i am not going to say more. I am now in my mid 70's and still at peace with it when i think of what those animals did with those kids.

It was agreed that nothing more be said and to my knowledge nothing has.

At least you gave them a fighting chance.

LaoPo · March 15, 2011

15 March 2011 Last updated at 22:19 GMT

Accused Somali 'pirates' deny US yacht death charges

Jean and Scott Adam were shot to death in February after being taken hostage

Thirteen Somalis and a Yemeni have pleaded not guilty to charges over the hijacking of a yacht that ended with the deaths of four US sailors.

The men are charged in US federal court with piracy, kidnapping and weapons charges.

The couple who owned the boat and two guests were shot to death after pirates took them hostage off Oman last month.

The suspected pirates were captured by US naval forces sent to the scene of the hijacking.

'I know nothing'

If convicted by the court in Norfolk, in the US state of Virginia, the men face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Sign In

Somali pirates brutally execute four Americans aboard sailing yacht

Recommended Posts

Create an account or sign in to comment

Create an account

Sign in

Recently Browsing 0 members

Announcements

Topics

Latest posts...

Popular in The Pub

ASEANNOW

MORE INFO

POPULAR AREAS

CONTACT US