Chief Nato spokesman James Appathurai is quoted in the BBC, saying it is hard to spot Somali pirates:

“There are a host of pirates, but they don’t identify themselves with eye-patches and hook hands so it isn’t immediately obvious that they are pirates.”

I think this has always been true. Pirates have never wanted to be identified early, since it makes their chase harder, but I have to think that the direction of their boat, along with machine guns, RPGs and masks, all make for a good giveaway.

Friend or foe? Black Beard never wore a patch or a hook.