"US Coast Guard boarding a narco-submarine" Topic

Amazing footage of US Coast Guardsmen boarding a moving narco submarine trying to escape at sea. First of all, I had no idea the cartels were making such sophisticated smuggling craft. This looks like it's primarily a semi-submersible, designed to run on partially under the surface as a low-observable craft. Crazy. And this one semi-sub, who knows how many more are out there, was carrying almost a Quarter BILLION dollars worth of drugs.

If a narco cartel can do this, what about terror groups?? How many nations are also fielding midget subs?

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The narcos have been using these kinds of things since the 1980s. A crude semi-submersible like this isn't too difficult to make, and there's plenty of money in the drug business to buy materials and hire a naval architect.

My brother was questioning why the Sailor was kitted out so heavily? It's not like he had to hoof it in. He got his ship onto a skiff, came along side the submersible and boarded.

It would seem to me that outside of personal protection equipment, firearms would all that would be needed…..

Either way, HUZZAH to the Coast Guard! I had no idea they did operations like this!

I crack doors and arrest these kinds of people for a living. Questioning his gear is silly. My vest contains three rifle mags, two pistol mags, radio, two tourniquets, cuffs and a trauma kit. People probably wonder why I have to kit out…people who don't actually do what I do, that is.

It takes a special kind of guy to do what he did.

That honestly looks like pretty light kit in the picture. Armor, camelbak for water, pistol, pouch for cuffs (or empty magazines).

I am a bit concerned that I don't see any signs of floatation gear.

You're going to sink like a stone in most body armor!

Hats off to that Guardsman/Guardswoman.

CG duty is tough enough without having to do that.

We had a Coastie (retired) as a member of our game
group for a long time. He is a good guy and a
heck of a painter.

Wish he hadn't had to relocate cross-country.

Would they really have been able to hear him shouting before he boarded?

Sounded more like frustration on his part than any hope the sub pilot would hear him.

Would've been easier all around to just sink it. Although who needs a bunch of high fish?

Choctaw –

10-4 on your vest loadout. I wore similar on my vest when I lived in Missouri; trouble had a way of finding me there. Between I and my close friends, the rifles and body armor wound up coming out in real-world situations once or twice a year on average.

If you sink it, (1) you don't get any intelligence from the boat, cargo, or prisoners, (2) you'll pollute the ocean and possibly innocent beach-goers with whatever the cargo is, and (3) the cargo might actually be something much worse than drugs and you won't know that if you sink it.

Even so, if you can't capture it, you should probably sink it.

My first thought would be to lob a couple of flashbangs/crashes in front of the boat to make the operator thing you were either shooting at or depth charging him. Yes, you would like to capture the craft for the above indicated reasons. Things like fuel tank size, where the boat was launched, navigation aids and cargo are all important. It is rough on the boarding party if you are using both hands to pull open the hatch and the operator is armed and tries to resist. A boatload of Jihadi's might not go so quietly.

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Lion---hard to see in the pic, but there is flotation gear (or should be). At least it was when I was in the CG. Never did those kind of boarding ops, though!!

Lion---hard to see in the pic, but there is flotation gear (or should be). At least it was when I was in the CG.

Yes, I agree there really should be, but I'm not seeing it. Could be a belt&suspenders auto-inflatable and one of those new, funky plastic armor plates in the carrier.