# Pirates of the Somali Coast vs Capt. Stubing **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 5, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677 "2005-11-05T18:41:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/1 "2005-11-05T18:41:30Z")
[Cruise ship attacked by pirates.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4409662.stm) > [@](#): > > A cruise ship sailing off Somalia has beaten back gunmen in speedboats who opened fire on it in an apparent pirate attack which terrified passengers. > > At least two boats closed in on the Seabourn Spirit, firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades at the cruise liner. > > But crew took evasive action, repelling the attackers without returning fire. As usual, the Brits are the masters of understatement > [@](#): > > “They were firing the rifle and then fired the rocket launcher twice. One of the rockets certainly hit the ship - it went through the side of the liner into a passenger’s suite. The couple were in there at the time so it was a bit of an unpleasant experience.” “A bit?” I’d think it’d be a little more than that. This part gets me, though > [@](#): > > At least 23 hijackings and attempted seizures have been recorded off the Somali coast since mid-March, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which has warned ships to stay as far away from the coast as possible. Okay, I realize that this is the first time they’ve gone after a cruise ship, but wouldn’t you think that with those kinds of numbers that somebody in the cruise industry would realize, “Hey. This is a pretty dangerous place, maybe we ought not to go anywhere near there.” before now? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/2 "2005-11-05T19:05:43Z")
Somalia was already filed in my mind under “not a good place to go”. Maybe it’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/3 "2005-11-05T20:21:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Somalia was already filed in my mind under “not a good place to go”. Maybe it’s just me. That film produced by the Tourist Board there, you know, _Blackhawk Down_, didn’t make you want to pay the place a visit then? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/4 "2005-11-05T23:29:16Z")
The US Navy or Coast Guard needs to outfit a Q Ship to deal with this problem. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/5 "2005-11-06T02:34:49Z")
“Q ship”? What is that? It sounds like somebody needs to put a decoy ship out there. Call it the _HMS Cupcake_ – a cute little frigate or something that’s tricked out to lure pirates, but which under the icing disguise turns out to be heavily armed. Either that, or send the Marines. That worked for Thomas Jefferson in 1805. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/6 "2005-11-06T02:36:01Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > “Q ship”? What is that? > > It sounds like somebody needs to put a decoy ship out there. Call it the _HMS Cupcake_ – a cute little frigate or something that’s tricked out to lure pirates, but which under the icing disguise turns out to be heavily armed. > 🙂 That is what a Q ship is, more or less. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/7 "2005-11-06T02:59:19Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Somalia was already filed in my mind under “not a good place to go”. Maybe it’s just me. It’s not just Somalia; [here](http://www.noonsite.com/Members/doina/R2005-03-14-1/view) is a [report](http://www.noonsite.com/Members/doina/R2005-04-25-2/view) on a attack on two yachts near Yemen. Fortunately, they beat them off ( I do like the fact that the _Gandalf_ rammed one of the pirate, destroying them ). ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/8 "2005-11-06T08:26:50Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > Either that, or send the Marines. That worked for Thomas Jefferson in 1805. 🙂 Well, the Marines are pretty tied up in a place called “Iraq” at the moment. . . ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/9 "2005-11-06T12:29:33Z")
If Somalia is on a prospective cruise ships Sights-To See, it’s time to stay on land. Preferably in Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/10 "2005-11-06T19:02:42Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > If Somalia is on a prospective cruise ships Sights-To See, it’s time to stay on land. > Preferably in Kansas. Seriously. If I think of a list of ‘pleasant places to go on a cruise to’, Somalia isn’t really high on the list. A bit of an unpleasant experience? Uh, _yeah_. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/11 "2005-11-06T19:26:12Z")
You kind of have to pass by Somalia when you use the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to get from the Med to the Indian Ocean. Unless you would rather go around Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/12 "2005-11-06T21:15:21Z")
Hmm… I wonder if the NRA might be interested in a sight-seeing trip? 😃 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/13 "2005-11-06T23:28:56Z")
What I particularly like about this story is that the answer to the “vs” OP is: Capt. Stubing, if he’s prepared. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/14 "2005-11-25T18:42:19Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Hmm… I wonder if the NRA might be interested in a sight-seeing trip? 😃 😃 😃 [These guys certainly are.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4471536.stm) > [@](#): > > A US company has been given a two-year contract to help fight piracy off the Somalia coast - seen as among the world’s most dangerous waters. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/15 "2005-11-25T22:00:20Z")
ordurves ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pirates-of-the-somali-coast-vs-capt-stubing/329677/16 "2005-11-25T22:06:39Z")
> [@astro](#): > > ordurves No I don’t think Captain Stubing using “hors d’oeuvers” will fend off Somali pirates. Sorry for errant post.