There's a letter in today's Telegraph that is an antidote to the "Let's go in guns blazing, it's what Nelson would have done" crowd:
SIR – The Royal Navy has been criticised for lack of action by the civilian-manned Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Wave Knight.
When this vessel arrived, the Chandlers were already the captives of armed Somali pirates. Accurate fire against people clustered in a small boat bobbing up and down is difficult enough for experts, let alone enthusiastic non-specialists.
At least we avoided the headline, “Royal Navy kills Britons in bungled rescue attempt”. Last year, an Indian frigate sank a hijacked Thai trawler, erroneously believing it to be a pirate mother ship, and 15 fishermen tied up below decks died.
This is real life, not a video game with a “play again” button.
Lt Cdr R.J. Hoole
Waterlooville, Hampshire