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630
the ship is utterly impracticable in the case of vessels
employed on the trades in question. Vessels constructed for
commercial purposes to carry passengers and cargo from one
It is port to another cannot be converted into fortresses.
common ground that the element of surprise is always inevitably
present in the case of such attacks. The most that can be
hoped for or attempted is the defence of the bridge and engine room for a sufficient time to enable the officers to
send out distress signals from the bridge. The finding of the
Commission appointed to enquire into the "Sui An" Piracy goes
to show that if the then Piracy Prevention Regulations had
been carried out to the letter and the strongest possible fight put up "the bridge could only have been held for a
Bufficient time to have robbed the attack of its element of "surprise, and opportunity would have been furnished to inflict "damage upon the attackers and to send up signals of distress, "It is probable that the bridge could not have been finally
"held against the determined assault by a large party of armed "men". With one exception every recent piratical attack from
within the ship has been successful in spite of the existing Regulations. The Exception referred to is the case of the "Tai Lee" in April 1924. She was then the mother ship of her
convoy and carried eight armed Indian Guards in charge of two European Sergeants, in addition to the six armed Indian Guards attached to the vessel and signed on articles.
The pirates launched the attack upon the engine room and, control having been gained, they drew the fires with the intention of causing the vessel to drift ashore where a considerable body of pirates well armed were waiting ready to loot
the vessel and murder anyone who resisted.
Fortunately the vessel did not drift ashore, but was
The pirates seeing
carried down mid-stream with the current.
that their object was defeated made no attack on the bridge
but