3 pirates killed, captain rescued

[FelixDeCat]

On CNN. Nice Easter Sunday gift.

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) -- An American ship captain was freed unharmed Sunday and three of the pirates who held him for days in a lifeboat off the Somali coast were killed in a operation by U.S. Navy Seals that was approved by President Barack Obama, officials said.

Capt. Richard 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 a flare in celebration.

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet said Phillips was resting comfortably on a U.S. warship after receiving a medical exam.

U.S. officials said Obama ordered the Defense Department to use military resources to rescue Phillips. Obama said the captain had courage that was "a model for all Americans." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not yet authorized to disclose the president's decision-making process.

Obama said he was pleased that Phillips was rescued, adding that the United States needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable.

The Navy said Phillips was freed at 7:19 p.m. local time. He was taken aboard the Norfolk, Virginia-based USS Bainbridge and then flown to the San Diego-based USS Boxer for the medical exam, 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said.

Christensen said Phillips was now "resting comfortably." The USS Boxer was in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, Christensen said.

The U.S. did not say if Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was receiving medical care because he had been injured or if he was being treated for exposure after his ordeal.

U.S. officials said a pirate who had been involved in negotiations to free Phillips but who was not on the lifeboat during the rescue 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."

Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said prosecutors were looking at "evidence and other issues" to determine whether to bring a case in the United States. The pirate could face a life sentence if convicted, officials said.

A spokeswoman for the Phillips family, Alison McColl, said Phillips and his wife, Andrea, spoke by phone shortly after he was freed.

"I think you can all imagine their joy and what a happy moment that was for them," McColl said outside of the Phillips home in Underhill. "They're all just so happy and relieved. Andrea wanted me to tell the nation that all of your prayers and good wishes have paid off because Capt. Phillips is safe."

When Phillips' crew heard the news aboard their ship in the port of Mombasa, they placed an American flag over the rail of the top of the Maersk Alabama and whistled and pumped their fists in the air. Crew fired a bright red flare into the sky from the ship.

"We made it!" said crewman ATM Reza, pumping his fist in the air.

"He managed to be in a 120-degree oven for days, it's amazing," said another of about a dozen crew members who came out to talk to reporters. He said the crew found out the captain was released because one of the sailors had been talking to his wife on the phone.

Capt. Joseph Murphy, the father of second-in-command Shane Murphy, thanked Phillips for his bravery.

"Our prayers have been answered on this Easter Sunday. I have made it clear throughout this terrible ordeal that my son and our family will forever be indebted to Capt. Phillips for his bravery," Murphy said. "If not for his incredible personal sacrifice, this kidnapping and act of terror could have turned out much worse."

In the written statement, Murphy said both his family and Phillips' "can now celebrate a joyous Easter together."

Terry Aiken, 66, who lives across the street from the Phillips house, fought back tears as he reacted to the news.

"I'm very, very happy," Aiken said. "I can't be happier for him and his family."

A government official and others in Somalia with knowledge of the situation had reported hours earlier that negotiations for Phillips' release had broken down.

Talks to free him began Thursday with the captain of the USS Bainbridge talking to the pirates under instruction from FBI hostage negotiators on board the U.S. destroyer. The pirates had threatened to kill Phillips if attacked.

Three U.S. warships were within easy reach of the lifeboat on Saturday. The U.S. Navy had assumed the pirates would try to get their hostage to shore, where they could have hidden him on Somalia's lawless soil and been in a stronger position to negotiate a ransom.

Maersk Line said before news of the rescue broke that "the U.S. Navy had sight contact" of Phillips -- apparently when the pirates opened the hatches.

"The Somali government wanted the drama to end in a peaceful way, but any one who is involved in this latest case had the choice to use violence or other means," Abdulkhadir Walayo, the prime minister's spokesman, told The Associated Press. "Any way, we see it will be a good lesson for the pirates or any one else involved in this dirty business."

Residents of Harardhere, a port and pirate stronghold, were gathering in the streets after news of the captain's release, saying they fear pirates may now retaliate against some of the 200 hostages they still hold.

"We fear more that any revenge taken by the pirates against foreign nationals could bring more attacks from the foreign navies, perhaps on our villages," Abdullahi beloved patriot Jama, who owns a clothes store in Harardhere, told The Associated Press by telephone.

The district commissioner of the central Mudug region said talks on freeing Phillips had gone on all day Saturday, with clan elders from his area talking by satellite telephone and through a translator with Americans, but collapsed late Saturday night.

Two other Somalis, one involved in the negotiations and another in contact with the pirates, also said the talks collapsed because of the U.S. insistence that the pirates be arrested and brought to justice.

Phillips' crew of 19 American sailors reached safe harbor in Kenya's northeast port of Mombasa on Saturday night under guard of U.S. Navy Seals, exhilarated by their freedom but mourning the absence of Phillips.

Crew members said their ordeal had begun with the Somali pirates hauling themselves up from a small boat bobbing on the surface of the Indian Ocean far below.

As the pirates shot in the air, Phillips told his crew to lock themselves in a cabin and surrendered himself to safeguard his men, crew members said.

Phillips was then held hostage in an enclosed lifeboat that was closely watched by U.S. warships and a helicopter in an increasingly tense standoff. On Friday, the French navy freed a sailboat seized off Somalia last week by other pirates, but one of the five hostages was killed.

Phillips jumped out of the lifeboat Friday and tried to swim for his freedom but was recaptured when a pirate fired an automatic weapon at or near him, according to U.S. Defense Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about the unfolding operations.

Early Saturday, the pirates holding Phillips in the lifeboat fired a few shots at a small U.S. Navy vessel that had approached, a U.S. military official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The official said the U.S. sailors did not return fire, the Navy vessel turned away and no one was hurt. He said the vessel had not been attempting a rescue. The pirates are believed armed with pistols and AK-47 assault rifles.

Pirates are holding about a dozen ships with more than 200 crew members, according to the Malaysia-based piracy watchdog International Maritime Bureau.

Jakes reported from Washington. Associated Press writers who contributed to this report include Mohamed Olad Hassan and Mohamed Sheikh Nor in Mogadishu, Somalia; Michelle Faul and Tom Maliti in Nairobi, Kenya; Matt Apuzzo in Washington and John Curran in Underhill, Vermont

 

[FrustratedUser]

must resist....

 

[FrustratedUser]

oops

 

[destrekor]

glad to hear

So the ship is under proper command again? And everyone is alright? Happy to know this ended well.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: destrekor
glad to hear

So the ship is under proper command again? And everyone is alright? Happy to know this ended well.

The hijacked ship made it back to port, the pirate rescue boat was captured and the captain is safe. All is well.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

i heard on the new this morning that "the us navy is not saying how they rescued the captain, but 3 pirates are dead, the rest wounded in custody"

did they send jack bauer in?

 

[MoPHo]

Edited: Nulled thread.

Congrats on the resuce, Captain.

 

[techs]

Originally posted by: HybridSquirrel
i heard on the new this morning that "the us navy is not saying how they rescued the captain, but 3 pirates are dead, the rest wounded in custody"

did they send jack bauer in?

I read it was the SEALS.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: HybridSquirrel
i heard on the new this morning that "the us navy is not saying how they rescued the captain, but 3 pirates are dead, the rest wounded in custody"

did they send jack bauer in?

Close enough - it was a SEAL team that probably approached underwater to avoid detection. A previous attempt to approach the ship was met with gunfire.

 

[Q]

USAToday:

Capt. Richard Phillips was a free man Sunday after jumping overboard and escaping his four Somali captors. A U.S. intelligence official has confirmed that three of his pirate captors have been killed and one has been taken into custody after President Obama gave approval for military intervention.

The rescue operation was conducted while one pirate was aboard the USS Bainbridge for negotiations on Phillips' release, officials said.

Navy SEALS are believed to have killed the three remaining pirates after Phillips leaped overboard from the lifeboat where he had been held.

The slain pirates were killed before they could pull their own triggers, CNN reported, citing an unnamed government official.

Sam Fisher style FTW

 

[HybridSquirrel]

i think it was on public radio that i head that. i didnt see your post because of time warping, i just read it though after i refreshed the page it showed up.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: MoPHo
My dad just came running through the house cheering about this...Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the guy is alive but now the rest of the world is probably going to think we're even bigger dicks.

Boats from other countries get kidnapped on a regular basis. When an American liner is taken, battleships just show up EVERYWHERE. I really am very happy for the captain's family but at the same time, what happens next time?

Bigger dicks? We should have immediately acted against the pirates instead of waiting for fucking days.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Quintox
USAToday:

Capt. Richard Phillips was a free man Sunday after jumping overboard and escaping his four Somali captors. A U.S. intelligence official has confirmed that three of his pirate captors have been killed and one has been taken into custody after President Obama gave approval for military intervention.

The rescue operation was conducted while one pirate was aboard the USS Bainbridge for negotiations on Phillips' release, officials said.

Navy SEALS are believed to have killed the three remaining pirates after Phillips leaped overboard from the lifeboat where he had been held.

The slain pirates were killed before they could pull their own triggers, CNN reported, citing an unnamed government official.

Sam Fisher style FTW

America, FUCK YEAH!

 

[Cattlegod]

snipers in the middle of the night?

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: MoPHo
My dad just came running through the house cheering about this...Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the guy is alive but now the rest of the world is probably going to think we're even bigger dicks.

Boats from other countries get kidnapped on a regular basis. When an American liner is taken, battleships just show up EVERYWHERE. I really am very happy for the captain's family but at the same time, what happens next time?

The same exact thing should happen the next time any american is taken hostage by pirates on a lifeboat at sea.

 

[Cattlegod]

Originally posted by: MoPHo
My dad just came running through the house cheering about this...Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the guy is alive but now the rest of the world is probably going to think we're even bigger dicks.

Boats from other countries get kidnapped on a regular basis. When an American liner is taken, battleships just show up EVERYWHERE. I really am very happy for the captain's family but at the same time, what happens next time?

what happens next time is when the pirates see an american flag, they move on.

 

[KLin]

nvm

 

[theflyingpig]

Good, now we must hunt the rest down and kill them all. None should be allowed to live.

 

[MoPHo]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat

Originally posted by: MoPHo
My dad just came running through the house cheering about this...Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the guy is alive but now the rest of the world is probably going to think we're even bigger dicks.

Boats from other countries get kidnapped on a regular basis. When an American liner is taken, battleships just show up EVERYWHERE. I really am very happy for the captain's family but at the same time, what happens next time?

Bigger dicks? We should have immediately acted against the pirates instead of waiting for fucking days.

I'm not trying to sound like what we did was wrong, I also think we should've acted earlier. I just feel like when other ships are captured, they are taken back to the Pirate's port and then ransomed. In this case, 3 Battleships showed up. Had it not been an American vessle, that very rarely would've happened. I'm VERY happy we stopped them but it just seems like as soon as it happens to America, it then becomes an international problem as Obama recently stated. Before that however, it was just business as usual. I don't want to turn this into a P&N debate which is where it's going so I'm just going to stop.

 

[NFS4]

The operation by the U.S. Navy Seals was approved by President Barack Obama, officials said.

I have a feeling this will be turned against him one way or the other.

 

[Itchrelief]

Originally posted by: MoPHo
My dad just came running through the house cheering about this...Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the guy is alive but now the rest of the world is probably going to think we're even bigger dicks.

Boats from other countries get kidnapped on a regular basis. When an American liner is taken, battleships just show up EVERYWHERE. I really am very happy for the captain's family but at the same time, what happens next time?

I don't see how we'd be seen as dicks? The French just did a similar operation to rescue their citizens like last week or something. You wouldn't expect the French to go rescue Filipinos, right? The French rescue the French, U.S. rescues U.S. citizens. You hijack a U.S. ship, don't be surprised if U.S. warships show up.

What do you mean what happens next time? Considering there's maybe like five U.S. flagged freighters that do international shipping (OK, I don't know the real number, but it's probably insigificantly small), the next time this happens, the same thing will probably occur if the pirates don't change their tactics to reduce their vulnerability to military action. It's not like it's going to be all that frequent, considering the small number of them out there. I guess the backing of the U.S. Navy is one of the very few benefits to flagging your ship in the U.S. and employing U.S. sailors.

 

[BudAshes]

Originally posted by: Itchrelief

Originally posted by: MoPHo
My dad just came running through the house cheering about this...Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the guy is alive but now the rest of the world is probably going to think we're even bigger dicks.

Boats from other countries get kidnapped on a regular basis. When an American liner is taken, battleships just show up EVERYWHERE. I really am very happy for the captain's family but at the same time, what happens next time?

I don't see how we'd be seen as dicks? The French just did a similar operation to rescue their citizens like last week or something. You wouldn't expect the French to go rescue Filipinos, right? The French rescue the French, U.S. rescues U.S. citizens. You hijack a U.S. ship, don't be surprised if U.S. warships show up.

What do you mean what happens next time? Considering there's maybe like five U.S. flagged freighters that do international shipping (OK, I don't know the real number, but it's probably insigificantly small), the next time this happens, the same thing will probably occur if the pirates don't change their tactics to reduce their vulnerability to military action. It's not like it's going to be all that frequent, considering the small number of them out there. I guess the backing of the U.S. Navy is one of the very few benefits to flagging your ship in the U.S. and employing U.S. sailors.

Yeah it doesn't make sense for the us military to rescue non us boats unless it is part of a greater military purpose.

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: NFS4

The operation by the U.S. Navy Seals was approved by President Barack Obama, officials said.

I have a feeling this will be turned against him one way or the other.

Of course it will. But that doesn't mean he didn't do the right thing. I think it will actually help his image.

 

[IronWing]

I wonder if we'll see a return of the U.S. allowing foreign ships to fly the U.S. flag and get U.S. protection like we did in the Iran-Iraq War?

 

[pcgeek11]

My dad just came running through the house cheering about this...Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the guy is alive but now the rest of the world is probably going to think we're even bigger dicks.

Really! Who gives a crap what the bleeding spineless @ssbags think. I know that I do not! I am tired of the freeloading liberals in other countries dictating what is and is not the right thing for the US to do.

Arm chair quarterbacking not allowed. The US did what you are supposed to do. Do Not reward terrorist, pirates or whatever else you want to call them. You do not give in even if it means the death of someone we are trying to save.

My favorite line in a navy traing manual " Hostages will Not be considered as a deterent ".

Edited for spelling.

pcgeek11
USN Retired