Re: [GZG] Slightly OT - Hypothetical weapon question

On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 7:25 PM, Tom B <kaladorn@gmail.com> wrote:
> The hulls in most sailboats that are transatlantic capable are fairly
> substantial. There's also a lot of hardware and inner content within
those
> boats. I'm pretty certain a hit would detonate. The impact of the hit
would
> be dependent on the warhead type. I believe some RPGs are HE, others
are
> more into the armour piercing realm, and still others may have fancier
> warheads.

I'd be inclined to say 'it depends' on a lot of factors.  RPGs as
transported, stored, and operated by third-world savages tend to fail
to go off greater than half the time.  I doubt Somali pirates hopped
up on qat are any better than Arabs.  And that's shooting at actual
armored vehicles.

A fiberglass hull may or may not detonate the pizeoelectric fuze.

> HE would be bad news - hull damage, maybe sinking, plus possible blast
> effects or shrapnel (even if just from your boat!) affecting crew
members.
> If they happen to hit the right place, they could dismast the boat
(maybe).
> At the very least they could damage static and running rigging that
may
> render the boat incapable of maintaining way or incapable of steering.
And
> you could end up shipping water (maybe even a lot of it).
>
> HEAP or the like might just punch a small hole through the boat. But
then,
> what might it hit on the way? Propane tank? Gas tank? Diesel tank?
Various
> other critical pieces? Batteries? etc. It would be less serious, but
could
> still leave you shipping water.

My concern on a fiberglass hulled vessel would be the probability that
the jet of copper would be at some really silly temperature (I'm sure
OA could give a precise reading) that would tend to ignite the boat.
Not to mention unused rocket fuel, etc.

> The pintle mounted DShK would also be bad news for the average
sailboat (as
> would an M2HB or even a good old RPK or the like).
>
> And all they have to do is blow off your rudder, shred your sails,
knock off
> a mast, or wreck some rigging and you're out of commission and they're
> madder. And bullets would tend to make the task of sailing the boat
more
> challenging.

Not to mention the possibility of killing crewmen.

> As to hitting: If they are in a motor launch, they'll be able to get
up
> alongside and there isn't much you can do unless you have one of those
> superfast cats or a huge monohull. And then you've probably got a big
enough
> crew and maybe small arms of your own. If they get alongside, it isn't
> *that* hard to predict where a sailboat will be. It might take 2 or 3
> volleys, but they may well have the ammo for that.

RPG accuracy and precision is not all that great, they are intended to
hit slow-moving armored targets at close range from a stationary
platform (ie, the ground).  However, as has been demonstrated, fire
enough of them at almost anything, and you can hit a helicopter.  I
doubt a sailboat is going to be more difficult to hit than a
Blackhawk.

> Sailboat, the choice is tough. I think I might well let them board and
then,
> if I though I had to have a go, take it when they're aboard and
they've got
> their people interspersed with yours and potentially weapons at hand
to be
> acquired. Definitely in the 'rather never try that, thanks!' end of
things.

I've got a better idea.

Don't go sailing around the Horn of Africa without an anti-piracy PLAN
that is more than "hope they don't board my boat".

John M. Atkinson
-- 
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again
and again.  We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani

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