US warship 'opens fire in Suez' Breaking News

reply to post by deltaboy
Does that rule apply to your backyard as well? I think the US would take it pretty seriously if a foreign ship in our waters wasted a merchant on a civilian craft. Don't you?

Sounds like they're taking scenes from Gene Roddenberry... like that one time the Klingons went home empty handed with a broken ship. They said the humans had attacked them with a mighty warship. It was just a shuttle.

I guess the ancient Egyptians kinda looked like Klingons sometimes...

reply to post by Shar


All I’m saying is that cargo and container ships do not typically go around shooting at other ships. If a cargo vessel is traveling through an area know to be dangerous it will have a military escort vessel until it arrives in safer waters. Other than the possibility of some small hand held fire arms a cargo ship would not even have any weapons and even at that many countries forbid fire arms on non military vessels at all in their ports.

I would say that this was either a response to what was considered a threat by those on board or a specific target that is being downplayed as a random incident. It’s possible that the boat being attacked could have contained an Al Quida or some other terrorist leader and it was attacked on purpose.

reply to post by LLoyd45


It hasn't happened yet because you don't see Americans driving towards their ship like madmen.

reply to post by Shar


Shar, simply put, the ship is a civillian cargo ship.

A small boat approached it.

When all attemps at communication with the boat failded-that is telling it to stay away....

Clearly, those on the boat felt that it was a terrorist boat loaded with explosives trying to sink them.

With that in mind, along with their not responding to any communication attemps, they were shot.

Remember what happened to the USS cole when a similar boat approached it.

The reports say they were Egyption, how could the crew know if they were traders or murdering terrorits???

reply to post by cyberdude78



That is much bigger than what I was even thinking of it. Thank you for posting it.

Originally posted by apc
Sounds like they're taking scenes from Gene Roddenberry... like that one time the Klingons went home empty handed with a broken ship. They said the humans had attacked them with a mighty warship. It was just a shuttle.

If the crew of the U.S.S. Cole told you that a pair of Arabs in a small boat nearly sank their powerful warship, you thought they were nuts!

I cant help it.

There's the Al Qaeda i was waiting for.

Is that not getting a bit boring and stale?

Lets leave it at # happens at sea, shall we?

reply to post by dgtempe


No, we can not

It is sad to say, but in todays world, especiaslly near and around the ME, one but always be on the alert for terrorits

the results of not doing so is seen with the USS Cole.

reply to post by deltaboy


No arguemnt here. The point of my post is that I don't think anyone is supposed to know it's a military vessel. If those on this 'Egytian merchant ship' happened to know or discover that this 'cargo ship' was something more, there would suddenly be another reason to open fire; so as not to let them relay that information to others. This is all speculation of course, but not necessarily unrealistic.

reply to post by mrmonsoon



Thank you for your post.


LLoyd45


I agree with that. The US would take it serious. I think this is something serious and very sad. Especially, if it was miscommunication. But, thats generally what all wars are. Miscommunication.

reply to post by lonewolf37


How exactly are you going to fit an escort with the cargo ship into the canal? You can fit one ship at a time when they transit through there.

Perhaps Egypt should act with the strongest terms possible and deny US flagged vessels right-of-passage through their canal until a full investigation and apology is made...that'd teach 'em to be so damn trigger-happy

After the near sinking of the USS Cole by a boat much like this one, sailing in a confined area, and in a region unfreindly to you. You give a warning, if the warning is ignored which apparently this was, all bets are off.

I'm assuming that the warning was issued per standing orders. But being a civilian vessel we won't know until an investigation takes place. May I suggest that all the accusations of warmongering be placed on hold until an investigation takes place?

reply to post by Shar
I agree. I guess we all need to reign in our speculations just a bit until all the facts are known.

I do believe pirates still exsist. I know it's a stretch, but it could be a possibility. Posing a threat to the ship and crew with no response and still approaching. Not quite sure what I would do in that situation but if I had small arms onboard I would protect my ship and the crew from danger.

reply to post by citizen smith


D'oh, wrong cannal-on my part.

Non the less, I think Egypt government would understand, considering the circumstances.

It was horrible that lifer was lost, but what does anyone expect when being ignored by small boats leads to larger ships being damaged or sunk.



[edit on 3/24/2008 by mrmonsoon]

reply to post by mrmonsoon


Eh? Panama? Last time I looked at a map, the suez canal was still there smackbang in the middle of egypt

The Global Patriot, carrying used US military equipment, was in the Gulf of Suez when it was approached by a motorboat selling local merchandise. Its crew fired after the boat failed to stop when asked, Egyptian sources say. As many as 100 other local vessels are said to have gathered at the scene, carrying hawkers demanding an inquiry.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Ok, so this says a lot here. It was carrying military equipment. Sounds like more going on to this than what they are saying!!!

Actually I mentioned earlier that it is carrying MRAP armored vehicles from South Africa to Iraq for the military. We need all the MRAPs there that we can possibly get.