Thursday, April 01, 2010

Pirate To-Do List

Pirate to-do list:

1. Remember to get parrot and AK-47, and other "effects"
2. Make sure that ship you attack at night is not extremely heavily armed US warship

They forgot #2
, it appears.

Here is what USS Nicholas was packin':

One OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm naval gun
two Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes
one Vulcan Phalanx CIWS
four .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns.
SM-1MR Standard anti-ship/air missiles (40 round magazine)

What is a Phalanx? It's a 20mm Gatling gun, which fires 4,000 high explosive/incendiary rounds per minute. That is putting quite a bit of lead downrange in a hurry.

Furthermore, the main gun, the Melara Mk 76 mm, gun....it can fire more than 80 rounds per minute, with each shell carrying 15 pounds of high explosive. (Yes, 80 rounds per minute, and that's limited only by the loading device. The rate of fire on the gun is actually more than 100 rounds per minute. So a three second burst is 5 or 6 massive shells.)

5 comments:

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower said...

A CIWS is a defensive measure. It launches an array of bullets toward incoming ordnance, hoping to detonate the ordnance before it hits the ship.

The 3-inch deck gun would probably have blown the entire skiff to shreds so that there would be no captured pirates.

They probably just shot at the pirate skiff with 50-cals and Mk-38 chain gun, which I think is on most frigates these days.

Cool stuff.

Mungowitz said...

Well, yes, of course.

The 50s would be plenty.

I just find it amusing that they attacked a ship that had a 75mm deck gun.

And you can say the CIWS is an anti-missile defense. But can you imagine using it on the skiff? It would in fact WORK, submit.

Anonymous said...

Ya but the CIWS is computer controlled. Takes all the fun out of it.

Not to mention there wouldn't be any pirate booty to plunder after it tore the skiff to ribbons.

Eric H said...

I can't believe you posted this without links to videos of the CIWS or the Melara in action.

Ahhh...the State. Killing with efficiency since...well, since when? Forever?

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower said...

Well here you go:

CIWS/LPWS (another)

and

Otobreda Melara 76mm.