Piracy - Swarming

[Ivan Cloherty]

It would seem that the pirates are now forming co-operatives, latest reports received show that as many as 12 skiffs each with six men on board are now attacking a single vessel.The monsoon is restricting major activities to the Red Sea, but as the monsoon season draws to a close these "swarming" activities are bound to be enacted over awider area.

So far the swarmers have met with armed resistance from the merchant ships they attacked, which was just as well as no naval vessels were in the vicinty. It will not be long before the swarming skiffs pick upon a merchant vessel that is not armed and high pressure hoses and a crew of 12 - 20 are not going to be effective against 60 desperate men,

It is about time the authorities started taking more effective action against these people, the pirates are getting wiser and therefore more dangerous and we all know life is cheap out there. The Indian government has advised its Navy to use a softly softly approach as although the Indian Govt paid a ransom for a ship to be released the pirates released the ship but kept seven Indian seamen as hostages because India's previous aggresive approach had killed seven pirates.

The sea area to cover is enormous its about time the various goverments got together and sorted these people out on their land bases and ignore those bleaters who talk about the criminals yuman rites, but do you think we will see it...........NO...........as the victims are only merchant seamen

[Brenda Shackleton]

Below is a copy of a ' British Wireless Marine Service ' telegram sent from Cape D' Aguilar 4th February 1929

To;-

All ships

Pirates thought to be at sea with arms concealed in cargo said to be baskets of shell fish.
Extra vigilence is recommended.

Cape D'Aguilar Radio

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The following is from my Dad's notes ( Capt W J Hartley ) which I have précised)

November 1929
When I was a young third Officer our ship, SS Greleden, often sailed through the China Sea on our way to Japan.....
In the China Sea there were Pirates. They had their lair at a place called Bias Bay - about 50 miles from Hong Kong....

They had many ways of getting on board ships. They might pretend they were real passengers and then when the ship was at sea they got out their knives and made people hand over their money and jewellery....

At other times they would pretend they were fishermen in their small junks. They would stretch a long rope between toe boats and it would be under the water and out of sight. When a ship came along she would hit the rope, causing the two pirate boats to close in alongside. They would swarm aboard carrying knives in their teeth. They were very fierce...

On two occasions our ship received a message over the radio warning us that there were pirates near to where we were sailing and that they had arms hidden in shell baskets.
Fortunately for us they did not find us.

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SO, it's an old story ! Just as dangerous then as it is now.
Regards
Bren Shackleton

[Captain Kong]

Brenda Shackletons report from her Dad................

At other times they would pretend they were fishermen in their small junks. They would stretch a long rope between two boats and it would be under the water and out of sight. When a ship came along she would hit the rope, causing the two pirate boats to close in alongside. They would swarm aboard carrying knives in their teeth. They were very fierce...

It was like that in the Indonesian Islands in the 50s and 60s.
I got one coming on board when I was on the Euryades, off the Java coast. he did not do any more Pirating.
It is the only way to do it. This government would allow them to come to England and give them a house , money, a car etc. etc. Because it is their human rights to be Pirates

[Ivan Cloherty]

I see that those two fools on a yacht who were told not to sail in that area and subsequently held captive by Somali Pirates have been airing their grievances on the news and prime time TV again, stating that the UK Govt did not do enough to keep their family informed of their predicament. Did these two selfish people who have made money out of their misadventure advise their families where they were when they were free or advise them of their stupid intentions, if they didn't they have only themselves to blame, if they did then the whole family is culpable. The couple did not even think of apologising for all the expense and trouble they had put all the various authorities to

During all the time they were being interviewed neither they or any intervier mentioned the 700 seamen currently held as hostages, my good lady had to throw a bucket of water over me to stop me exploding.

[John Albert Evans]

To me the answer to the pirate situation could be solved by blowing the b******s out of the water.


John Albert Evans

[David Williams]

To me the answer to the pirate situation could be solved by blowing the b******s out of the water.


John Albert Evans

Hi John.

The British Government wont do a damn thing about these
pirates,they would be to busy thinking about their so called
"human rights"

Dave Williams(R583900)
Llanelli

[happy daze john in oz]

Hi John.

The British Government wont do a damn thing about these
pirates,they would be to busy thinking about their so called
"human rights"

Dave Williams(R583900)
Llanelli

AND WHAT ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE THEY TAKE????????????????????? Sorry did not mean to shout but theses bloody usless governmenst make me mad as hell.