Quote :

"WASHINGTON — The U.S. military says pirates killed four American hostages they were holding on a yacht off Somalia's coast. The U.S. Central Command says negotiations had been under way to try to win release of the two couples on the pirated vessel Quest. Gunshots were heard; and when U.S. forces reached the yacht, they found four all four hostages had been shot."

http://www.wral.com/news/story/9151687/

2/22/2011 9:57:49 AM

2/22/2011 9:59:22 AM

Who the fuck is still going yachting off somalia?

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 10:02 AM. Reason : s]

2/22/2011 10:02:52 AM

Silly white rich folk

2/22/2011 10:06:00 AM

That sounds like terrible negotiating skills on the pirates part.

2/22/2011 10:06:43 AM

This is sad, but really, after all the pirate news for the last 2 years,

Quote :

"Who the fuck is still going yachting off somalia?"

2/22/2011 10:07:35 AM

US Military fail

I mean come on, wtf. Where are the SEAL snipers?

Russia boarded the boat, killed some pirates, and blew up the damn ship they came on.

and we negotiated?

I bet the pirates are going to get a fair treatment in the judicial system too

2/22/2011 10:07:56 AM

Weren't they in some kind of race and decided to go their own way instead of following the original route?

2/22/2011 10:09:31 AM

2/22/2011 10:09:58 AM

CNN had said after the gunshots and the US team took off toward the boat, the US killed two pirates and two more were found dead on the ship. Maybe the hostages tried to rise up?

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 10:11 AM. Reason : ]

2/22/2011 10:10:51 AM

pretty awful

not as awful as what the west has done to somalia, but pretty awful anyway

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 10:12 AM. Reason : changing tenses for touchy conservative babies]

2/22/2011 10:12:04 AM

People dying is never a good thing but these people are just plain stupid. Sailing in a place where pirates are known to be as well as handing out bibles to Muslims. They were just asking to be killed.

2/22/2011 10:16:34 AM

Quote :

"Who the fuck is still going yachting off somalia?"

See, that's the thing. The pirates started off operating "off Somalia." Now they go pretty far into the Red Sea and way out into the Indian Ocean as well. They use some of the larger ships they've hijacked as mother ships to deploy their fast attack vessels from in the open ocean, well beyond their former range.

2/22/2011 10:16:37 AM

Quote :

"(CNN) -- Four hostages on board a yacht hijacked by pirates last week were killed by their captors, U.S. Central Command said in a statement Tuesday. The vessel, named the Quest, was being shadowed by the military after being captured by pirates off the coast of Oman on Friday. Officials had said earlier Tuesday it was less than two days from the Somali coast. Americans Jean and Scott Adam -- the owners of the ship -- along with Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle had been traveling with yachts participating in the Blue Water Rally since their departure from Phuket, Thailand, rally organizers said Sunday in a statement on the event's website. The group, which organizes long-distance group cruises, said the Quest broke off on February 15 after leaving Mumbai, India, to take a different route. As negotiations were ongoing with the pirates for the hostages' release, gunfire was heard at about 1 a.m. ET Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said. "As (U.S. forces) responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors," the statement said. "Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds." The pirates engaged the U.S. forces on board, officials said. Two pirates were killed in the skirmish and 13 were captured and detained. Two others were already in U.S. forces custody, the statement said, and the remains of two pirates were found on board. "In total, it is believed 19 pirates were involved in the hijacking" of the vessel, Central Command said. Forces had been monitoring the Quest for three days, officials said. Four U.S. Navy warships were involved in the response force -- an aircraft carrier, a guided-missile cruiser and two guided-missile destroyers, according to the statement. A senior military official said on Monday the military was trailing the yacht. U.S. officials have not identified the people on board the ship, but confirmed that four U.S. citizens were involved. Another U.S. official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation, had said previously that the United States was determining what military assets were in the region and the capabilities of the personnel on board. The Adams were experienced boaters and started a world sailing tour in 2004, Scott Stolnitz, who said he was a longtime friend of the couple, said previously. They were very conscious of the threat posed by pirates, Stolnitz said, adding that Scott Adam had said weeks before that he was concerned about pirate activity in the area, a region he had never visited. But, he said, Adam was determined to sail the world himself rather than ship his boat, as some other yacht owners have done. The Adams' website chronicles their worldwide voyage, which included trips to New Zealand, China, Cambodia and Panama. One aspect of their travels, according to the site, "is friendship evangelism -- that is, finding homes for thousands of Bibles, which have been donated through grants and gifts, as we travel from place to place." They also say their mission is to "allow the power of the Word to transform lives." But, Stolnitz said, vigorous evangelism wasn't a major emphasis for the couple. "They use the Bible as an ice breaker," he said. Their travel plans for the Blue Water Rally included a refueling stop in Djibouti, according to the couple's website. "Djibouti is a big refueling stop," it said. "I have no idea what will happen in these ports, but perhaps we'll do some local touring." However, Stolnitz said the couple had expressed some unease in an e-mail sent several days before the hijacking. Piracy has flourished off the coast of Somalia, which has not had an effective government for two decades. In April 2009, pirates seized the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, leading to a standoff in the Indian Ocean. U.S. forces moved to rescue American Capt. Richard Phillips after seeing a pirate aiming a weapon on his back, officials said at the time. Three pirates were killed and one was arrested. The Somali man arrested was convicted of acts related to high-seas piracy and was sentenced last week in New York to more than 30 years in prison by a federal court."

2/22/2011 10:17:58 AM

looks like white people are realizing they can't use the entire world as their playground anymore

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 10:20 AM. Reason : thug lessons on the high seas]

2/22/2011 10:20:25 AM

YOU LEFT YOUR DOG, YOU IDIOTS!

2/22/2011 10:20:34 AM

the older couple said on their last blog or whatever that they were going to stop all communications bc the waters they were entering were dangerous & they didn't want to be found by the pirates. what happened to them is really really really horrible but WHY THE FUCK DID THEY GO THAT WAY?!

2/22/2011 10:21:08 AM

this is why you should arm your yacht if you're going to the 3rd world

2/22/2011 10:24:09 AM

Why cant they do "bait boats"...like that bait car show they have on TV or something. Like send around pleasure crafts all over the area but fill them with military personnel who have orders to hunt down and sink any vessel that tries to forcibly board their boat.

2/22/2011 10:24:54 AM

2/22/2011 10:26:46 AM

Yeah, my first thought was "don't fucking yacht in Somalia, pick the other BETTER billion places to yacht"

but it's been said already.

2/22/2011 10:27:15 AM

What ever happened with those Russian pirate hunting cruises?

2/22/2011 10:28:34 AM

Quote :

"Why cant they do "bait boats"...like that bait car show they have on TV or something."

Stupid rules of engagement and the legal aspect of piracy, which is treated as a crime. On "Bait Car" they don't blow up the car after the perp gets in it.

Supposedly the Somalis have gotten very good at throwing evidence overboard as well.

2/22/2011 10:29:29 AM

We can have predator drone bait boats. Make them look like little vacation boats but they are really unmanned and when a pirate boards...KABOOM, oh sorry that boat was abandoned on the high seas due to a "gas leak" and it was not a pleasure craft it was transporting shrapnel and esplosives.....oops.

2/22/2011 10:30:13 AM

This is how Russians deal with pirates

2/22/2011 10:30:44 AM

^lol

2/22/2011 10:31:58 AM

kill any somali w/an eye patch or peg leg or parrot on their shoulder. Should do the trick

2/22/2011 10:32:05 AM

Quote :

"Forces had been monitoring the Quest for three days, officials said. Four U.S. Navy warships were involved in the response force -- an aircraft carrier, a guided-missile cruiser and two guided-missile destroyers, according to the statement. "

I realize these ships were probably just in the area, but that is some serious Navy overkill to have a damn air craft carrier and two destroyers responding a to hostage situation on a personal boat.

2/22/2011 10:39:21 AM

You kind of answered your own remark there. Response is a pretty loose term, and believe it or not there are strike groups in the area for the sole reason of anti-piracy ops.

2/22/2011 10:51:09 AM

Yeah, there are several task forces in the region, from several countries (us included) and also, I think, NATO and the EU.

Unfortunately it's a big damn ocean, and response time (even for aircraft) is rarely fast enough to stop attacks once they start.

2/22/2011 10:53:43 AM

McDanger is all upset he is too poor to make the world his own playground

THIRD WORLD PROBLEM

2/22/2011 10:57:10 AM

You have to wonder what these people did to piss off the pirates enough to get themselves killed. It's generally difficult to collect a ransom if you kill the hostages.

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 11:45 AM. Reason : s]

2/22/2011 11:45:27 AM

probably realized they weren't going to get a ransom...at least not soon enough to meet their liking

2/22/2011 11:50:20 AM

Quote :

"McDanger is all upset he is too poor to make the world his own playground"

psychological projection, man

i have no desire for material things that i can't smoke or drink

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 12:15 PM. Reason : you fools with high expectations are straight losin]

2/22/2011 12:14:46 PM

They had that rescue before this one and saved the captain, but the captor were sentenced to 30 yrs in New York! WTF, our jails are like paradise to them compared to the shit hole they are used to. Nothing more than more incentives. Need to set an example and string them up like they navy used to do back in the ole colonial days.

2/22/2011 12:23:43 PM

would've been cooler if the pirates had made them walk the plank

2/22/2011 12:24:56 PM

time to find some WMDs in Somalia and bring the pain train

2/22/2011 12:26:19 PM

Quote :

"PHUKET THAILAND"

2/22/2011 12:38:50 PM

The two owners of the ship went to my wife's church and used to sing in the choir with her, so this kinda sucks.

2/22/2011 12:58:47 PM

i love it when McDanger struggles to get up on his high horse and then obviously has no fucking clue why he's up there

he looks so lost...shame he can't get lost off the coast of somalia

2/22/2011 12:59:20 PM

Is there a legal reason we haven't heard of someone blowing a bunch of pirates out of the water? I know this is going to come across as sounding way too eTUFF, but if I were on a yacht in that region I'd like to think that I'd be prepared to protect myself from four guys with AK47s in open water. Does having heavy duty firearms that are legal in the US on your boat severely limit your ability to enter foreign ports? Are people already doing this and just not reporting it?

2/22/2011 1:04:20 PM

^ i'm also somewhat surprised we haven't heard of rich people with yacht staff that are also trained in the use of assault weapons

2/22/2011 1:08:08 PM

Put a couple of those on the yachts and they won't have to worry about pirates anymore

2/22/2011 1:09:31 PM

Pretty sure it has to do with international waters law.

In case anyone is bored and wants something to read: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/index.htm

2/22/2011 1:10:46 PM

^^ Seriously. I know farmers in eastern NC who own Barrett .50 Caliber rifles. The uber wealthy could certainly arm themselves with them.

Even if you matched their firepower I'd think you would be at an advantage. They have the difficult task of trying to board your vessel. They need to keep you alive and your vessel operable if at all possible. I've fired some seriously wonky AKs...Rifles that were so inaccurate that it would be difficult to hit a car at 100 yards. I know there are some quality weapons out there, but I find it hard to believe the better units are making their way to Somalia.

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 1:19 PM. Reason : s]

2/22/2011 1:16:13 PM

Quote :

"i have no desire for material things that i can't smoke or drink"

hhaaha. While it was obviously meant to sound self-righteous, it definitely came off as a pretty shitty existence...even when compared to someone completely materialistic.

2/22/2011 1:17:25 PM

i have no sympathy for the pirates...shoot 'em in the heads and let their bodies float until a shark eats 'em

i have a little sympathy for the people yachting because they're not exactly doing anything wrong...just stupid...they don't deserve to be kidnapped, held hostage, and/or killed, though

2/22/2011 1:18:16 PM

the minute you start shooting at a boatload of Somali Pirates, you better be skilled enough to kill them all before they break out the RPGs. Otherwise, you'll be a lot easier to catch after they sink your ship. Considering that your boat will be bobbing and weaving while the target you're aiming at is also bobbing and weaving, this would be incredibly difficult.

2/22/2011 1:23:54 PM

^ I see your point. An RPG is a game changer. Is an RPG typical in these attacks? The RPG would only be an option at certain distances though. If you were to wait for them to close in before drawing and firing not only would you have a better chance of hitting your target, but you would make it unsafe for them to fire the RPG.

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 1:34 PM. Reason : s]

2/22/2011 1:30:59 PM

send Randolph J. "Hurricane" Spencer and Martin "Bru" Brubaker after them

2/22/2011 1:38:42 PM