The only criticism should be of the captain who ignored the warnings. The huge cost of military assets and risk of lives was all because of his poor judgement.
Indeed.. All too happy to ignore all of the warnings but as soon as they're boarded by pirates, they're calling for help from those same people they were all too willing to ignore just days earlier. Also, it is one thing to do something so risky with just consenting adults but it is quite another to do it with a child on board. How reckless and irresponsible..
It's unfortunate, but darkly apt, that Lemacon was the one hostage to die. As the captain, he bore the legal responsibility to make decisions about the route, and was responsible for the final decision to not avoid the danger, that resulted in his death.
All those people risked their lives, just to mount a rescue that should never have been needed. The yatch and crew should have been arrested before they went off for 'an adventure of a lifetime'.
@@Ugasgit90 you've never shot a firearm from a small boat have you? The boat moves constantly. Expecting a robot's gyroscope stabilized accuracy from a human is willful ignorance. On your part.
@@Ugasgit90 You're taking the attitude of somebody stating a fact, when in reality you're a bloke in a chair with a bag of crisps critisizing an elite unit based on no tactical experience whatsoever. If you had any actual experience, you'd be well aware that it's in fact not as easy as you claim. If you had any sense, you would also know that PLENTY of hostage rescue operations have gone slightly, or horribly, wrong. And your claim of "Other special forces would've done better" is just stupid, useless guesswork. When two pieces of human garbage open fire with assault rifles from a dark cabin, towards the 4 out of 5 hostages you HAVE actually saved and NEED to protect, and you know there's only one other hostage possibly alive in that cabin, there is very little choice but to push that cabin and exchange fire. Not doing so would have likely led to bullets hitting the other hostages and members of the team. This team did it right, and the people who have some actual knowledge and experience have all agreed in the past. I'm sure the commando's feel terribly sad that a boy in a chair is only sharing his infinite wisdom AFTER the operation happened, but I'm sure they'd be very happy to have you on board next time so you can teach them all how it is really done! Wanker.
Captain Lemacon of S/V Tanit was warned, many times and he chose to continue the course. As captain, the danger of his passengers AND the rescuers was wholly on his shoulders. The French navy chose to help this vessel anyways in a very expensive rescue, and captain Lemacon died in the rescue. Luckily none of his passengers or the rescue team were injured.
It’s high time that modern pirates are treated like those of old: speedy trials after capture, and summary execution if found guilty. Never should have made it back to the mainland.
He made a captains call and paid the captains price, objectively it turned out as well as possible and in accordance with the written and unwritten laws of the sea
@@jonnyjohn2321 I wonder if Captain Lemacon had not died in the rescue operation, would he have been held responsible for endangering his passengers and/or crew. This when he had been warned by the French Navy, but chose to ignore the warning.
@@smoothuncut Yep...everyone is basically good & the concept of evil has only to do w/ Conservatives & people w/ closed minds. Well, Lemacon put a child in danger because of his narcissism...& he was judged.
At least this time we didn't loose any soldier to save some stupid man who was well aware and warned of the danger like in Burkina Faso. To me they saved 3 people and especially the child who is absolutely innocent. Respect to the men who go save people who sometime don't deserve the risk taken.
i dont know if this is weird, but lucky it was the captain of the ship that was killed and not one of the other passengers(especially the child). it is unfortunate that he died but he bears 100% of the resposibility of his own death. what were the commandos supposed to do? die? not firing back because the might hit somoene who choose to disregard their warnings?
The captain was an idiot. Rest In Peace to him. But he was still an idiot. If the military warns you that you are in a dangerous zone abroad then you should probably heed their warning 🤦♂️
@The Syndicate the captain was more than a mere idiot. He was a top notch asshole too. No better labels apply to a man ignoring the huge network of intelligence shared worldwide by the military and diplomatic services in order to place his own offspring in the hands of desperate and starving open ocean pirates.
@@eldrago19 lol that is one insane comparison, keep your politics out of it. Not wearing a mask during a not very deadly epidemic is hardly comparable to seriously risking your familys life for a holiday.
The French Navy did all they could do to warn the Sailing crew, but some people refuse to take the advice, and because of it one man lost his life. Hats off the the French commando team. Well done.
The father who lost his life was responsible for all of this. He did not heed the warnings of his countrymen. He continued to put his wife and child in danger. It was tragic that he lost his life, BUT those pirates must never ever get away with this. The consequences for these pirates needs to be immediate, unwavering and final.
Well in the end pirates are victims as well. Fisher who cant fish cause we steal their fish with our large ships to have a great live and they have to see how their childs die from hunger. Afrika has no support systhem like we have it. We steal their food so they get desperate to find money but how earn money in a poor country that has nothing without dust. Tell me what u would do if your kids die cause u cant feed them cause europa fisher steal your fishes and there is no possible income to buy food. U cant tell cause u never had a problem with hunger. If u wanna understand what it means to hunger. Eat nothing for 2-3days then u maybe understand how it is to have no food for weeks or month.
@@gregorklegan5708 yeah... no I don't agree. Pirates decide to hurt others, sympathy yes, excusable or understandable? No Also they funnily have money to get weapons but not food? Right
Ofc its fun to kill. And fun is to that u can get a weapon in a civil war country easyer than food. Maybe because guns dont need water to grow, but i am no expert in this so yeah. But at least i can say it feels so amazing powerful to end a live and play a bit god. Try it, may u like it too. But yeah all u do is shout out loud. Why dont u take some guns and a boot and plant a trap to these then u can kill them. Its not a military job to judge anyone. Its their job to rescue and try to help other to avoid danger.
@@gregorklegan5708 pirates are 100% not even close to victims, what are you smoking? Crack? Meth? Not eating for 2-3 days isn’t that bad done it before. Given I knew I could eat whenever I wanted & had plenty of water but that’s not really a good example. Ah & if I couldn’t afford to feed my kids I wouldn’t have kids in the first place. Maybe if I was in that situation I’d be a pirate too, but if I got shot or arrested or killed over it, I certainly wouldn’t consider myself a victim
The French military did what it had to do, well done. While tragic, the death of the hostage was his own fault. Had they heeded the warnings given none of this would have happened.
99% agree with you mate, civi's should have listened to the warnings, but everyone's missing the point, the French commando's killed thier own hostage they were sent in to recuse, special forces do not fail in their missions, there supposed to be highly trained personnel trained for any type of situation or scenario, and "a stray bullet from the french hit the captain of the yacht in the face", your meant to be special forces, no excuse, and other SF units from around the world have managed alot harder senerio's than this on alot smaller vessels an come out on top, prime example captain philips and Seal Team 6.
@@Ugasgit90 a seal team 6 is no different. An operator threw a frag which ultimately killed Linda Norgrove, who like this captain was taken captive by the taliban. Team 6 were sent to rescue her but ultimately one of the members accidentally killed her. Tier 1 or not, their operations are not full proof and there is always an extreme risk of casualties. As highly trained as men like these guys are accidents DO happen.
@@babayaga4158 well moral of that story dont through HE grenades into any occupied rooms unless your certain the hostage isnt in there?, but interesting to know about team 6, got alot of respect for the US forces as they are our closest ally 🇬🇧 🇺🇲
The fact that that was the third yacht hijacking of just French vessels in a years time is shocking. Who are these people that knowingly sail into dangerous waters full of people desperate enough to resort to piracy. If your sailing a yacht around the world it’s safe to assume you have money and that’s what the pirates are after. They are just making themselves easy targets.
As a non professional live aboarder (part time) I have to wonder the same thing, they clearly live aboard that sailboat so what was the hurry that they had to go so close? Why not get a few extra days provisions and go 800 miles offshore to get around? If you are in that much of a rush you shouldn't be sailing, you should be in an airplane! I am also in favor of much MUCH harsher treatment of pirates, the french were doing great for a while, line them up, wipe them out then wipe out their village too, then they puss'ed out on us, no more 'french solution' go back to that, no mercy, no quarter. They kill one of you, you kill 1000 of them. That is why rome was feared and existed for a thousand years, modern nations fall because they have no backbone. To survive long term you must be feared.
Amen, bill ballbuster ---- the French SF really busted the Somalians' balls! They should have dumped them overboard as food for the sharks. Those military men deserve medals.
US SF Somalia/Iraq combat veteran here, outstanding Spec Op by the French. Those who criticized the op are invited to sail in a yacht past the Somalia coast and let us know how it turns out. (Make sure you sign your waiver, that you don't want any nasty military guys to come save your dumb asses)!
Mr. Stoye, thank you for your service, Sir, you are a great American, having served in one of the most perilous areas anywhere on the globe. You hit the nail on the head---- the captain was completely derelict in continuing operations, endangering his family and friends. It is miraculous that the French SF was able to respond and execute. My best wishes to you for a good Fourth. NO SURRENDER, U.S.A.🇺🇸
What a bunch of nonsense... Your dear governments are the very reason these pirates exist. They are the ones that make impossible for peaceful sailors to keep firearms on board their vessels, making them easy targets for criminals.
Massive respect to the French special forces, that man put his whole family directly in harms way, had he survived he should have been prosecuted. Sad anyone had to loose their life but if it had to be anyone rather it be him than the wife and child
What a totally avoidable disaster. This captain was given warnings that were discarded, therefor discarding his families safety. This guy had his 3 year old son on board for goodness sake. It makes me sick how flippant someone can be with the safety of loved ones in the face of dangers like this. In my opinion, the commandos deserve no flak for the stray round, and the captain all. I can't even say this was unfortunate, it was avoidable and his choice.
@Earth is dead After what I have understood he owned the yacht, and was therefor named captain. No clue if he had taken any classes in sailing, but he had for sure not taken any classes in security and safety thinking...
@Earth is dead I have no clue. Different countries have different laws and licences. Unfortunately I can't comment on anything French as I don't live there, don't work there and don't practice law there.
I wonder how many other pirate attacks took place during the hostage situation? 4 warships were pulled away from their patrol areas to rescue these fools. They're the types who believe evil and violence doesn't exist in the world until it happens to them. Then they want rescue. I hope the yacht was sunk as a navigation hazard and any yacht owners thinking about that voyage watch this video.
If it wasn't for the presence of their kid who had no choice in the matter , those people should have been left there. i'm sick of seeing people who are actually worth something die rescuing people who think the world is their playground.
@@beeble2003 yes. And? They do sometimes, for that type of people. The same unit lost people while rescuing the exact same type of idiots a few years prior. The rescue attempt shouldn't even have been attempted.
@@whispofwords2590 By not acknowledging in his comment that no rescuers died in this case, it looks a whole lot like he's saying "Rescuers died here and that's bad."
@@beeble2003 wtf. No it doesnt? He comment implies there are other situations similar to this which rescuers die. What youre arguing is besides the point.
Sorry for the lost life of the man, it could have been the life a brave soldier. They were warned ahead of time. The other hostages got lucky that the french navy did something about it. My solute to the brave men and women who put their lives in front of us to protect us at no cost, free of charge. God bless all you heroes out there. Thank you.
Credit where credit is due and that French captain was really brave to offer himself for the women and child and tho the pirates didn't take the offer of him neither the less he should be hailed a French hero and given some sort of medal as what he was prepared to do not many people would of dared even think about.He's a very brave man and a credit to the French navy I'm impressed! 🇬🇧👍🇲🇫
That must be a very difficult task, big pressure on the snipers wether from a moving chopper or ship hitting targets on another boat then boarding quickly then the difficulty of bullets going through boat structure. Bad call by the Captain and he paid for it, I hope the military Guys could see past that horrible outcome. Excellent as always thanks for the story.
sometimes you can't win . the navy executed a dangerous mission - the mission was a success - certainly there is a lesson to be learned , for other 'pleasure' boat captains . thank you ~ JDS/CT
You cannot blame the French Navy for the outcome. The civilians who disregarded the warnings are to blame, and in all probability, it was the decision of the captain, Lemacon, to continue on their course.
This is very straight forward Could of all been avoided if only he had done as he’s told very sorry that he lost his life but the French carried out the operation to the best of their ability but unfortunately sometimes in these situations they are casualties.
You really have to appreciate snipers who can fire from a rocking ship to hit something so damn tiny as a human from so far away on ANOTHER rocking boat.
French snipers are nothing to scoff at : in 1976 at Loyada, a school bus was taken hostage by somali rebels. The french gign (the special forces of the gendarmerie) shot the seven rebels at the same time, minimizing losses.
There’s really nothing to appreciate. They fire from amidships where the rolling has the least effect. After that it’s basic calculus or Kentucky windage depending on how they were taught.
He made the choice to put himself, his family and all the soldiers involved in danger because he didn’t want to be inconvenienced to have to pick a less insanely dangerous vacation spot. It’s sad but he put himself where he ended up
What in God's name was the father thinking? Taking his 3 year old into this area and ignoring warnings from the military. He failed in his number 1 duty of protecting his child. Unbelievable.
@@dashikashi4734 you obviously know nothing about history. They surrendered from two and won how many ? I’m no fan of the US but they’ve a better record than France over the last century. Go back to sleep mate.
Arm chair quarterbacks always seem to know better than the officers on scene risking their lives. Kudos for a job well done 👍 . The loss of life was only due to the cautions not heeded in the first place.
Lemacon endangered the lives of everyone on board as well as the brave naval forces that risked their lives to rescue him from his arrogance. God bless the brave warriors.
Sad, RIP! 3 times though. They even warned you and flew the most tactically trained men in the whole of France to save them! They did a most excellent job! Someone came to your rescue halfway around the world! Those soldiers are heroes, they could have died themselves in the process but risked it because that's their job. To do sh*t others wont!
The Captain brought this on himself by endangering the lives of everyone on board, and the lives of the rescue team. The rescuers were defending themselves from rifle fire when he was shot.
Ah yes I remember this story ..... not listening to warnings from the navy was his mistake and it cost him his life. I hope it serves as a lesson to anyone thinking of being as reckless as to not listen to warnings from the Navy.
6:00 last time I checked if the Navy says dont go there, you cant and doing so is breaking the law... so the fact that the captain disobeyed naval directions and got himself killed, hes lucky.... otherwise he would be in court right now looking at life for putting his family and others in danger...
They were warned...leave em. It's like people that refuse to leave their home when the Volcanoe down the road is about to blow up and then they want to be rescued.
- Please, change your heading. There is a strong possibility of pirate activities in this area. - Nah, we'll be fine. Thanks for the warning. (2 weeks later ...)
The Captain of the yacht was responsible for the safety of his boat and its crew and unfortunately paid the ultimate price for his error. R.I.P. Captain Lemacon
It's one thing to be selected into a unit. It's quite another to keep your training up to par. Self motivation to remain being the best is a huge part of staying with a team.
@ConfusedOilPainter You can't say that the French forces of today is the same crap as it was during WW2. Today France has a highly competent military force, just as good as any other country, or even better then many countries outside of europe.
@@peterfdsvenskaflygvapnet2643 Isn't it funny how a country with one of the best military track in recorded history has become the go to military punching bags to these clowns over some blunder 80 years ago?! lmao. The French military is still one of the very best trained and best equipped in the world today with vast experience. Its projection capabilities are only greatly overshadowed by those of the US, the only Rank 1 blue water navy in the world. France and the UK, meanwhile, are the only countries classified as having Rank 2 blue water navies.
@@Itachi951000 Well, that was pretty much what I said, but with fewer words and less details... And the French forces wasn't bad during WW2, it was the military leaders and french politicians that was crap and highly incompetent when the war came closer and closer, and thought that WW2 was going to be fought the same way as WW1.
I have no problem if the “captain” was sailing solo and dis-regarded all warnings, but to risk the lives of three others (including children) regardless if they were his own family, against all the warnings….. well …. Se la vie.
yacht guy reminds me of the people that decide to hike through a place full of terrorists in order to prove that everyone is made of sunshine and candy sprinkles....only to come up missing
FFS. I'm a frenchie and after hearing the story, I'm not even sad for the french guy that died. He didn't "deserve it", especially since it was friendly fire, but he bloody hell did he do that to himself. They told him multiple times not go through with the trip. He refused multiple time to listen and went through anyway risking the life of the others on board, including a literal baby. The loss of life is sad but what did he expect ? This is more a story about how Idiocy can be deadly, and how military servicemen have to save civilians' asses even if they put themselves in unessecary danger.
The captain was warned and he decided to continue traveling in these dangerous waters. The captain paid the price with his life and the French military should not be responsible for civilians that do not heed Intel but continue to endanger the other passengers. In military operations no loss is acceptable, in this case it's just ironic that the captain lost his life!
IMHO, the French Navy & Commandos did everything humanly possible to rescue the hostages. If Lemacon hadn't ignored their warnings, there would have been no need for a rescue in the first place. Lemacon paid the ultimate price for his stupidity.
The French navy was absolutely right in prosecuting their attack on these pirates. The guy who sadly died has only himself to blame for putting so many live both civilian and government personnel in jeopardy. Its just a pity that our impotent Royal Navy wasn’t as effective at dealing with pirates when they were called upon. Zerro tolerance is absolutely the only way.
It is too bad about that one guy and I mean that with all sincerity and compassion. Even so, I say this military operation was not only justified, it was successful.
It reminds me of a similar rescue conducted by the spanish navy special forces (evelyne colombo in 2011) that would be awesome to see on a video. I don´t know why the french are so fond to go on a yacht into pirate-infested seas.
Yeah, it was an era were many didn't understood the danger of the area. After many incident happened in a short amount of time, lessons were hopefully learned and no more dumb toursits were captured anymore...
Well done France 🇫🇷👍🏻 Hats off for all the highly professional forces involved in this successful rescue operation 👌 Selfish skippers, as in this case, should be forced to carry the full financial burden of such a complex rescue operation! 😴💸
One of those situations where they should be forced to pay the reparations to the taxpayers who spent millions to save their pretentious asses. How many warnings?!?! What egos man, hope that kid isn't brainwashed by them too bad.
Another case of „Play stupid games, win stupid prices“. While nobody should die of such actions, he had it coming smh. I’m glad the family and the child could be saved without physical damage.
Many blue water cruisers don't. Most blue water cruisers don't go anywhere near where pirates are in the first place. The few that do try and carry firearms will get those firearms confiscated or stolen by local authorities around the world.
What the hell were these people thinking? I've travelled a lot of the world in my time on my motorcycle and know that when you're warned of entering a certain region for any reason you better take heed and choose an alternative route regardless how frustrating that is.
Hands up all those who believe hanging should be re-introduced for piracy. The pirates are the ones responsible for the death of Mr Lemacon even though his decision was wrong.
This really frustrates me. The yacht was warned several times by the French warship about the Somali pirates, but they took no action. Of course, as informed by the French ships, the yacht was captured by these pirates. Then the French military intervened and stormed the yacht, terminating all but one pirate. My frustration is why the yacht did not take heed of two warnings from the French ships? So the scenario played out exactly as the French Ships had informed the yacht about. Now, soldiers are put at risk due to the very poor judgment of the captain of the yacht. Well done to the French Commandos for carrying out a successful daylight raid.
So a few middle class idiots put their own lives and others at risk. It was only thanks to the rescue that any are still alive, it appears the middle class Karens want to speak to a manager.
This arrogant man put his crew and family at risk. Very selfish man basically. The family was blessed that they all did not disappear into the ocean. I am glad the family is fine and despite all the horror they were exposed to I am sure with time the little girl would recover. Always the priority to keep children out of harm's way. One person to cause such danger to the to the French Commandos. Good luck and bright future for the family. From your Canadian friend, Liam
I see no problem with the French Navy's action....They warned the yacht several times that they were putting into danger......how much does it take....the fools decided to go ahead and then start screaming when it all goes to hell in a hand basket, as far as I am concerned they brought it all upon themselves and should now be made to account for their actions. Vive la Marine Française
Why did they even care about them and why did they escorted them? I'd let them die. They made a choice on their own will, they knew the risk...what a waste of resources to launch such an operation for some random idiots. If I'd be a tax payer in France I'd be pissed.
Great video! It really boils my blood to see this unnecessary operation and death of a man due to stupid people. If I was the French minister of foreign affairs, I would take to court those fucking clowns.
One would hope that a real Naval captain might have said, " We were so impressed with those pirates that we immediately committed their bodies to the Sea...".
I agree with the majority of the commenters, it was a well executed rescue. No fault to the troops should be assigned at all. I would like to see more retaliatory raids against the pirates though.
pirates are pirates in the same way robbers rob others. Most do it because of a lack of resources for survival. You wanna stop piracy? stop the socioeconomic issues plaguing somalia's coastal villages
The only criticism should be of the captain who ignored the warnings. The huge cost of military assets and risk of lives was all because of his poor judgement.
A very arrogant man.
Good training exercise
Indeed.. All too happy to ignore all of the warnings but as soon as they're boarded by pirates, they're calling for help from those same people they were all too willing to ignore just days earlier. Also, it is one thing to do something so risky with just consenting adults but it is quite another to do it with a child on board. How reckless and irresponsible..
Heyy, i love your horology videos!
B&J well said.
It's unfortunate, but darkly apt, that Lemacon was the one hostage to die. As the captain, he bore the legal responsibility to make decisions about the route, and was responsible for the final decision to not avoid the danger, that resulted in his death.
Good riddance
Darwin Award
Exactly, no one should be upset with the French government or Military, this is all Lemacon's fault
Should never have taken his child into that situation
All those people risked their lives, just to mount a rescue that should never have been needed. The yatch and crew should have been arrested before they went off for 'an adventure of a lifetime'.
Not sure how the military deserves any criticism in this. They played it the right way.
Totally agree 💯
@@Ugasgit90 EXACTLY...
@@Ugasgit90 you've never shot a firearm from a small boat have you? The boat moves constantly. Expecting a robot's gyroscope stabilized accuracy from a human is willful ignorance. On your part.
@@Ugasgit90 ah yes typical British people hating on the French with every opportunity
@@Ugasgit90 You're taking the attitude of somebody stating a fact, when in reality you're a bloke in a chair with a bag of crisps critisizing an elite unit based on no tactical experience whatsoever. If you had any actual experience, you'd be well aware that it's in fact not as easy as you claim. If you had any sense, you would also know that PLENTY of hostage rescue operations have gone slightly, or horribly, wrong. And your claim of "Other special forces would've done better" is just stupid, useless guesswork.
When two pieces of human garbage open fire with assault rifles from a dark cabin, towards the 4 out of 5 hostages you HAVE actually saved and NEED to protect, and you know there's only one other hostage possibly alive in that cabin, there is very little choice but to push that cabin and exchange fire.
Not doing so would have likely led to bullets hitting the other hostages and members of the team.
This team did it right, and the people who have some actual knowledge and experience have all agreed in the past. I'm sure the commando's feel terribly sad that a boy in a chair is only sharing his infinite wisdom AFTER the operation happened, but I'm sure they'd be very happy to have you on board next time so you can teach them all how it is really done!
Wanker.
Captain Lemacon of S/V Tanit was warned, many times and he chose to continue the course. As captain, the danger of his passengers AND the rescuers was wholly on his shoulders. The French navy chose to help this vessel anyways in a very expensive rescue, and captain Lemacon died in the rescue. Luckily none of his passengers or the rescue team were injured.
It’s high time that modern pirates are treated like those of old: speedy trials after capture, and summary execution if found guilty. Never should have made it back to the mainland.
He made a captains call and paid the captains price, objectively it turned out as well as possible and in accordance with the written and unwritten laws of the sea
@@jonnyjohn2321 I wonder if Captain Lemacon had not died in the rescue operation, would he have been held responsible for endangering his passengers and/or crew. This when he had been warned by the French Navy, but chose to ignore the warning.
He was a liberal and had Cookies and Cream 4 the Pirates.
@@smoothuncut Yep...everyone is basically good & the concept of evil has only to do w/ Conservatives & people w/ closed minds. Well, Lemacon put a child in danger because of his narcissism...& he was judged.
At least this time we didn't loose any soldier to save some stupid man who was well aware and warned of the danger like in Burkina Faso.
To me they saved 3 people and especially the child who is absolutely innocent.
Respect to the men who go save people who sometime don't deserve the risk taken.
i dont know if this is weird, but lucky it was the captain of the ship that was killed and not one of the other passengers(especially the child). it is unfortunate that he died but he bears 100% of the resposibility of his own death. what were the commandos supposed to do? die? not firing back because the might hit somoene who choose to disregard their warnings?
Now I'm going to have to find out what happened in Burkina Faso.
@@AndrewVelonis commando Hubert Burkina Faso mission
Don’t talk about smart and stupid when you say “loose”
The critics are free to run their own rescue operations and/or engage in negotiations with the Somalis in order to eliminate piracy in the area.
The captain was an idiot. Rest In Peace to him. But he was still an idiot. If the military warns you that you are in a dangerous zone abroad then you should probably heed their warning 🤦♂️
@The Syndicate the captain was more than a mere idiot. He was a top notch asshole too. No better labels apply to a man ignoring the huge network of intelligence shared worldwide by the military and diplomatic services in order to place his own offspring in the hands of desperate and starving open ocean pirates.
He just won a Darwin award
I suppose it's much the same attitude as the people who refused to wear masks during COVID-19.
@@eldrago19 lol that is one insane comparison, keep your politics out of it. Not wearing a mask during a not very deadly epidemic is hardly comparable to seriously risking your familys life for a holiday.
The French Navy did all they could do to warn the Sailing crew, but some people refuse to take the advice, and because of it one man lost his life. Hats off the the French commando team. Well done.
Correct
Lucky the only one to die was the same person who ignored the navy's advise the captain of the sail boat ⛵️
The father who lost his life was responsible for all of this. He did not heed the warnings of his countrymen. He continued to put his wife and child in danger. It was tragic that he lost his life, BUT those pirates must never ever get away with this. The consequences for these pirates needs to be immediate, unwavering and final.
There's 100 comments saying the same thing dumbo
Well in the end pirates are victims as well. Fisher who cant fish cause we steal their fish with our large ships to have a great live and they have to see how their childs die from hunger. Afrika has no support systhem like we have it. We steal their food so they get desperate to find money but how earn money in a poor country that has nothing without dust. Tell me what u would do if your kids die cause u cant feed them cause europa fisher steal your fishes and there is no possible income to buy food. U cant tell cause u never had a problem with hunger. If u wanna understand what it means to hunger. Eat nothing for 2-3days then u maybe understand how it is to have no food for weeks or month.
@@gregorklegan5708 yeah... no I don't agree. Pirates decide to hurt others, sympathy yes, excusable or understandable? No
Also they funnily have money to get weapons but not food? Right
Ofc its fun to kill. And fun is to that u can get a weapon in a civil war country easyer than food. Maybe because guns dont need water to grow, but i am no expert in this so yeah. But at least i can say it feels so amazing powerful to end a live and play a bit god. Try it, may u like it too. But yeah all u do is shout out loud. Why dont u take some guns and a boot and plant a trap to these then u can kill them. Its not a military job to judge anyone. Its their job to rescue and try to help other to avoid danger.
@@gregorklegan5708 pirates are 100% not even close to victims, what are you smoking? Crack? Meth? Not eating for 2-3 days isn’t that bad done it before. Given I knew I could eat whenever I wanted & had plenty of water but that’s not really a good example. Ah & if I couldn’t afford to feed my kids I wouldn’t have kids in the first place. Maybe if I was in that situation I’d be a pirate too, but if I got shot or arrested or killed over it, I certainly wouldn’t consider myself a victim
The French military did what it had to do, well done. While tragic, the death of the hostage was his own fault. Had they heeded the warnings given none of this would have happened.
99% agree with you mate, civi's should have listened to the warnings,
but everyone's missing the point, the French commando's killed thier own hostage they were sent in to recuse,
special forces do not fail in their missions, there supposed to be highly trained personnel trained for any type of situation or scenario, and "a stray bullet from the french hit the captain of the yacht in the face",
your meant to be special forces, no excuse, and other SF units from around the world have managed alot harder senerio's than this on alot smaller vessels an come out on top, prime example captain philips and Seal Team 6.
@@Ugasgit90 a seal team 6 is no different. An operator threw a frag which ultimately killed Linda Norgrove, who like this captain was taken captive by the taliban. Team 6 were sent to rescue her but ultimately one of the members accidentally killed her. Tier 1 or not, their operations are not full proof and there is always an extreme risk of casualties. As highly trained as men like these guys are accidents DO happen.
@@babayaga4158 well moral of that story dont through HE grenades into any occupied rooms unless your certain the hostage isnt in there?, but interesting to know about team 6, got alot of respect for the US forces as they are our closest ally 🇬🇧 🇺🇲
@@Ugasgit90 Life is not video games.
Trust me, in my line of work i know for a fine fact that life aint video games, so i don't know what your talking about.
As a professional sailor , I can’t imagine why yachtsmen go to these places …..
Out of all the comments this one really says it all..
@@wardahasin3417 A very hot spot indeed
The fact that that was the third yacht hijacking of just French vessels in a years time is shocking. Who are these people that knowingly sail into dangerous waters full of people desperate enough to resort to piracy. If your sailing a yacht around the world it’s safe to assume you have money and that’s what the pirates are after. They are just making themselves easy targets.
Professional sailor 🤣
As a non professional live aboarder (part time) I have to wonder the same thing, they clearly live aboard that sailboat so what was the hurry that they had to go so close? Why not get a few extra days provisions and go 800 miles offshore to get around? If you are in that much of a rush you shouldn't be sailing, you should be in an airplane!
I am also in favor of much MUCH harsher treatment of pirates, the french were doing great for a while, line them up, wipe them out then wipe out their village too, then they puss'ed out on us, no more 'french solution' go back to that, no mercy, no quarter. They kill one of you, you kill 1000 of them. That is why rome was feared and existed for a thousand years, modern nations fall because they have no backbone. To survive long term you must be feared.
A satisfactory conclusion, the only civilian casualty was the one that put lives at risk. Well done the French Navy
Amen, bill ballbuster ---- the French SF really busted the Somalians' balls! They should have dumped them overboard as food for the sharks. Those military men deserve medals.
US SF Somalia/Iraq combat veteran here, outstanding Spec Op by the French. Those who criticized the op are invited to sail in a yacht past the Somalia coast and let us know how it turns out. (Make sure you sign your waiver, that you don't want any nasty military guys to come save your dumb asses)!
Mr. Stoye, thank you for your service, Sir, you are a great American, having served in one of the most perilous areas anywhere on the globe. You hit the nail on the head---- the captain was completely derelict in continuing operations, endangering his family and friends. It is miraculous that the French SF was able to respond and execute.
My best wishes to you for a good Fourth. NO SURRENDER, U.S.A.🇺🇸
hear hear....
Lol That was perfect.
What a bunch of nonsense...
Your dear governments are the very reason these pirates exist. They are the ones that make impossible for peaceful sailors to keep firearms on board their vessels, making them easy targets for criminals.
Suuureeee you are. A REAL SF guy wouldn't be on here saying that's what he is/was. You're so full of it smh.
Really grinds my gears when people don't take professional warnings seriously
Massive respect to the French special forces, that man put his whole family directly in harms way, had he survived he should have been prosecuted. Sad anyone had to loose their life but if it had to be anyone rather it be him than the wife and child
I love how you referred to the three y/o as part of the crew. Even if technically correct, it's funny.
Legally every one on the yacht is a crew member. Unless they are a fare paying passenger or stowaway.
He was actually the captain's son.
Not funny at all really....
The 3 year old might as well have been the captain with the way this shit turned out.
Ah yes, no better way to spend the Saturday afternoon. Excellent video like always.
Saturday morning 🌅 Cheers from Milwaukee Wisconsin 🇺🇲🧀🍻
What a totally avoidable disaster. This captain was given warnings that were discarded, therefor discarding his families safety. This guy had his 3 year old son on board for goodness sake. It makes me sick how flippant someone can be with the safety of loved ones in the face of dangers like this.
In my opinion, the commandos deserve no flak for the stray round, and the captain all. I can't even say this was unfortunate, it was avoidable and his choice.
@Earth is dead I certainly assume so. A professional sailor is by definition a Captain. This was a long journey, and not something a novice could do.
@Earth is dead After what I have understood he owned the yacht, and was therefor named captain. No clue if he had taken any classes in sailing, but he had for sure not taken any classes in security and safety thinking...
@Earth is dead I have no clue. Different countries have different laws and licences.
Unfortunately I can't comment on anything French as I don't live there, don't work there and don't practice law there.
I assume the maker of this video didn't proclaim him "Captain" himself but probably got it from a reliable source
I wonder how many other pirate attacks took place during the hostage situation? 4 warships were pulled away from their patrol areas to rescue these fools.
They're the types who believe evil and violence doesn't exist in the world until it happens to them. Then they want rescue.
I hope the yacht was sunk as a navigation hazard and any yacht owners thinking about that voyage watch this video.
Was 1 dudes choice what'd the yacht ever do to you?
@@Icanlogonnow how old are you?
If it wasn't for the presence of their kid who had no choice in the matter , those people should have been left there. i'm sick of seeing people who are actually worth something die rescuing people who think the world is their playground.
None of the rescuers died.
@@beeble2003 yes. And?
They do sometimes, for that type of people. The same unit lost people while rescuing the exact same type of idiots a few years prior. The rescue attempt shouldn't even have been attempted.
@@beeble2003 no but they couldve? How do you miss the point of what hes saying?
@@whispofwords2590 By not acknowledging in his comment that no rescuers died in this case, it looks a whole lot like he's saying "Rescuers died here and that's bad."
@@beeble2003 wtf. No it doesnt? He comment implies there are other situations similar to this which rescuers die. What youre arguing is besides the point.
Sorry for the lost life of the man, it could have been the life a brave soldier. They were warned ahead of time. The other hostages got lucky that the french navy did something about it. My solute to the brave men and women who put their lives in front of us to protect us at no cost, free of charge. God bless all you heroes out there. Thank you.
Credit where credit is due and that French captain was really brave to offer himself for the women and child and tho the pirates didn't take the offer of him neither the less he should be hailed a French hero and given some sort of medal as what he was prepared to do not many people would of dared even think about.He's a very brave man and a credit to the French navy I'm impressed! 🇬🇧👍🇲🇫
That must be a very difficult task, big pressure on the snipers wether from a moving chopper or ship hitting targets on another boat then boarding quickly then the difficulty of bullets going through boat structure. Bad call by the Captain and he paid for it, I hope the military Guys could see past that horrible outcome. Excellent as always thanks for the story.
Well done to the French military forgiving warnings and for doing all they could, they should not have been criticized at all.
This sounds like a classic case of..
It won't happen to me, high jacking is something that happens to others ship 😉
sometimes you can't win . the navy executed a dangerous mission - the mission was a success - certainly there is a lesson to be learned , for other 'pleasure' boat captains . thank you ~ JDS/CT
You know it’s a good day when this channel posts 🙌🙌
You cannot blame the French Navy for the outcome. The civilians who disregarded the warnings are to blame, and in all probability, it was the decision of the captain, Lemacon, to continue on their course.
This is very straight forward Could of all been avoided if only he had done as he’s told very sorry that he lost his life but the French carried out the operation to the best of their ability but unfortunately sometimes in these situations they are casualties.
I don’t understand how you don’t have a million subscribers yet! Amazing video as always!
Agreed, top notch work
You really have to appreciate snipers who can fire from a rocking ship to hit something so damn tiny as a human from so far away on ANOTHER rocking boat.
That's some serious amount of practise with a dose of natural ability.
French snipers are nothing to scoff at : in 1976 at Loyada, a school bus was taken hostage by somali rebels.
The french gign (the special forces of the gendarmerie) shot the seven rebels at the same time, minimizing losses.
And to think that a single stray shot could have possibly hit a hostage, making it even more difficult!!!
And to do it simultaneously? Nothing short of miraculous.
There’s really nothing to appreciate. They fire from amidships where the rolling has the least effect. After that it’s basic calculus or Kentucky windage depending on how they were taught.
I agree with the French leadership. They nobly took action in such a delicate, vulnerable rescue.
So sad the Captain didn't heed the warnings.
All's well that ends well.
He made the choice to put himself, his family and all the soldiers involved in danger because he didn’t want to be inconvenienced to have to pick a less insanely dangerous vacation spot. It’s sad but he put himself where he ended up
And the Darwin Award for 2009 goes to Florent Lemacon. 👏👏👏👊🤘😎
Excellent work with this episode; it was beautiful and a nice tribute to the family.
The dead man contributed everything to his own death. The troops were absolutely correct. 👏🏻
What in God's name was the father thinking? Taking his 3 year old into this area and ignoring warnings from the military. He failed in his number 1 duty of protecting his child. Unbelievable.
The French Navy and Commandos are heroes.
💕❤️💕
It is sad that Lemacon was lost but I'm sure that he was happy that his loved ones were saved.
thanks for sharing stories of french heroism as well! some people still have this idea of france surrendering everytime
They do in war 😂
@@coolinmac Except they don't. The US literally just surrendered their way out of two different wars within a 60 year span lmao
@@dashikashi4734 you obviously know nothing about history. They surrendered from two and won how many ? I’m no fan of the US but they’ve a better record than France over the last century. Go back to sleep mate.
@@dashikashi4734 lmao? Are you 15?
@@coolinmac In which war have they surrendered in?
Arm chair quarterbacks always seem to know better than the officers on scene risking their lives. Kudos for a job well done 👍 . The loss of life was only due to the cautions not heeded in the first place.
Lemacon endangered the lives of everyone on board as well as the brave naval forces that risked their lives to rescue him from his arrogance. God bless the brave warriors.
Sad, RIP! 3 times though. They even warned you and flew the most tactically trained men in the whole of France to save them! They did a most excellent job! Someone came to your rescue halfway around the world! Those soldiers are heroes, they could have died themselves in the process but risked it because that's their job. To do sh*t others wont!
The Captain brought this on himself by endangering the lives of everyone on board, and the lives of the rescue team.
The rescuers were defending themselves from rifle fire when he was shot.
Another good one from you, thx :)
I knew nothing of this operation, thanks Liveth.
Ah yes I remember this story ..... not listening to warnings from the navy was his mistake and it cost him his life.
I hope it serves as a lesson to anyone thinking of being as reckless as to not listen to warnings from the Navy.
Excellent work by the French Navy. Also fantastic video. My thanks to the French Navy and commandos. Thank you for an excellent video.
6:00 last time I checked if the Navy says dont go there, you cant and doing so is breaking the law... so the fact that the captain disobeyed naval directions and got himself killed, hes lucky.... otherwise he would be in court right now looking at life for putting his family and others in danger...
This is such an excellent channel.
I think that's a captains decision that draws upon the phrase 'shooting yourself in the foot'. Although unfortunately it was his face. RIP.
This is why when the military warns you with information on a high threat level you should always listen...
Nonsense that the French Navy can be blamed. They saved people from a bloody bad decision despite warnings.
It's crazy that warnings were not heeded, particularly with a child on board! Good job by French forces!
They were warned...leave em.
It's like people that refuse to leave their home when the Volcanoe down the road is about to blow up and then they want to be rescued.
- Please, change your heading. There is a strong possibility of pirate activities in this area.
- Nah, we'll be fine. Thanks for the warning.
(2 weeks later ...)
The Captain of the yacht was responsible for the safety of his boat and its crew and unfortunately paid the ultimate price for his error. R.I.P. Captain Lemacon
A lot of armchair commandos out there have no clue how hard it is to be selected into these types of units and constant training to keep your edge.
"armchair commando's"
"keyboard warriors"
You type shows their damage easily, huh?
It's one thing to be selected into a unit. It's quite another to keep your training up to par. Self motivation to remain being the best is a huge part of staying with a team.
@ConfusedOilPainter You can't say that the French forces of today is the same crap as it was during WW2. Today France has a highly competent military force, just as good as any other country, or even better then many countries outside of europe.
@@peterfdsvenskaflygvapnet2643 Isn't it funny how a country with one of the best military track in recorded history has become the go to military punching bags to these clowns over some blunder 80 years ago?! lmao. The French military is still one of the very best trained and best equipped in the world today with vast experience. Its projection capabilities are only greatly overshadowed by those of the US, the only Rank 1 blue water navy in the world. France and the UK, meanwhile, are the only countries classified as having Rank 2 blue water navies.
@@Itachi951000 Well, that was pretty much what I said, but with fewer words and less details... And the French forces wasn't bad during WW2, it was the military leaders and french politicians that was crap and highly incompetent when the war came closer and closer, and thought that WW2 was going to be fought the same way as WW1.
I have no problem if the “captain” was sailing solo and dis-regarded all warnings, but to risk the lives of three others (including children) regardless if they were his own family, against all the warnings….. well …. Se la vie.
Production quality and content pacing is great as always.
Lemacon effectively killed himself, when he disregarded the French Navy’s warnings
yacht guy reminds me of the people that decide to hike through a place full of terrorists in order to prove that everyone is made of sunshine and candy sprinkles....only to come up missing
Imagine the colossal costs of one man’s mind-bogglingly idiotic decision.
FFS. I'm a frenchie and after hearing the story, I'm not even sad for the french guy that died. He didn't "deserve it", especially since it was friendly fire, but he bloody hell did he do that to himself.
They told him multiple times not go through with the trip. He refused multiple time to listen and went through anyway risking the life of the others on board, including a literal baby.
The loss of life is sad but what did he expect ? This is more a story about how Idiocy can be deadly, and how military servicemen have to save civilians' asses even if they put themselves in unessecary danger.
The captain was warned and he decided to continue traveling in these dangerous waters. The captain paid the price with his life and the French military should not be responsible for civilians that do not heed Intel but continue to endanger the other passengers. In military operations no loss is acceptable, in this case it's just ironic that the captain lost his life!
Inexcusable decisions of yacht personnel. Great action of Special Forces Commandos.
🇫🇷: yo don’t go down there it’s dangerous
⛵️: nah we’re good
🇫🇷:🤦🏼
Pas de chance 🍀🤷♂️
IMHO, the French Navy & Commandos did everything humanly possible to rescue the hostages. If Lemacon hadn't ignored their warnings, there would have been no need for a rescue in the first place. Lemacon paid the ultimate price for his stupidity.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Who knew?
The marines saved the lives of the hostages. There are always critics looking to complain about anything
The French navy was absolutely right in prosecuting their attack on these pirates. The guy who sadly died has only himself to blame for putting so many live both civilian and government personnel in jeopardy. Its just a pity that our impotent Royal Navy wasn’t as effective at dealing with pirates when they were called upon. Zerro tolerance is absolutely the only way.
No! The French Navy, was definitely in the right, and saved the day, amazing story!
It is too bad about that one guy and I mean that with all sincerity and compassion. Even so, I say this military operation was not only justified, it was successful.
Great content, as always
It reminds me of a similar rescue conducted by the spanish navy special forces (evelyne colombo in 2011) that would be awesome to see on a video. I don´t know why the french are so fond to go on a yacht into pirate-infested seas.
Yeah, it was an era were many didn't understood the danger of the area. After many incident happened in a short amount of time, lessons were hopefully learned and no more dumb toursits were captured anymore...
As long as the child was saved it was a complete and total success. F the adults.
Well done France 🇫🇷👍🏻
Hats off for all the highly professional forces involved in this successful rescue operation 👌
Selfish skippers, as in this case, should be forced to carry the full financial burden of such a complex rescue operation! 😴💸
The cost of this operation should be paid for by the Captain's Estate. He was fully informed of the risks yet chose to put a child's life in danger.
One of those situations where they should be forced to pay the reparations to the taxpayers who spent millions to save their pretentious asses. How many warnings?!?!
What egos man, hope that kid isn't brainwashed by them too bad.
Excellent job by the French SF. Also the German ally. Thanks Bearhunter5
His own arrogance got him killed
I was once told,"Do not sail with a French Captain",I see with good reason.
I invite all the people that "strongly criticized how it was handled" to go enlist and show everyone how it's done. Damn pencil pushers.
Another case of „Play stupid games, win stupid prices“. While nobody should die of such actions, he had it coming smh. I’m glad the family and the child could be saved without physical damage.
yacht seems like a stretch and who the hell doesn't keep a rifle on their ship for pirate killen.
Many blue water cruisers don't. Most blue water cruisers don't go anywhere near where pirates are in the first place. The few that do try and carry firearms will get those firearms confiscated or stolen by local authorities around the world.
A rifle's really useful when you're being attacked by people with automatic weapons...
@@beeble2003 LOL me sitting here having fought in iraq using a m4 in semi auto the whole time.
@@D.Trout222 And how much training did you have for doing that? How much training does some random recreational sailor have?
@@beeble2003 i would have been fine with my ar before joining the marines. Most pirates are cowards and are just looking for easy prey.
What the hell were these people thinking? I've travelled a lot of the world in my time on my motorcycle and know that when you're warned of entering a certain region for any reason you better take heed and choose an alternative route regardless how frustrating that is.
Hands up all those who believe hanging should be re-introduced for piracy. The pirates are the ones responsible for the death of Mr Lemacon even though his decision was wrong.
This really frustrates me. The yacht was warned several times by the French warship about the Somali pirates, but they took no action. Of course, as informed by the French ships, the yacht was captured by these pirates. Then the French military intervened and stormed the yacht, terminating all but one pirate. My frustration is why the yacht did not take heed of two warnings from the French ships? So the scenario played out exactly as the French Ships had informed the yacht about. Now, soldiers are put at risk due to the very poor judgment of the captain of the yacht. Well done to the French Commandos for carrying out a successful daylight raid.
So a few middle class idiots put their own lives and others at risk. It was only thanks to the rescue that any are still alive, it appears the middle class Karens want to speak to a manager.
Hey they were good pirate bait and a bunch of savages got turned into fishfood so all worth it.
If you can pay for a yacht or even afford to charter one you are way richer than any middle class anywhere.
@@christoffermonikander2200 I’m working class and I can afford one.
This arrogant man put his crew and family at risk.
Very selfish man basically.
The family was blessed that they all did not disappear into the ocean.
I am glad the family is fine and despite all the horror they were exposed to I am sure with time the little girl would recover.
Always the priority to keep children out of harm's way.
One person to cause such danger to the to the French Commandos.
Good luck and bright future for the family.
From your Canadian friend, Liam
I see no problem with the French Navy's action....They warned the yacht several times that they were putting into danger......how much does it take....the fools decided to go ahead and then start screaming when it all goes to hell in a hand basket, as far as I am concerned they brought it all upon themselves and should now be made to account for their actions. Vive la Marine Française
they were warned not to sail in the area but still proceeded and now there is criticism. the alternative on shore might have been pure hell.
Why did they even care about them and why did they escorted them? I'd let them die. They made a choice on their own will, they knew the risk...what a waste of resources to launch such an operation for some random idiots. If I'd be a tax payer in France I'd be pissed.
as always awesome vid, thanks!
Great video! It really boils my blood to see this unnecessary operation and death of a man due to stupid people. If I was the French minister of foreign affairs, I would take to court those fucking clowns.
The Captain is wholly responsible and he died, how do you take a dead man to court?
@@LadyDewBuild yes, I know that the captain has the last word. But doesn’t it say on the video that the passengers wanted to keep the original path?
@@sergiom9958 Yes, but all responsibility resides on the captain by maritime law.
@@LadyDewBuild so what? Never heard of legal actions on the heritage of a deceased person?
@@OmmerSyssel I have heard of it, never in maritime law though, also I am not a maritime lawyer nor do I play one on TV ;)
One would hope that a real Naval captain might have said, " We were so impressed with those pirates that we immediately committed their bodies to the Sea...".
Sure would be nice if the crew would have had the means to defend themselves
You have no idea of the penetration characteristics of a FMJ AK round through thin fibreglass. And with a 3-year-old too?
This is a situation where that would have caused all involved, including the child to be killed
Darwin award for Mr Lemacon
I agree with the majority of the commenters, it was a well executed rescue. No fault to the troops should be assigned at all. I would like to see more retaliatory raids against the pirates though.
pirates are pirates in the same way robbers rob others. Most do it because of a lack of resources for survival. You wanna stop piracy? stop the socioeconomic issues plaguing somalia's coastal villages
nothing but respect for the commandos.