Three supposedly free Americans decided to take an American Revolution era submarine to sea and ride it around for a while. They were noticed neat the Queen Mary 2 and promptly stopped.

A detective noticed the vessel, with one person inside, and an inflatable boat carrying two people, near a security zone around the luxury ocean liner docked at the cruise ship terminal on the East River in Brooklyn.

Important note: “near a security zone,” not “in a security zone.” So, of course, the Coast Guard intervened.

The Coast Guard issued two citations to Philip Riley, 35, of Brooklyn, who was inside the bobbing vessel, Rorison said.

“Basically, the vessel was not safe to sail. It had no lights, no flares. It was not registered,” [Coast Guard Petty Officer Angelia Rorison] said. “Instead of safety violations, this could have turned into a search and rescue.”

Shouldn’t these three be allowed to take this vehicle out to sea without the government setting the standards for their vessel? It is their ship and their life they are risking. Why does the government need to protect them from themselves?

I know what you are thinking: they are also a risk to someone else who may be sailing near them, right? I would counter that they then take on the liability of their actions and would be held responsible for them in a court of law. These regulations are unnecessary.

How the heck are you going to use a flare on a submarine anyway?