By Ed Klein, Peoria, IL
Does the name Glubb Pasha ring any bells? I thought not. However, the increasing incidence of piracy in the Chinese and Arabian seas brought to mind an article I read in an issue of Holiday Magazine some years ago.
Shortly after WWII, like it is today, piracy had become a serious issue in the same area with freebooters playing havoc with shipping. The article pointed out that also like today, shipping and commercial interests were suffering considerable losses and were casting about for a way to deal with the problem. Enter a retired British army sergeant named Glubb.
Sgt. Glubb had been stationed in the region when he was in the service of His Majesty and decided to remain there. But he needed employment, and like the ship owners, was casting about for a way to deal with that problem. Aware of the ship owners dilemma, he offered his services. Glubb, the article stated, was admirably suited for the task, having been a commando of some notoriety. So he was hired.
The first thing he did was to look up some of his old army buddies and purchase a small flotilla of speedy boats. These he armed with a .50 cal machine guns and 20 mm cannons. With his knowledge of the waters in the area, and land-based hangout of the pirates, he launched his assault.
Today’s international treaties and laws governing what could and could not be done on the high seas were largely nonexistent back then. Glubb and his corsairs were constrained by few inhibitions, and soon had the pirates on the run.
And how was he able to accomplish his mission so effectively? It was simple. He out-maneuvered and out-gunned the pirates. But he employed another tactic that today’s navies cannot use. Whenever he encountered a pirate craft he shot it up. If all the pirates weren’t killed, he simply made sure their boat would sink and left the survivors to drown.
He was so successful that his reputation was enough to strike terror in the hearts of anyone considering hijacking a ship. And it was that reputation that gained him the title Pasha. Ergo, the name Glubb Pasha.
Given the fact that today, international agreements limit what actions are legal, or at least allowed, plus the knowledge the pirates are holding a large number of hostages in their base in Somali, it is unlikely that we shall see the emergence of a present-day Glubb Pasha. But considering the lack of effective counter-measures and the rise of frustration among countries whose ships are being hijacked, one would like to imagine the return of a group of powerful pirate fighters. We can only say, with little chance of it happening, Glubb Pasha, where are you now that we need you!?