# Coast Guard firing on speedboats **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coast-guard-firing-on-speedboats/181761 "2003-06-14T05:22:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coast-guard-firing-on-speedboats/181761/21 "2003-06-16T20:55:38Z")
> [@](#): > > (d) the ship is without nationality So, it’s illegal to be in international waters without being “attached” to a particular nation? ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coast-guard-firing-on-speedboats/181761/22 "2003-06-16T22:08:29Z")
Yeah, I agree about suspicious, but as ridiculous as it may sound, it still does not equal probable cause as we would define it on land. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coast-guard-firing-on-speedboats/181761/23 "2003-06-16T22:13:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alereon \* > \*\*So, it’s illegal to be in international waters without being “attached” to a particular nation? \*\* Yep. I knew a guy who enjoyed putting around on his yacht in the Pacific off South America, under the “Skull and Crossbones,” just for fun. He never did it for long, because he knew it was seriously illegal, but he did it for just long enough to get the “thrill” of breaking international law. Trinopus ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coast-guard-firing-on-speedboats/181761/24 "2003-06-16T22:41:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alereon \* > \*\*So, it’s illegal to be in international waters without being “attached” to a particular nation? \*\* I’m not sure if it’s precisely “illegal”, but you are depriving yourself of the ‘protection’ of flying the flag of your nation. For example, I remember reading about the exploits of WWII American submarines in Japanese waters. They wer trying to sink Japanese ships, but one item mentioned was that any ship flying no flag at all was considered fair game – they attacked it. In at least one case, the ship turned out to be a Russian one (allied nation), and the Russian government was quite upset. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coast-guard-firing-on-speedboats/181761/25 "2003-06-16T23:07:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ravenman \* > \*\*Why would one bother responding to a GQ if one has no knowledge about the subject at hand? > I could go on about treaty law and shared sovereignty, but that’s for another thread. \*\* Note that t-bonham is also right- he did say “no international body that can lay down the law…that’s what soverignity means…”. Sure, there is a body of International Law & treaties, but _de facto_ any sovereign nation can do what they want until another nation with a bigger navy steps in to stop them. SYes, Treaties come right after the Constitution in American law, but we still have ignored our share of them. Blown & Injected- the CG doesn’t always need “probable cause” as they are enforcing Customs also- the Customs agent needs no probable cause or warrent to search your luggage. If you are coming in from Int’l waters, they can stop & search any time they like. I don’t think they can do the same if you have never left US waters, but IANAL. Generally, if the crime isn’t against the law in both nations, or against international law, they can’t stop & search in international waters. Piracy, etc is against Int’l law- thus any navy vessel can do so. Booze running was legal in some nations, but not in the USA, and not illegal under Int’l Law, thus the CG needed them to get within the limit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coast-guard-firing-on-speedboats/181761.md?page=1)