Passengers: 1 ~ Pirates: 0

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Alert passengers and armed security on vessel successfully fights off pirate attack.

ATTACK ON THE MSC MELODY

Passengers Fought Pirates with Tables and Deck Chairs

By Matthias Gebauer and Dietmar Hipp in Mombasa

When pirates attacked the cruise ship MSC Melody on Saturday,the captain was making small talk at the bar. Passengers have given a version of events that is more dramatic than the crew's accounts. They were the first to defend the ship and they are now criticizing the crew, who have been portrayed as heroes.

Ciro Pinto was certain he was right. The captain was relaxed as he enjoyed a drink at the bar of the MSC Melody cruise ship, chatting on Saturday afternoon with two South African passengers. The women asked him if the bands of marauding pirates posed a problem for the cruise. Never, the experienced seaman told them. After all, the ship was far -- 1,000 sea miles -- away from the Somali coast as it made its course across the Indian Ocean, a few hundred miles south of the Seychelles, on a 22-day cruise from Durban, South Africa, to Genoa, Italy. It was unimaginable, virtually impossible even that flip-flop wearing pirates could attack them here.

But the small talk came to an abrupt end. According to eyewitnesses, two passengers came screaming into the bar and gesticulated wildly as they addressed the captain. A speed boat had appeared at the stern and several armed men were preparing to board the cruise ship, they said. One was already trying to scale the vessel. Several passengers were desperately grabbing deck chairs and tables and hurling them down at the men trying to board the ship.

That's when the first shots were fired. It was also the point at which the captain understood what was happening -- his ship was being attacked by pirates.

Pinto radioed an alarm code to his crew and ordered all passengers to go below deck, immediately. He then ran to the bridge. The pirates continued to try to board the ship. Pinto opened the safe and handed pistols to the security guards on board. He then called on the helmsman to steer the ship on a zig zag course to fend off the pirates by creating large waves. The security guards, who by then had arrived at the ship's stern, fired two warning shots into the air.

Within a few minutes, the acute danger appeared to have been averted. The fact that the cruise ship's crew were armed apparently surprised the pirates. According to the account given by the MSC Cruises company, the pirates then rode away in their speedboat, but not before firing a few salvos at the ship with their AK-47 rifles . Window panes were shattered and bullets thudded into the ship's side.

"It was like war," the captain proudly announced on an Italian radio station the next morning. The crew and security personnel had defended themselves from the attack professionally, he said.

[zqt3344 21]

Need to mount M-50s on those passenger boats and start shooting back now! Third world scum pirates.

Alert passengers and armed security on vessel successfully fights off pirate attack.

ATTACK ON THE MSC MELODY

Passengers Fought Pirates with Tables and Deck Chairs

By Matthias Gebauer and Dietmar Hipp in Mombasa

When pirates attacked the cruise ship MSC Melody on Saturday,the captain was making small talk at the bar. Passengers have given a version of events that is more dramatic than the crew's accounts. They were the first to defend the ship and they are now criticizing the crew, who have been portrayed as heroes.

Ciro Pinto was certain he was right. The captain was relaxed as he enjoyed a drink at the bar of the MSC Melody cruise ship, chatting on Saturday afternoon with two South African passengers. The women asked him if the bands of marauding pirates posed a problem for the cruise. Never, the experienced seaman told them. After all, the ship was far -- 1,000 sea miles -- away from the Somali coast as it made its course across the Indian Ocean, a few hundred miles south of the Seychelles, on a 22-day cruise from Durban, South Africa, to Genoa, Italy. It was unimaginable, virtually impossible even that flip-flop wearing pirates could attack them here.

But the small talk came to an abrupt end. According to eyewitnesses, two passengers came screaming into the bar and gesticulated wildly as they addressed the captain. A speed boat had appeared at the stern and several armed men were preparing to board the cruise ship, they said. One was already trying to scale the vessel. Several passengers were desperately grabbing deck chairs and tables and hurling them down at the men trying to board the ship.

That's when the first shots were fired. It was also the point at which the captain understood what was happening -- his ship was being attacked by pirates.

Pinto radioed an alarm code to his crew and ordered all passengers to go below deck, immediately. He then ran to the bridge. The pirates continued to try to board the ship. Pinto opened the safe and handed pistols to the security guards on board. He then called on the helmsman to steer the ship on a zig zag course to fend off the pirates by creating large waves. The security guards, who by then had arrived at the ship's stern, fired two warning shots into the air.

Within a few minutes, the acute danger appeared to have been averted. The fact that the cruise ship's crew were armed apparently surprised the pirates. According to the account given by the MSC Cruises company, the pirates then rode away in their speedboat, but not before firing a few salvos at the ship with their AK-47 rifles . Window panes were shattered and bullets thudded into the ship's side.

"It was like war," the captain proudly announced on an Italian radio station the next morning. The crew and security personnel had defended themselves from the attack professionally, he said.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

[john & jean 37]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

Uhmmm, maybe the unintroduced brother of the world famous M-60

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

Uhmmm, maybe the unintroduced brother of the world famous M-60

Well, they dated themselves or they have no idea what they are saying. ZQT is obviously a troll. They play gender games with their identity, disappear for months and then magically reappear is if they've been here all along. It's a regular VJ'er who's having a bit of fun.

[john & jean 37]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

Uhmmm, maybe the unintroduced brother of the world famous M-60

Well, they dated themselves or they have no idea what they are saying. ZQT is obviously a troll. They play gender games with their identity, disappear for months and then magically reappear is if they've been here all along. It's a regular VJ'er who's having a bit of fun.

maybe charles! has taken up a new hobby

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

Uhmmm, maybe the unintroduced brother of the world famous M-60

Well, they dated themselves or they have no idea what they are saying. ZQT is obviously a troll. They play gender games with their identity, disappear for months and then magically reappear is if they've been here all along. It's a regular VJ'er who's having a bit of fun.

maybe charles! has taken up a new hobby

um no.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

Uhmmm, maybe the unintroduced brother of the world famous M-60

Well, they dated themselves or they have no idea what they are saying. ZQT is obviously a troll. They play gender games with their identity, disappear for months and then magically reappear is if they've been here all along. It's a regular VJ'er who's having a bit of fun.

maybe charles! has taken up a new hobby

um no.

It's a fellow Missouran. Don't you all know each other?

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

Uhmmm, maybe the unintroduced brother of the world famous M-60

Well, they dated themselves or they have no idea what they are saying. ZQT is obviously a troll. They play gender games with their identity, disappear for months and then magically reappear is if they've been here all along. It's a regular VJ'er who's having a bit of fun.

maybe charles! has taken up a new hobby

um no.

It's a fellow Missouran. Don't you all know each other?

i don't live in missouri.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

Uhmmm, maybe the unintroduced brother of the world famous M-60

Well, they dated themselves or they have no idea what they are saying. ZQT is obviously a troll. They play gender games with their identity, disappear for months and then magically reappear is if they've been here all along. It's a regular VJ'er who's having a bit of fun.

maybe charles! has taken up a new hobby

um no.

It's a fellow Missouran. Don't you all know each other?

i don't live in missouri.

Uh oh...who lives there? Seems to be a breeding ground for internet trolls.

[justashooter 430]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

prolly thinking about the M2 in 50 cal. it's a 3 man job to carry, but the schniz when taking on lightly armoured vehicles and lesser tragets. weighs about 230 pounds, and can be broken down by releasing the top cover and removing the backplate to allow the barrel and barrel extension to slide out (75 pounds), and the tripod seperated (75 pounds). the third man carries the receiver section and barrel shroud (80 pounds). then you need 2 guys to carry cans (100 rds = 25 pounds).

for little $hits like these smollies, a 1919 is the ticket, with an effective range of about 800 M in 8X57, 30-06, 30 nato, or even 7.62X54R, 550 BPM is lots of fun. the A6 bipod version and a single belt of 225 rds can be carried by one guy and settle things right quick. it can also be fired from the hip, but that takes a lot of upper body strength, even if you have an M60 sling (AMHIK).

the M60 is not something you want to give to ship's crews. it's a finicky beast that can be field stripped and reassembled incorrectly and still work, just one shot at a time. you never know that you have the piston in backwards till it's time to rock and roll. marines call it "the pig" for a reason. it gets dirty as hell inside because of the gas operation system, and is a ###### to take care of when you've run a few thru it.

the 1919 just plain works every time, and can be field stripped into 5 major components for cleaning. once installed and properly headspaced the barrel is good for 1,000 rounds auto over about 2 minutes without overheating, and can be changed in 20-30 seconds if a spare and spare barrel extension are available and headspaced ahead of time. headspacing on the 1919 is something that could be taught to a 14 year old. the damned things are produced in the millions since 1920. hell, even china made them at the hanyang arsenal after reverse engineering sales samples. everybody should have a few.

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

What's an M-50?

....and how would a foreign bride know?

Uhmmm, maybe the unintroduced brother of the world famous M-60

Well, they dated themselves or they have no idea what they are saying. ZQT is obviously a troll. They play gender games with their identity, disappear for months and then magically reappear is if they've been here all along. It's a regular VJ'er who's having a bit of fun.

maybe charles! has taken up a new hobby

um no.

It's a fellow Missouran. Don't you all know each other?

i don't live in missouri.

Uh oh...who lives there? Seems to be a breeding ground for internet trolls.

i do believe william does....so go ahead and go there......