How to do commerce raiding with auxiliary cruisers in 21st century?

A crazy idea for discussion. Is it still possible to do commerce raiding with merchant ships converted as auxiliary cruisers?
Hide some medium range anti-ship missile canisters in your cargo hold. Missile brackets on deck can be easily disguised when the canisters are not mounted. Modern merchant ships already have surface search radars that can give you range and bearing. When a juicy target is spotted, quickly mount the missiles, program the INS, launch a salvo and sail away. Can that work?
Auxiliary cruisers were cost effective weapons for weaker navies throughout history. The famous WWI and WWII German raiders sank many Allied ships and more importantly tied down many Allied warship hunting for them.

shen said:

A crazy idea for discussion. Is it still possible to do commerce raiding with merchant ships converted as auxiliary cruisers?
Hide some medium range anti-ship missile canisters in your cargo hold. Missile brackets on deck can be easily disguised when the canisters are not mounted. Modern merchant ships already have surface search radars that can give you range and bearing. When a juicy target is spotted, quickly mount the missiles, program the INS, launch a salvo and sail away. Can that work?
Auxiliary cruisers were cost effective weapons for weaker navies throughout history. The famous WWI and WWII German raiders sank many Allied ships and more importantly tied down many Allied warship hunting for them.

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Times are different now. Modern fighter jets could hit you before you have time to scram. If you want to do commercial raiding, it is better to stick with low profile fishing boats and rpgs.

Join the Somali Navy!!=P
fishing boats, cigarette boats, inflatable boats think I even once heard of a helicopter in theory you even a old U boat could but trouble is your basicly a pirate.

siegecrossbow said:

Times are different now. Modern fighter jets could hit you before you have time to scram. If you want to do commercial raiding, it is better to stick with low profile fishing boats and rpgs.

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But if you are hitting merchants ships beyond visual range with missiles and hopefully them sinking quickly (standard practice by the more successful merchant raiders to attack without warning), how does anyone even know which ship launched the missiles?

As for the fishing boats with RPG, that can be a different way to do commerce raiding, but subcontracted to various groups around the world. I've seen this type of warfare described as open source war.

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Join the Somali Navy!!=P
fishing boats, cigarette boats, inflatable boats think I even once heard of a helicopter in theory you even a old you boat could but trouble is your basicly a pirate.

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yeah, I'm not sure about the legality either. let see, if you are sinking the merchant shipping of the country you are at war with, I think that's totally legal. Don't even need to stay around to pick up survivors. Every country practiced unrestricted submarine warfare during WWII. Now Karl Donitz was charged with war crime for sinking neutral shipping, but his lawyer show many cases of Allied submarines doing the same thing. In the end he was found guilty but not punished for that count.
practically it is legal as long as your country wins.

shen said:

But if you are hitting merchants ships beyond visual range with missiles and hopefully them sinking quickly (standard practice by the more successful merchant raiders to attack without warning), how does anyone even know which ship launched the missiles?

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that is total war and probably violates terrorism laws and some Geneva conventions.

As for the fishing boats with RPG, that can be a different way to do commerce raiding, but subcontracted to various groups around the world. I've seen this type of warfare described as open source war.

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the name used in the days of wooden sail ( you know when Popeye was young ) it was called privateering some of the most well know of pirates that is historical pirates started out with commissions from the kings and queens of Europe

Shen as I think about it you might be on to something when you mentioned submarine warfare of world war 2. When I think about it submarine based ops would likely be the safest way to engage in such especially in a SSK some thing silent and slow that could attack quickly and then melt way with as little sound as possible. It would still be dangerous. Particularly against a modern foe who could employ the most effective sub hunters including subs of there own.

shen said:

A crazy idea for discussion. Is it still possible to do commerce raiding with merchant ships converted as auxiliary cruisers?
Hide some medium range anti-ship missile canisters in your cargo hold. Missile brackets on deck can be easily disguised when the canisters are not mounted. Modern merchant ships already have surface search radars that can give you range and bearing. When a juicy target is spotted, quickly mount the missiles, program the INS, launch a salvo and sail away. Can that work?
Auxiliary cruisers were cost effective weapons for weaker navies throughout history. The famous WWI and WWII German raiders sank many Allied ships and more importantly tied down many Allied warship hunting for them.

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You could on the first strike, but than again the enemy would adapt and counter any future moves of similar fashion. Not to mention their counter strike. Anyway, it's a waste of pretty good fuel and metal to me.

sure submarines would definitely play a role in commerce raiding. but wouldn't it make sense to also unleash some surface raiders so the enemy can't just concentrate on ASW. Which brings up another question. One often hear SSKs described as mobile minefield these days. IE, using SSK to control choke points like Strait of Hormuz. But isn't that contrary to all the past wartime experience? Shouldn't SSKs be cruising the high seas, seeking unprotected easy targets and force the enemy to spread out his forces? In a hypothetical war with Iran for example, wouldn't Iranian navy be better off sending their SSKs out to high seas to go after merchant shipping.
Back to auxiliary cruisers. Look at how much trouble the international navies are having hunting down the Somali pirates. There are thousand of innocent looking merchant ships. Now instead of dhows with gunmen seeking to board and capture ships, you have dhows with hidden anti-ship missiles out to sink as many ships as possible.

I am not sure you could really do it Shen. That is to say the covert attack ships of the past. Not without bringing out the wrath of the UN and super powers. I mean look at Somalia just a few pirate attacks brought out the USN the European nations, Russia hell even the PLAN weighs anchor to string up a few pirates. The advantage of the world war one and world war two armed merchant men was surprise, trouble today is once you attack everyone is going to know. Even if its only a VLS based attack the second you fire any enemy navy ship in the area is going to be gunning for you. You might be able to pull off the attack once but that's it. A submarine by contrast has the blanket of the sea to snuggle up with and hide. A surface ship? No such cover. Once she is made she is made. And a real navy ship has the speed to run her down. Or the fire power to blast her to the locker of one Mr. Davy Jones Esq.
that said there may still be some auxiliary cruisers in service as intelligence gathering ships or covert SF team infiltration platforms. Some will even serve as armed combatants but in the latter they will likely be uniformed. Take the Rio Damuji n° 390 she was a Spanish fishing boat the Cubans bought and converted into a rudimentary frigate to replace there rusting Warsaw pact fleet.
the days of the battle of the Q ships are in my opinion over. If a merchantmen is armed and starts sinking ships she will be treated as a pirate ship. Her crew prosecuted.
one thought I had though was on a similar track though.

imagine a off shore oil rig used as a missile platform. A island nation would take the basic universal platforms out fit with missiles, radar and control room.

another thought was a oil rig based submarine base.