Feeds: 
symbol identifies content for paid subscribers only.
THE CAPTAIN PHILLIPS RESCUE.
According to the New York Times, the kidnapping of Captain Richard Phillips was resolved thusly:
Just after dark on Sunday, snipers on the U.S.S. Bainbridge saw that one of the pirates was pointing an automatic rifle at Captain Phillips, and that the captors’ heads and shoulders were exposed from the capsule-like lifeboat. President Obama had previously authorized the use of force if the commander on the scene believed the captain’s life was in danger, so they fired, Admiral Gortney said. The lifeboat was about 100 feet from the Bainbridge when the shots were fired, a little after 7 p.m. Somalia time (seven hours ahead of Eastern time). The vice admiral said he did not know Captain Phillips’s location at the time the shots were fired, but given the length of the lifeboat, he was less than 18 feet from the snipers’ targets.Some observations:
- I'm no marksman, but hitting a pirate on a moving platform at 100' from a moving platform sounds ridiculously difficult. Kudos to the skill of the professionals on board USS Bainbridge.
- Conservative hysteria aside, this is not a "walk the plank" scenario. If the USS Bainbridge executed the fourth pirate, who either surrendered or was conducting negotiations, then we'd have such a scenario. What went down, on the other hand, is much more akin to the resolution of a domestic hostage taking/kidnapping scenario.
- I don't feel at all bad for the pirates. They were given ample opportunity to surrender and face trial, and under the circumstances they certainly must have understood that maintaining ransom demands could be fatal. An understanding of why pirates act (both to survive AND to get rich) cannot preclude law enforcement activity.
- I also wouldn't have felt bad if the USN had guaranteed payment of the ransom, then simply arrested the pirates anyway. Payments to kidnappers and hostage takers in the domestic context are not seen as granting immunity; the police continue to investigate and conduct arrests even after the hostage is released. I don't see why pirates should be treated with more courtesy.
- Yes, Victor Davis Hanson is a silly, silly man. I shouldn't have to point out the silliness of arguing that pirates thrive on feminist theory and unrelated apologies from President Obama, but for some reason people insist on taking this man and his ilk seriously.
--Robert Farley
COMMENTS (4)
Of course, European companies will continue to dump medical and nuclear waste off the coast of Somalia, and American and european boats will continue to illegally fish their waters, but who cares?
Most of this piracy is in self-defense, and thats the reason so many of the locals support it. I don't know what this guy was doing in their waters, but when we only attack the pirates it's nothing to be proud of. Just more evidence of a corrupt, global elite smacking down the locals the moment they try to defend themselves and their property.
Posted by: soullite | April 13, 2009 10:44 AM
"I'm no marksman, but hitting a pirate on a moving platform at 100' from a moving platform sounds ridiculously difficult"
100 feet (33 yards) is no distance at all for a sniper on land, see this from wikipedia:
"Shot placement varies considerably with the type of sniper being discussed. Military snipers, who generally do not engage targets at less than 300 m (330 yd), usually attempt body shots, aiming at the chest. These shots depend on tissue damage, organ trauma, and blood loss to make the kill.
Police snipers who generally engage at much shorter distances may attempt more precise shot at particular parts of body or particular devices: in one event in 2007 in Marseille, a GIPN sniper took a shot from 80 m (87 yd) at the pistol of a policeman threatening to commit suicide, destroying the weapon and preventing him from killing himself."
I think the SEAL snipers in this situation did their job just fine and deserve congratulations: but it doesn't sound like any great technical challenge. Sticking your head up 30 yards from someone with a pistol or AK47 is risky; sticking your head up 30 yards from a well-equipped well-trained sniper is suicide.
On the higher-level issue of Obama's orders, it seems like a good example of the Roosevelt approach: speak softly and carry a big stick.
Posted by: Richard Cownie | April 13, 2009 11:33 AM
100 feet is definitely a short distance for a marksman (especially SEAL snipers, who are probably some of the better ones). Of course, shooting from one boat to another on the water can be difficult, but steps were obviously taken by the Navy to make it easier...
Posted by: mg | April 13, 2009 12:45 PM
Cost to feed the hungry in Somalia for one year -- $75 million
Ransoms paid to pirates last year -- $150 million
Ending poverty really is that simple.
See more at www.borgenproject.org
Posted by: Ryan | April 13, 2009 1:53 PM