Battleship Reason

Why piracy sometimes really doesn’t pay off.

Perhaps inspired by the rise in internet piracy, Somali pirates (of the sea-faring variety) have decided to hoist the flags and man the cannons. Except in this case, they have no cannons. They have jury-rigged boats armed with dubiously trained men carrying elderly AK-47s. If they happen to be carrying cannons, then those cannons probably pose a greater risk to the pirates themselves than the actual intended recipient of their explosive packages. The truth of the matter is – Somali pirates are doomed to extinction. The reasoning behind this – simple – technological gap.

In the example of ye-old piracy, technological gap between the pirates and those chasing them was minimal. Both sides had access to similar shipbuilding, both had access to more or less similar cannons and equipment. Although in general the pirates were not as uniformly armed, they were still capable of giving a hell of a fight. Even internet piracy can be a good example. The only reason why internet pirates have not yet been stamped out is because they can hold their own against their legal counterparts. The more prohibitive measures are invented, the more ways around them are found.

In the case of Somali pirates however, there is no equality. As described before, these are somewhat reckless men who are poorly armed, trying to take over massive vessels. Although they are capable of intimidating merchant shipping, they cannot hold their own against modern combat ships. Actually, never mind combat ships – support ships even! As I’m sure you have read, the ship that the pirates attacked was a command and supply vessel. What this means is that it’s supposed to sit far away from combat, as it is really designed to ferry intelligence staff and rolls of band-aid and ice cream. The fact that the Somme not only fought their attackers but also chased them tells you everything you need to know about how capable those pirates were of tackling a minor military vessel.

So, good luck to the pirates, but I doubt their activities will see them in the next decade or millenium.