33 U.S.C. § 383 — Resistance of pirates by merchant vessels

This section lets the commander and crew of a U.S. merchant vessel fight back against pirates. The vessel must be a U.S. merchant vessel owned all or partly by a U.S. citizen. Its commander and crew may oppose and defend against any "aggression, search, restraint, depredation, or seizure" attempted against the vessel — meaning they can resist any hostile attack, boarding, search, holding, plundering, or capture attempt. This protection also covers other vessels owned by the same owner. The attacker must be the commander or crew of an armed vessel that is not a "public armed vessel of some nation in amity with the United States" — in other words, not a warship belonging to a friendly government. Against such an attacker, the crew may subdue and capture the attacking vessel. The crew may also retake any vessel owned by the same owner if that vessel had earlier been captured by the commander or crew of such an armed vessel, and may bring the retaken vessel into any port of the United States.