Shipowners take up arms to fight pirates

Poole, England - Upstairs in a public house on the English south coast, 18 men are preparing to take on the pirates of the Indian Ocean. They sit in attentive silence as teachers in jeans and T-shirts discuss pirate tactics and the hazards of the law. Almost to a man, the students — their haircuts short, their arms muscled and tattooed — have military experience: some on well-paid, dangerous private security contracts in Iraq or Afghanistan. It almost feels as if history is repeating itself. The Blue Boar pub is in a building that dates back to the 18th century when privately owned vessels were armed like warships, equipped to fight off pirate attacks and privateers far from naval help. Now, it seems, one ocean at least is becoming lawless again.  More