It would, unless it can be spread across thousands of square km of sea simultaneously. Apart from close escort of convoys through the most dangerous zones, everyone does anti-pirate ops by helicopter. Ships without them aren’t thought very useful for the job.
I didn’t say they are not useful, I did’nt say that helos are not an integral part of the job.
I merely stated that anti piracy can be conducted without them whether on a limited basis or not and you give an example of where they can be deployed without them.
Even a helo can cover only a certain amount of square miles at any one time and sometimes the conditions will prevail them from being used at all.
The ship on the other hand does not.
Oh, & she’ll be replenishing warships while she’s out there. Supply ships help the anti-piracy flotilla operate more effectively (less time wasted sailing back & forth to Mombasa or wherever), & doubling up on roles makes sense. If she’s going to be there anyway, for refuelling & resupply of patrolling ships, why not use her for anti-piracy ops directly, at the same time?
I am aware and had already considered what you say, but where she is so engaged in keeping everybody fuelled up and resupplying, etc etc, then she is not conducting the role that she has necessarily been reported as being sent for which was the reason for flanker 30’s posting!
She’s actually spending the time doing what her primary role is, is she not?
The emphasis of the posting as I see it by flanker 30 was to intimate that this was the way to go and what I percieved he was suggesting was forget with sharpend warships (“not greyhounds of the sea”).
It does show though that those that make the decisions about what ship goes where are still finding it more and more difficult to cover their obligations or whatever with fewer and fewer hard fast warships and I don’t necessarily believe that some kind of slow cumbersome ‘mothership’ with a few small fast boats and a helo or even two is any kind of absolute/appropriate replacement for what we really need.
They have their uses, but they are no substitute.
I’m sure that the vaguries of ‘one-size fits all’ vessels has been well and truly debated here before and not to a sucessful conclusion and I see this as another of those.
But hey in the end perhaps I know nothing as there are many on here that know it all!
Bomberboy
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