Feral Jundi

Thursday, April 16, 2009

History: 8 US Marines, 500 Mercenaries, and the ‘Shores of Tripoli’

Filed under: Africa,History,Maritime Security — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 9:47 PM

   Ah yes, more history.  This stuff never slips into the conversation about our early history here in the US, and I thought this little factoid is certainly relevant to today’s discussion.  Using security contractors to defend ships is possible, is not that crazy of an idea, and we even took the concept a little further back in the day when we were dealing the Barbary pirates with this land assault.  I also wrote a Building Snowmobiles deal, that talked about PMCs combined with Special Forces to fight a conflict, and that is worth a look if you are interested in exploring the concept.  So with that said, here is the Battle of Derne and Semper Fi.  –Matt

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The Battle of Derne

The Battle of Derne was a decisive victory of a mercenary army led by a detachment of United States Marines over the forces of the Barbary coast nation of Tripoli during the First Barbary War.

Background

The former Consul to Tunis, William Eaton returned to the Mediterranean with the title of ‘Naval Agent to the Barbary States’ in 1804. Eaton had been granted permission from the United States government to back the claim of Hamet Karamanli, the rightful heir to the throne of Tripoli, who had been deposed by his brother Yussif Karamanli. Upon his return Eaton sought out Hamet, who was in exile in Egypt, and made a proposal to reinstate him on the throne. Hamet agreed to Eaton’s plan.

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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

History: The Q Ship, and How They Could Be Used To Battle Pirates

Filed under: History,Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 8:40 PM

   Ok, here is one idea for battling these pirates.  Set up some Q Ships off the coast of Somalia, with the hopes of drawing out some pirates, and either nab them or kill them.  You make the ship look juicy enough, and these pirates will go after it.  The Navy could just lease a few different boats, and cycle them through those areas, all with the intent of drawing out these guys.  We used this tactic back in the day, until the U boat commanders started catching on.  

   My thoughts on it, is that the Navy could use the concept by leasing boats from the shipping industry to do it.  If a boat gets shot up a little, or an RPG hits the big things, the Navy could totally repair the boat, as per the lease agreement.  The shipping company could also have some kind of incentive to lease out to the Navy for putting up a boat, like some kind of insurance discount, tax credit, or just pay really well for the thing.  Even the little yachts out there could be used, and the imagination is the only limit.  The point being, is that boat should look like a really juicy target for the pirates, and then strike when they get close.

   Or as a business venture, a Private Naval Company could offer their services for building a Q Ship.  They could buy boats, modify them, paint them up a little based on the customer preference, and then hand them off to the Navy.  I don’t think the Navy would want a PNC to do it all, but their is a precedent for it in a way, with the Q Ships during the WW 1 and 2 and with privateers.  I am sure privateers back in the early days did all sorts of sneaky things to capture their prey, and using a Q Ship was probably one of them (or whatever they called it back then) Bring on the Q Ships! –Matt   

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The USS Anacapa

Q-ship

     Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them. The basic ethos of every Q-ship was to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

     They were used by the British Royal Navy (RN) during World War I and by both the RN and the United States Navy during the Second World War (1939–1945), as a countermeasure against German U-boats and Japanese submarines.

     In the First Battle of the Atlantic, by 1915, Britain was in desperate need of a countermeasure against the U-boats that were strangling her sea-lanes. Convoys, which had proven effective in earlier times (and would again prove effective during World War II), were rejected by the resource-strapped Admiralty and the independent captains. The depth charges of the time were very primitive, and thus the only method of sinking a submarine was by gunfire or by ramming while on the surface. The problem was luring the U-boat to the surface.

     One solution to this problem was the creation of the Q-ship, one of the most closely-guarded secrets of the war. Their codename referred to the vessels’ home port, Queenstown, in Ireland[1]. These would be known to the Germans as a U-Boot-Falle (“U-boat trap”). The Q-ship would pose as an easy target for the U-boat but in fact carry hidden armament. A typical Q-ship would be an old-looking tramp steamer calmly sailing alone near an area where a U-boat was reported to be operating. By posing as a suitable target for the use of the U-boat’s deck gun, the Q-ship would encourage the U-boat captain to bring his vessel to the surface rather than use one of his expensive torpedoes, which were in short supply. The cargoes of the Q-ships would be wooden caskets and wood (e.g., balsa or cork) so even if torpedoed they would stay afloat, encouraging the U-boat to surface and use its gun. If necessary the crew could even stage an “abandon ship” routine. Once the U boat was in a suitable position the Q-ship would change rapidly, false panels would drop to reveal the hidden guns which would start firing. At the same time the White Ensign (Royal Navy flag) would be raised. With the element of surprise the U-boat could be quickly overwhelmed.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

History: The Logistics Nightmare of the Soviets in Afghanistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,History — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 2:06 PM

Soviets Helicopter in Afghanistan

“The war was a contest by both sides to control the other’s logistics. The Soviet lines of communication (LOC) were a double lane highway network which wound through the Hindu Kush Mountains – some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth. The Soviet presence depended on its ability to keep the roads open. Much of the Soviet combat in Afghanistan was a fight for control of the road network. The resistance destroyed over 11,000 Soviet trucks. The DRA truck losses were reportedly higher. The Mujahideen ability to interdict the LOC was a constant concern to the Soviet and prevented them from maintaining a larger occupation force in Afghanistan.”

 

PDF File Here for Report on Soviet Lessons in Afghanistan

 

 

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Maritime Security: How to Deal With Pirates

Filed under: Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , — Matt @ 12:01 PM

“Steer the hostile prow to Barb’ry’s shores,” wrote an anonymous poet, a veteran of the Battle of

Bunker Hill, “release thy sons, and humble Africa’s power.”

 

      Finally, some voice of reason out there.  The only way Somali pirates will stop doing what they are doing, is to fight them.  If we keep paying them off, and continue this policy of not fighting them, then they will only continue to do it.  And what do you know, piracy has only gotten worse in that region.  So whom ever these so-called experts are, that continue to give shipping companies this advice of not fighting back and just paying them off, have done more to increase piracy in that region than anything else. And it seems we have learned this lesson before in the past. –Head Jundi  

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NOVEMBER 22, 2008

How to Deal With Pirates

By MICHAEL B. OREN

The rise of piracy is threatening international trade and raising complex questions. The only way to end the scourge is to respond aggressively, says Michael B. Oren.

The attack began when an unidentified vessel drew alongside a merchant ship in the open sea and heavily armed brigands stormed aboard. “They made signs for us all to go forward,” one of the frightened crewmen remembered, “assuring us in several languages that if we did not obey their commands they would massacre us all.” The sailors were then stripped of all valuables and most of their clothing and locked in the hull of their own captured ship. They would be held in unspeakable conditions, subsisting on eight ounces of bread a day and threatened with beating and even beheading should they resist. “Death would be a great relief and more welcome than the continuance of our present situation,” one of the prisoners lamented.

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Sunday, September 21, 2008

Tactical Thought Process: ‘A Message to Garcia’ and Accomplishing the Mission

Filed under: History,Tactical Thought Process — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 11:10 AM

     I want to thank Scott for sending me this.  I was never aware of this story, even though I was in the Marines and an NCO.  So this was a treat to get this in the mail the other day and read it.  In summary, it is a celebration of the man with the resolve to accomplish the mission–the soldier or grunt with the ‘can do’ attitude. 

     The other thing I want to mention is that good healthy dissent within a group is important in order for organizations to evolve and learn and be successful.  So I do not agree with companies using this type of story as a means to shut up their employees or something like that.  

     If anything, this story is about giving your people a mission and the freedom to accomplish that mission anyway they can.  Rowan was not told the how, he was just told to do, and he did.  

     This story is a celebration of accomplishing the mission, and doing what it takes to get it done.  It is also a celebration of the soldier or grunt who presses forward through thick and thin, using ingenuity and resolve to finish the job.  And like what was mentioned before in Boykin’s book called ‘Never Surrender’–resolve is a highly desired trait in a special forces soldier. Good stuff. –Head Jundi

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Rowan

The American officer that Hubbard referred to was Andrew Summers Rowan, a West Point graduate of 1881. 

1899

A Message to Garcia

By Elbert Hubbard

 

In all this Cuban business there is one man stands out on the horizon of my memory like Mars at perihelion. When war broke out between Spain & the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the Insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba- no one knew where. No mail nor telegraph message could reach him. The President must secure his cooperation, and quickly.

What to do!

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