# Commander Francis X. Castellano **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 11, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739 "2009-04-11T13:54:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/1 "2009-04-11T13:54:49Z")
He’s the officer in charge of the [USS Bainbridge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bainbridge_(DDG-96)) and the officer in charge of the hostage situation in the Indian ocean. What a fuck up ! Most of us know the drill in hostage situation management. Communications, negotiation and **assault readiness** which includes snipers. After two fucking days, standing 200 yards off the lifeboat and peering inside through the windows to see Captain Richard Phillips and the pirates, they should have been prepared for an escape attempt especially at night when most of the pirates would be sleeping. Had Castellano left a dozen shooters with night vision train on the doorway of the lifeboat, they could have easily covered the escape. This is such a no brainer, and so disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/2 "2009-04-11T14:48:32Z")
While I agree in theory… I’m not sure Castellano has the right men or equiment for the job. While I know that a DDG does have a number of small arms which includes the M14 (suitable as a sniper rifle). Does he really have a dozen? And does he have enough trained snipers out of his crew of 270 to have a dozen at all shifts? Does anybody know, what kind of resources does a DDG captain have in a situation like this? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/3 "2009-04-11T14:53:54Z")
I’d be very surprised if there weren’t a SEAL team on board within 12 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/4 "2009-04-11T17:38:55Z")
Well, that’s true about the SEAL team. But they’re trained to be snipers on dry land not on the bridgewing of a ship that is most often moving even to maintain station - and even while anchored is rolling and pitching from the waves and wind. The higher you go on the ship the more this motion is amplified - and the “sniper” would have to get high to get a good shot. Now, this can be done, of course, but can it be done while picking between two closely placed people and leaving one safe? Probably not - which is why that SEAL team will likely be used instead for an assault or rescue. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/5 "2009-04-11T17:53:39Z")
Seems like a boo boo to me but maybe we don’t have all the details. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/6 "2009-04-11T18:30:24Z")
From what I’ve heard, the 5" guns are pretty accurate with today’s computer-controlled aiming. I’d have had the 5" trained on the boat. When the captain escaped and the pirates started shooting, a 5" shell might discourage them. Obviously, there would have to be separation between the escaping hostage and the boat; so actually hitting the boat might not be an option. One overhead might be safe enough. But I think it’s a safe bet that if the pirates saw the DDG opening fire with Naval artillery, they might stop shooting at the hostage and abandon ship so as not to be in it when it explodes. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/7 "2009-04-11T18:37:47Z")
Since when did Duck Duck Goose join the navy? If you ask me, you people are expecting a lot of her. No wonder she changed her name ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/8 "2009-04-11T18:47:06Z")
So, I dunno, once the captive jumped out of the lifeboat, could they just sarted pouring gunfire in through the hatch to keep anyone else from coming out? Does that seem doable, while they get their own launch ready to go in for a rescue? ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/9 "2009-04-11T20:49:13Z")
“Assault readiness”. What an outlandish and retarded Hollywood-influenced concept. No, most destroyers don’t have seal teams on board, and “snipers” on boats is just a silly idea. I suppose he should have deployed the mini submarine complete with Ship’s Cook to sneak up and board the other ship. And using a 5 inch gun to cover an escape? These are exploding shells capable of going through a few inches of steel plate. Outlandish at best. The idea that a bunch of sailors would be posted around the clock to cover “the doorway” is also patently absurd; shooting between two moving platforms 200 yards apart and being on constant watch for an unplanned escape? Maybe in the movies, but in real life it’s not going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/10 "2009-04-11T21:22:40Z")
I say we give them food. It’s been four days. Then everyone can have a little nap. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/11 "2009-04-11T21:24:52Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > “snipers” on boats is just a silly idea Tell that to Lord Nelson, bub. Though I agree that expectations have been ridiculously raised by Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/12 "2009-04-11T21:25:23Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > And using a 5 inch gun to cover an escape? These are exploding shells capable of going through a few inches of steel plate. Outlandish at best. I did say to fire over their heads. And I assume the fuses can be removed so they don’t explode. But the pirates wouldn’t think of that. ‘Outlandish’? Maybe. I prefer ‘audacious’. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/13 "2009-04-11T21:29:38Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > “Assault readiness”. What an outlandish and retarded Hollywood-influenced concept. > > No, most destroyers don’t have seal teams on board, and “snipers” on boats is just a silly idea. I suppose he should have deployed the mini submarine complete with Ship’s Cook to sneak up and board the other ship. And using a 5 inch gun to cover an escape? These are exploding shells capable of going through a few inches of steel plate. Outlandish at best. > > The idea that a bunch of sailors would be posted around the clock to cover “the doorway” is also patently absurd; shooting between two moving platforms 200 yards apart and being on constant watch for an unplanned escape? Maybe in the movies, but in real life it’s not going to happen. You can land a helicopter on a destroyer. How long do you think it would take to fly a SEAL team out? It isn’t far-fetched at all. I know something about hostage situations, and I know that the first thing you do in a hostage situation is call in a SWAT team - or the military equivalent - to contain the area. Why do you assume the U.S. Navy follows a different protocol? The lifeboat is surrounded by snipers and probably frogmen. How effective they are is another question. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/14 "2009-04-11T22:22:32Z")
Ok, this is a small enclosed lifeboat. It’s not like a SEAL team can sneak on and pick off the pirates. Secondly, if you recall the French vessel that was taken, here’s a quote: [Quote=news] [San Fran Chronicle](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/10/MNPC170HLA.DTL) French forces moved to retake a yacht that had been hijacked last weekend, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said in a statement. The operation left one hostage and two of the pirates dead. Four other hostages, including a child, survived, and three pirates were captured. [/Quote] Here’s the situation: The lifeboat isn’t going anywhere that the DD can’t follow. No outsiders are going to get past a DD to help the pirates. The situation is under control, and the danger level to the hostage is low. Negotiations are underway. So, your plan involves SEAL sniper teams and assault elements waiting submerged in the water to kill a bunch of pirates and rescue the hostage, both of whom are in a tiny enclosed space. They are “surrounding” a more or less drifting raft, and somehow staying in the water ready to go despite being based on a moving destroyer at an unknown but probably large distance from the raft and remaining completely unobserved by the pirates? We have some sort of realism failure here. On one hand, we have soldiers dying in Iraq and Afghanistan because our military is supposedly incompetent and badly led, and we were “defeated” by the Somalis in the battle of Mogadishu. The presumably-GIGN (French and world-class) team just this week lost 20% of the hostages in their assault against pirates. On the other side, we have our magical snipers and SEAL teams that we learned about from Charlie Sheen and the Punisher, who are shooting from an unknown distance (or while invisibly treading water), and are in the water for hours at a time. I think your ideas about what the tactical situation is are a little bit off. 200 yards at sea is likely way too close – the most the Navy will say is “within visual distance” (up to 10km or so); and to ease the pirates’ nerves, I am betting they don’t want the ship to loom menacingly. There’s also no easy way to “sneak up”. If you’ve got some knowledge about hostage situations, then you would know that the general approach in the U.S. is to talk them down. SWAT doesn’t bust in unless things to shit. They talk. And talk. And talk more. Sure they might be ready to go, but generally SWAT teams can be right outside the building instead of being in the water, presumably submerged, breathing canned air. If this were Call of Duty, then yes, we could snipe out the pirates (and incidentally make the next batch much less willing to negotiate). But this is real life, and it’s a huge ocean, and we don’t have magic commandos, and we have expert negotiators from the FBI doing their best (and apparently succeeding) to resolve the situation peacefully. It’s problematic that we believe our military should be so incredibly capable and effective and safe, because we expect surgical bomb strikes that always hit their targets and snipers that can shoot the gun out of a bad guy’s hand, when reality is always more messy. So when the SEALS go in and mess up and the hostage dies “Military fuckup”. Of course, if they bow to the rules of the real world, they are incompetent. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/15 "2009-04-11T22:57:12Z")
Why would most of the pirates be sleeping at night? I’m sure it has occurred to them that the USN might try a night assault. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/16 "2009-04-12T00:41:18Z")
There is a limited amount of food on the life raft. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/17 "2009-04-12T00:44:48Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > There is a limited amount of food on the life raft. > **[Captive Captain 'Still Alive' as Pirates Steer Lifeboat Toward Shore](https://abcnews.com/International/story?id=7314125&page=1)** > > U.S. military talked to Capt. Richard Phillips after he tried to escape pirates. > [@](#): > > Sources added that, contrary to earlier news reports, the pirates had fuel on the lifeboat and had used it to move within 20 miles off the African coast. How much food do they need? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/18 "2009-04-12T01:56:12Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > Most of us know the drill in hostage situation management. Communications, negotiation and **assault readiness** which includes snipers. > > After two fucking days, standing 200 yards off the lifeboat and peering inside through the windows to see Captain Richard Phillips and the pirates, they should have been prepared for an escape attempt especially at night when most of the pirates would be sleeping. Had Castellano left a dozen shooters with night vision train on the doorway of the lifeboat, they could have easily covered the escape. > > This is such a no brainer, and so disappointing. When you say “most of us know the drill,” what sort of experience do you personally have in this area? How did you learn “the drill?” In my view, **ivn1188** ’s analysis is spot-on. I’m curious what training or experience you have, though; I admit my knowledge is limited to once helping a colleague prep a cross-examination of a police officer who was in charge of response to a domestic violence hostage situation – not exactly years of field training, in other words, and nothing at all to do with the open sea. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/19 "2009-04-12T02:06:27Z")
Kill the pirates. If the hostage survives, all the better. The pirates have to die. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739/20 "2009-04-12T03:02:50Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > “Assault readiness”. What an outlandish and retarded Hollywood-influenced concept. What do you think swat teams do while hostage negotiation takes place? Play poker in the van? > [@](#): > > … and “snipers” on boats is just a silly idea. Why ? I had very little problem shooting clay pidgeons off the deck of a cruise ship. > [@](#): > > The idea that a bunch of sailors would be posted around the clock to cover “the doorway” is also patently absurd; Not sailors, seals which have the same or better training that swat teams > [@](#): > > shooting between two moving platforms 200 yards apart and being on constant watch for an unplanned escape? Maybe in the movies, but in real life it’s not going to happen. As I said, shooting a moving target from a moving platform is no big deal. And to rule out an escape attempt is pure folly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commander-francis-x-castellano/492739.md?page=2)