I have been following the growing instances of piracy globally. One issue with security it seems, is that ships are supposed to report all guns upon entering foreign ports, this is of course time consuming, and can lead to other issues (guns being stolen and sold, etc) However, six inch rocks are not illegal anywhere. If ships were equipped with catapults, (steam or electrically powered,) then they could throw rocks at pirate vessels all they wanted...this could be one more item in the arsenal
-- senatorjam, Apr 13 2009

12.7mm limit. Yes, they're illegal. In at least one place. http://en.wikipedia.../Destructive_device
"Any weapon by whatever name known which will, or which may be readily converted to, expel a projectile by the action of an explosive or other propellant, the barrel or barrels of which have a bore of more than one-half inch in diameter" [AbsintheWithoutLeave, Apr 13 2009]

And then the pirates could stand off and shoot you with rocket-propelled grenades.
-- nomocrow, Apr 13 2009


Hardly a new idea... I'm fairly certain this is exactly what ships were equipped with before they invented guns. So... [Marked-for-Deletion] Advocacy.
-- 21 Quest, Apr 13 2009


Aw, come on.
-- nomocrow, Apr 13 2009


Railguns and conductive objects to launch out of said railguns aren't illegal anywhere either.
-- Veho, Apr 13 2009


I like it. Low velocity, cheap projectiles. The problem again is the need to man the weapon, and to do this one needs to know the pirates are coming and have someone willing to aim the weapon at them. If you can see and hit a pirate with your rockgun, he can see and hit you with his AK47.
-- bungston, Apr 13 2009


//Railguns and conductive objects to launch out of said railguns aren't illegal anywhere either//
I guess, so long as the calibre is less than 12.7mm.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Apr 13 2009


I didn't know about the 12.7mm limit. [Absinthe], is that a new piece of legislation regarding railguns in particular, or is that some weird aerospace health and safety regulation that was crafted with something else entirely in mind but happens to apply to railguns as well?
-- Veho, Apr 13 2009


[veho] linky
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Apr 13 2009


//In lieu of that, why not just hire Blackwater guards to patrol the ship//

Or. Hire them to enforce parking rules in Somalia. The rules state "Any SUV left unattended for 2 hours will be delivered back to the owner."
-- bigsleep, Apr 13 2009


this might be good if the pirates are armed with scissors.
-- jaksplat, Apr 13 2009


[21Quest], if you are going for the [DrCurry] award, at least get your factoids right.
-- zeno, Apr 14 2009


I've considered a few deterrents to repel boarders, such as one-inch thick cables hung to a few feet above water line, a wrecking ball, or big mousetraps; in the end, I think a general rule of engagement should be to fling a warning halibut across their bow then to pump over tons and tons of mackerels.
-- reensure, Apr 14 2009


I think a length of detcord along the guardrail (inside the rail to prevent accidental ignition) that can be detonated at the press of a button in the bridge would be ideal. Have the guardrail consist of several horizontal bars, like a ladder, with detcord inside running the length of them, and put a pressure sensor on the guardrail posts that trigger a warning light in the bridge. The captain should already be aware that there are pirates approaching if his lookouts and sensors are doing their job, so all he has to do is order all his men away from the rails. If a warning light activates, he lifts a big red flip coverthat says "Never Use" and depresses the button underneath, triggering the detcord inside that rail and ridding the ship of any would-be boarders who happen to be holding on to it. Ideally, he would start at the top bar and work his way down, so he doesn't create gaps that remaining pirates can crawl through.
-- 21 Quest, Apr 14 2009



halfbakery