Re: [GZG] Slightly OT - Hypothetical weapon question

Guys, this thread has been great.  I don't know where else I could
consult with combat engineers, sailors, weapon designers, and a slew
of other backgrounds all in one convenient forum.

I think ultimately the conclusion of "stay away from pirate zones" is
the best advice, but it's good to see that I'm not totally off base in
my assertion that an RPG would be a difficult weapon to use against a
boat from another boat.

As a scenario, you could put a team of commandos on a sailboat
"q-ship", and team of pirates in a powerboat.  A sailboat with a
popup/camoflaged stabilized 20mm cannon could be all kinds of fun.
That could be fun and different.  For you combat types, if YOU had to
sail around the Horn of Africa, what would be your plan?  Assume a 40'
yacht, small crew or single-hand, and no support vs. one boat of
pirates containing 8 pirates, armed with 2-3 RPG's, AK-47's, and M-16
knockoffs.   For whatever reason surrendering the boat would be an
unacceptable option.

As a minor threadjack, anyone have any opinions on the practicality of
shooting a boat below the waterline at range?  The figure bandied
about was 2 ft (roughly 60 cm for the metric people).  Based on the
Mythbusters tests we were of the opinion that high velocity rifles
wouldn't be effective but shotgun slugs might be providing you don't
try to go too far below the waterline and from too far away.  Any
naval weapon capable of this short of a torpedo or a battleship class
gun?

Bill

On Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 12:32 PM, Oerjan Ariander
<orjan.ariander1@comhem.se> wrote:
> John Atkinson wrote:
>
>> >>"Gosh, I thought it was a directional explosion. . . "
>> >>
>> >>Something like that?  Hehehe. . .
>> >
>> >Sometimes I get that impression, yes... though I wouldn't laugh
about it if
>> >I were you :-/
>>
>>It's only funny because most of the folks who kill themselves off in
>>this manner will be Infantrymen, [...]
>
> It might be funny if the persons demanding those insanely-short
minimum
> arming distances were the same ones who will actually, personally use
the
> weapons in question. If that were the case, they'd really only have
> themselves to blame when they get a fin assembly stuck in the
forehead.
>
> Unfortunately, the people making those demands *aren't* the end users
of
> the product, and thus will never personally have to suffer the effects
of
> their demands >:-(

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