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US Sea Captain Freed In A Swift Firefight
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| This photo released by the U.S. Navy shows Maersk-Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips, right, standing alongside Cmdr. Frank Castellano, commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge, after being rescued by U.S. Naval Forces off the coast of Somalia. (U.S. Navy/Associated Press) |
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY, Associated Press
Mombasa, Kenya — U.S. Navy snipers opened fire and killed three pirates holding an American captain at gunpoint, delivering the skipper unharmed and ending a five-day high-seas hostage drama on Easter Sunday.
Capt. Richard Phillips was in “imminent danger” of being killed before snipers shot the pirates in an operation authorized by President Barack Obama, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.
He said the pirates were armed with AK-47s and small-caliber pistols and were pointing the rifles at the captain when the commander of the nearby USS Bainbridge gave the order to open fire.
Vice Adm. Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the White House had given “very clear guidance and authority” to take action if Capt. Phillips’ life was in danger.
Capt. Phillips’ crew, who said they had escaped after he offered himself as a hostage, erupted in cheers aboard their ship docked in Mombasa, Kenya. Some waved an American flag and fired flares in celebration.
Mr. Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vt., was not hurt in several minutes of gunfire and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet said he was resting comfortably on a U.S. warship after receiving a medical exam.
“I’m just the byline. The real heroes are the Navy, the Seals, those who have brought me home,” Capt. Phillips said by phone to Maersk Line Limited President and CEO John Reinhart, the company head told reporters. A photo released by the Navy showed Capt. Phillips unharmed and shaking hands with the commanding officer of the Bainbridge.
Mr. Obama said Capt. Phillips, who grew up in Winchester, Mass., had courage that was “a model for all Americans” and he was pleased about the rescue, adding that the United States needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable.
The Defense Department twice asked Mr. Obama for permission to use military force to rescue Capt. Phillips, most recently late Friday evening, U.S. officials said. On Saturday morning, Mr. Obama signed off on the Pentagon’s request, as he had a day earlier, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The Navy said Capt. Phillips was freed at 7:19 p.m. local time. He was taken aboard the Norfolk, Va.-based Bainbridge and then flown to the San Diego-based USS Boxer for the medical exam, 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said.
Mr. Gortney said Capt. Phillips was found to be in good health and suffered no apparent injuries despite being “tied up inside the lifeboat” over much of the ordeal. The USS Boxer was in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, Mr. Christensen said.
U.S. officials said a fourth pirate had surrendered and was in military custody. FBI spokesman John Miller said that would change as the situation became “more of a criminal issue than a military issue.”
A spokeswoman for the Phillips family, Alison McColl, said Capt. Phillips and his wife, Andrea, spoke by phone shortly after he was freed.
Capt. Richard Phillips was in “imminent danger” of being killed before snipers shot the pirates in an operation authorized by President Barack Obama, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.
He said the pirates were armed with AK-47s and small-caliber pistols and were pointing the rifles at the captain when the commander of the nearby USS Bainbridge gave the order to open fire.
Vice Adm. Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the White House had given “very clear guidance and authority” to take action if Capt. Phillips’ life was in danger.
Capt. Phillips’ crew, who said they had escaped after he offered himself as a hostage, erupted in cheers aboard their ship docked in Mombasa, Kenya. Some waved an American flag and fired flares in celebration.
Mr. Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vt., was not hurt in several minutes of gunfire and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet said he was resting comfortably on a U.S. warship after receiving a medical exam.
“I’m just the byline. The real heroes are the Navy, the Seals, those who have brought me home,” Capt. Phillips said by phone to Maersk Line Limited President and CEO John Reinhart, the company head told reporters. A photo released by the Navy showed Capt. Phillips unharmed and shaking hands with the commanding officer of the Bainbridge.
Mr. Obama said Capt. Phillips, who grew up in Winchester, Mass., had courage that was “a model for all Americans” and he was pleased about the rescue, adding that the United States needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable.
The Defense Department twice asked Mr. Obama for permission to use military force to rescue Capt. Phillips, most recently late Friday evening, U.S. officials said. On Saturday morning, Mr. Obama signed off on the Pentagon’s request, as he had a day earlier, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The Navy said Capt. Phillips was freed at 7:19 p.m. local time. He was taken aboard the Norfolk, Va.-based Bainbridge and then flown to the San Diego-based USS Boxer for the medical exam, 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said.
Mr. Gortney said Capt. Phillips was found to be in good health and suffered no apparent injuries despite being “tied up inside the lifeboat” over much of the ordeal. The USS Boxer was in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, Mr. Christensen said.
U.S. officials said a fourth pirate had surrendered and was in military custody. FBI spokesman John Miller said that would change as the situation became “more of a criminal issue than a military issue.”
A spokeswoman for the Phillips family, Alison McColl, said Capt. Phillips and his wife, Andrea, spoke by phone shortly after he was freed.
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