(04-17-2025, 06:07 AM)727Sky Wrote: Let's talk about issuing Letters of Marque in the modern era... and why American pirates might not be as crazy
It is an interesting concept. I do understand privateering but didn't know it was still permitted. Well, in the US anyway.
I can't see it occurring other than close to coastlines with friendly ports.
Might work with the capture and seizure of vessels in the drug war and subsequent rewards for the trafficked goods. Would like to see it with illegal fishing boats off our coast but would the cost of such for a privateer would surely outweigh the profit as those boats/junks are sunk and or burned.
Gone are the days when a crew captured a prize and sailed it back to port to share in the profits of such.
Maybe if Elon can get his Starship program up and running, space pirates might be operating in LEO capturing sats and other secret operational wartime operations in orbit. Hmmm. Maybe the Chinese Space Station.
I'm sure there would be a lot of 'cadets' willing to do the job.
Kind regards,
Bally. ))