On Sat, 11 Jan 2014 11:52:02 -0500, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

On 1/11/14, 11:36 AM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Sat, 11 Jan 2014 11:31:03 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 10 Jan 2014 23:25:38 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:


The .50 cal machine gun can shoot a mile off. Being a machine gun, it can put a lot of rounds on target. Why they don't put one on every ship is beyond me.

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It seems to work for the Coast Guard.

We had six M2s and a 5"/38. That will really reach out there and put a
50 pound projectile on target up to 10 miles away.
The 83 footers carried an 81mm
That will get your attention too.
I think they also started using the 20mm chain guns.

Chain guns or 5"ers may be a little expensive to mount on all those ships, but M2s or M85s should be
reasonably priced. They'd definitely keep the fishing boats out of RPG or AK-47 range.
--

Hope you're having a spectacular day!


Once again, you fellas are overestimating the crew sizes and
capabilities of the crews aboard those merchant vessels, and the ability
to see visually or via radar a small boat coming alongside at night for
a clandestine boarding. Most of these vessels have fewer than 20
officers and seamen aboard. There are many non-security duties aboard
ships, and a number of these duties require 24-7 attention, so the
number of crew available to stand watch in four six hour shifts is
minimal. How would you expect a merchant crew to stand extra watches and
also have the armament and training and time to ward off pirates,
especially at night?

Yup. Train a couple to operate the .50. They're not difficult to operate, or clear, if there's a
jam.
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Hope you're having a spectacular day!