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Firearms for the crew


smellycruzer
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I have been reading a lot about arming pilots with a firearm on airplanes to deal with any potential threats. Does anyone know if Princess has a vault of firearms for emergency situations or if there is a cruise line standard for this issue? Otherwise is there a means of protecting passengers from a violent situation? Just food for thought...

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Cruise lines have established the means of repelling pirates and handling onboard threats. They do not disclose the specifics but rest assured that they are there and onboard. The Security Officer has a highly trained staff.

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In most countries around the world, passenger ships carrying any type of firearms are not allowed to enter.

But most cruise lines do have very sophisticated and effective (non-firearms) means to repel pirates and other people with bad intentions.

Edited by BruceMuzz
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I have been reading a lot about arming pilots with a firearm on airplanes to deal with any potential threats. Does anyone know if Princess has a vault of firearms for emergency situations or if there is a cruise line standard for this issue? Otherwise is there a means of protecting passengers from a violent situation? Just food for thought...

 

If they do they won't tell you any way. May of the security staff are ex- military .

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This information would not be public.

Kinda like when we were kids hanging around the National Guard armory..."Mister, where do you keep all the cannons and shells?"

"Well, kid, we're not telling you that."

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But most cruise lines do have very sophisticated and effective (non-firearms) means to repel pirates and other people with bad intentions.

 

Yeah... they're called fire hoses.

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We have been on 44 Princess cruises across the Indian Ocean. On each we had a mandatory Pirate Drill to prepare us for the possibility of a pirate attack. To simplify it, we had to go to our cabins, sit on the floor and prop the door open with a trash can or such.

 

On a couple of the cruises they described the equipment they had that would emit a very hi frequency, but very targeted sound that would rupture the eardrums of the target person(s). This would be extremely painful.

 

They also demonstrated water guns that would be used to repel any attempt to board the vessel

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They also demonstrated water guns that would be used to repel any attempt to board the vessel

 

Water guns versus machine guns. I think I know how that turns out. I would feel much better if they had real means of protection that fired real bullets. But that's just me.

Edited by RocketMan275
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Water guns versus machine guns. I think I know how that turns out. I would feel much better if they had real means of protection that fired real bullets. But that's just me.

We were told that there were no guns on board.

 

The water guns sent out an impressive spray. They said it would wash off any terrorist attempting to board. I don't recall how many there were, maybe 8 or 12?

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Anyone who has seen the movie 'Captain Phillips' will know that high pressure water hoses are not a sure thing to keep determined pirates away from a ship.

 

Not to sound too stupid, but what is the reason for propping the door open with a waste basket? Wouldn't you want to be hiding behind a locked door? I think I'll stick to itineraries that don't include the possibility of being boarded. :D

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Not to sound too stupid, but what is the reason for propping the door open with a waste basket? Wouldn't you want to be hiding behind a locked door? :D

We were told it was so the crew could easily communicate with us. If there were pirates close-by the ship may not want to make announcements over the ship-wide PA because the pirates would also hear it. :)

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On a couple of the cruises they described the equipment they had that would emit a very hi frequency, but very targeted sound that would rupture the eardrums of the target person(s). This would be extremely painful.

This equipment is called a Long Range Acoustic Device. All cruise ships have them and they are put in place when the ship is in any port, even a 'friendly' one. They are usually placed on the 'wing' that extends from the bridge or near the stern. The LRAD looks like a small satellite dish and is usually covered with a black vinyl cover, but I have seen them open.

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Anyone who has seen the movie 'Captain Phillips' will know that high pressure water hoses are not a sure thing to keep determined pirates away from a ship.

 

Not to sound too stupid, but what is the reason for propping the door open with a waste basket? Wouldn't you want to be hiding behind a locked door? I think I'll stick to itineraries that don't include the possibility of being boarded. :D

We were told to prop the door so we could here instructions for the crew in the hall

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In most countries around the world, passenger ships carrying any type of firearms are not allowed to enter.

But most cruise lines do have very sophisticated and effective (non-firearms) means to repel pirates and other people with bad intentions.

 

Agree and I have seen several documentaries on cruise lines and one of the biggest myths is that "security" on cruise ships is a team of highly trained and skilled professionals....they are little more then security guards you would find at a department store....it is really promoting a false sense of security...

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Agree and I have seen several documentaries on cruise lines and one of the biggest myths is that "security" on cruise ships is a team of highly trained and skilled professionals....they are little more then security guards you would find at a department store....it is really promoting a false sense of security...

 

If it is on TV, it must be true!

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We were told that there were no guns on board.

 

The water guns sent out an impressive spray. They said it would wash off any terrorist attempting to board. I don't recall how many there were, maybe 8 or 12?

 

An impressive water spray? I'd rather have an impressive spray of fifty caliber bullets. Why does everyone want to be so nice to the pirates? Kill them. Kill them.

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Another safety measure many cruise ships feature is their top speed. Remember that a working ship like in Captain Phillips has only one diesel engine with a maximum speed of probably only 18 knots. Many of the modern cruise ships have 22+ (Solstice-class top speed is 24 knots and Grand class is 23 knots) knot top speeds and lets face it, these pirates aren't using cigarette race boats. Personally, I feel cruise ships are much more vulnerable when in port, often times I've seen many small watercraft approach and get relatively close to the ships when in port before being intercepted by the Coast Guard.

Edited by camarodrivenrs
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An impressive water spray? I'd rather have an impressive spray of fifty caliber bullets. Why does everyone want to be so nice to the pirates? Kill them. Kill them.

 

Wowza. Was the 6th Commandment recently modified to read, "Thou shalt not wash off with high-velocity water" or sumptin'? But I kid and understand the gist of your comment. None of us (you too of course) wants to see anybody killed, but I do wonder about the vulnerability of a half-dozen hose-holders to automatic weapons fire, or even some well-placed rounds from a sniper rifle 3/4 of a mile away... It seems a bit inadequate.

 

Happily, I'm betting there won't be too many pirates off the Italian coast on my cruise next month, but admit -- unless potential boarders are just harmless sea-hobos seeking their next fix of forbidden escargot and bingo -- sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

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