But Phillips told me he actually wasnt trying to escape. Aden Tate is a writer and locksmith in The Beautiful South. The actual ScanEagle used in the mission is on display along with shell casings at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. They had guns to my head many times., Muse never broke character, perpetually coughing, spitting, cussing, belittling me, Phillips said. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On April 8, the crew saw a skiff carrying four armed pirates approaching the ship and initiated the protocol for such an event. Children. Both also participated in Operation Neptune's Spear that killed Osama bin Laden. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The Maersk Alabama Hijacking. But if Muse was curious about what Richard Phillips had to say about the hijacking in his book, I wondered how Phillipsand other crewmembers that were therewould react to Muses take on things in his letters to me. It has a light-blue hull and a beige superstructure like all Maersk vessels, regardless of their flag of registry. Pirate and His Crew Were Responsible for the 2009 Hijacking of the Maersk Alabama U.S. Attorney's Office February 16, 2011 Southern District of New York (212) 637-2600 This is at least the third time pirates have . The True story of Captain Phillips and the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates. The crew members of Maersk Alabama had received anti-piracy training from union training schools, and had drilled aboard the ship a day prior to the attack of 8 April. He took a different route to get there. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. On April 7 the ship was a few hundred miles off the coast of Somalia. Magazine. Somalian fishermen became pirates due to the decline of the Somalian fishing industry in the 2000s, which was caused by pollution and over fishing. By radio, a deal was struck with the other pirates. Spouse. I asked him about the Alabama hijacking, but Muse insisted he couldnt say much about it since he had appeals pending. [2][3], On 8 April 2009, four pirates based on FVWin Far 161 attacked the ship. Richard Phillips was taken hostage aboard one of the Maersk Alabama ' s lifeboats. Phillips remained above deck with other men. While the cable was ostensibly to keep the small craft stable in rough watersthe pirates allegedly had run out of khat, a stimulant that also eases motion sicknessthe tether was slowly shortened until the lifeboat was well within distance of Navy SEAL snipers on the Bainbridges fantail. In a stunning display of accuracy, the SEALS firing from a ships deck through the windows of the tiny boat hit all three pirates in the head, killing them, while leaving Phillips unharmed. The Maersk Alabamahijackingled to a series of maritime events that began on 9 April 2009, when four pirates in the Indian Oceanseized the cargo ship Maersk Alabamaat a distance of 240 nautical miles(440 km; 280 mi) southeast of Eyl, Somalia. Nor did he ever once smile during the hijacking, Phillips said. We will defend ourselves if attacked," one of the pirates told Reuters by satellite phone. The story of the incident was reported by Captain Richard Phillips, who had been master of the vessel at the time of the incident, in the 2010 book A Captain's Duty, which he co-wrote with Stephan Talty. Phillips said Muse is still better off in the U.S., even in prison, than he was before. The escape bid was witnessed by the U.S. Navy but happened too quickly for them to come to his aid, The Guardian reported at the time. Enter your email and get some awesome stuff every week. Richard Phillips April 13, 2009 in the Indian Ocean. The Alabama was 235 miles off the coastwith pirates on the way. Chief Engineer Mike Perry got most of the crew to a safe room and managed to swamp the pirates craft by swinging his ships rudder, but the pirates were nonetheless able to board and take Phillips hostage. The Maersk Alabama hijacking was a series of maritime events that began with four pirates in the Indian Ocean seizing the cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) southeast of the port city of Eyl, Somalia. former special warfare operators to provide security. Alabama has a gross tonnage of around 14,000 tonnes and a Dead-weight Tonnage (DWT) of over 15,000 tonnes, with speeds extending over 18 knots. The resulting standoff with the U.S. Navy ended on April 12 after Navy SEAL snipers killed three of the captors; a fourth had already surrendered. However, Phillips claimed Muse was actually a Christian convert to Islam, something he was told during the four days Muse and his compatriots held him hostage on one of the Alabamas lifeboats. 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The two men worked for U.S.-based Trident Security, according to police. [1] After negotiating an exchange of hostages, the crew released their captive, but the pirates took Phillips hostage. In exchange for Phillips and the pirates leaving the Alabama, the crew would turn over the pirate. Maersk Line, Ltd. is also headquartered. The captors were also communicating with other pirate vessels by satellite phone. Some crew members He said his plan had been to work as a fisherman in what he described as a small village on the ocean, a place identified in a sentencing memorandum as Garacad, one of a number of piracy centers in the semi-autonomous province of Puntland. Yet, pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa have gone down drastically since Muse and his crew seized the Alabama. The CMU is colloquially known as Guantanamo North, which Muse noted in his first letter, and contains 55 cells, of which five are used for disciplinary segregation. Nearly 28 years earlier, the read more, On April 8, 1990, 18-year-old Ryan White dies of pneumonia, due to having contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. and traces of heroin were found in their cabin. Joe Dorsey on January 31, 2014 - 5:25 pm in Quick History The 2013 film Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks is based on a true historical event. Next Tuesday, April 9, marks the 10th anniversary of the hijacking of the U.S.-flagged freighter Maersk Alabama. Later that day a captor was seen pointing a gun at Phillips. Houston attorney Terry Bryant, representing Hicks, said the ship owners knowingly exposed their employees to imminent danger and took no steps to provide appropriate levels of security and safety for their employees. Phillips for Hijacking 59,678 views Dec 4, 2009 119 Dislike Share Save Associated Press 1.88M subscribers Some crew members aboard the hijacked Maersk. [15] Bainbridge was equipped with a ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle and rigid-hulled inflatable boats. Still, he has a grudging respect of sorts for Muse, calling him a good leader.. The Maersk Alabama hijacking was a series of maritime events that began with four pirates in the Indian Ocean seizing the cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) southeast of Eyl, Somalia. The Maersk Alabama was built in the Taiwanese shipbuilding yard of the China Shipbuilding Conglomerate. Thank you., Retired Rear Admiral Terry McKnight was the commander of anti-piracy naval forces off Somalia when the Alabama was hijacked. Two American security officers were found dead on the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Africa last week, one of whom has been identified as a former Navy SEAL. This is a new style of article for Pew Pew Tactical, if you liked it let us know in the comments! The threat is still high in other parts of the world. By all accounts Muse did not just commit the acts to which he pled guilty; he reveled in them. A job well done. He later cited his anti-abortion and anti-homosexual views as motivation for the bombings. Quick Thinking and a Boatload of Know-How Saves the MAERSK ALABAMA", "Africa, FBI in hostage talks with Somalis", "U.S. Warship Shadows Somali Pirates With Hostage", "Ceremony in Norfolk marks contributions of merchant mariners | WVEC.com Norfolk - Hampton Roads", "14 ships, 260 crew held by Somali pirates", "Pirates recapture US hostage after escape attempt", "Negotiations Break Down in Standoff With Pirates", "Somali pirates vow to take on US military might if attacked", "WRAPUP 10-U.S. Navy rescues captain, kills Somali pirates", "Commander Castellano interviewed by Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News", Hostage captain rescued; Navy snipers kill 3 pirates, "Official: US sea captain faced imminent danger", "US acted after pirates aimed at ship captain", "Three Navy SEALS freed Capt. Updates? Muse is housed in FCI Terre Hautes Communications Management Unit, or CMU, a highly restrictive wing reserved for some of Americas most notorious criminals and terrorists, including American Taliban John Walker Lindh. All Rights Reserved. He said he would probably watch if it was ever shown on the prison TV system. We got our points across very clear in that lifeboat, he said. Omissions? Places like the Singapore Straits and Indonesia you just cannot get far from the coast due to the geography of the area, Staples says. Find the perfect maersk alabama stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. [19] Commander Frank Castellano of USS Bainbridge stated that as the winds picked up, tensions rose among the pirates and "we calmed them" and persuaded the pirates to be towed by the destroyer. Someone like Muse might get a few hundred bucks for hijacking a vessel like the Alabama. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The Maersk Alabama 's lifeboat on display at the Navy SEAL Museum (Photo: LDMerriam) Grabbing $30,000 in cash, the pirates took Captain Phillips and their captain with them as they boarded the Alabama 's 28-foot lifeboat and set out to sea. anything extra and your Piracy remained an issue in the regionthe Maersk Alabama herself was the target of four more pirate attacks between 2009 and 2011, each of which was repelled by armed security teams. The Maersk Alabama hijacking led to a series of maritime events that began on 9 April 2009, when four pirates in the Indian Ocean seized the U.S. cargo ship Maersk Alabama at a distance of 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) southeast of Eyl, Somalia. In Pictures. They worked for the Twitter auctioning its bird statue and other office trinkets, Need a new cookware set for the new year? [29], Muse, the surviving pirate, was held in USSBoxer's afloat brig and was eventually flown to the United States to stand trial. The incident received international attention, bringing the problem of modern-day piracy to many peoples attention for the first time. The only one that has made it to America now sits in an midwestern penitentiary. Massachusetts Maritime Academy. "not related to vessel operations or their duties as security On April 8, 2009, four pirates armed with AK-47s clambered up the side of the U.S.-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama, sailing off the coast of Somalia. But what has actually happened? While Phillips was widely portrayed as a hero, other crew members alleged that he failed to heed warnings and set a course that put them in danger. Maersk Crew Members Blame Capt. The hijacking "was a pretty classic piece of piracy," said retired British Army Colonel John Steed, who. Hoping to lift the country out of the crippling Great Depression, Congress allowed the president to use the funds at his discretion. From subsistence to raking in millions: how Somalis turned maritime piracy into a multi-million dollar industry Since 2005, piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping and commerce. [27] One of the pirates killed was Ali Aden Elmi, the last name of another was Hamac, and the third has not been identified in English-language press reports. As he signed off his last letter to me, P.S. Officials named the two men as Mark His daughter suffered from nightmares and said she was afraid that Muse would escape from prison and harm her. Robinson, who also bats second, homers in his first at-bat in Cleveland's 5-3 win. The pair engaged in a fight to the death. [1] )", AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | Union Crew Avoids Pirate Takeover, But Ship's Captain Held Hostage, "Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs care about 'Win Far'? Actually, the Buddhist tradition that celebrates his birthday on April 8 originally placed his birth in the 11th read more, On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruths legendary record of 714 homers. While Murphy continues his life as a mariner, another crewman that was on the Maersk Alabama when it was hijacked decided to pack it in shortly afterward. Throughout [his] early years, Abduwali [Muse] experienced a state of deprivation that is almost inconceivable in the United States, his lawyers wrote in a sentencing memorandum. [4] All four of the pirates were between 15 and 18 years old, according to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Get Our Top Shooting Drills and Zeroing Targets ($47 value - but FREE for a limited time). The act was unprecedented and read more, On April 8, 1994, rock star Kurt Cobain was found dead in his home in Seattle, Washington, with fresh injection marks in both arms and a fatal wound to the head from the 20-gauge shotgun found between his knees. Learn all the important stuff about handgunswith none of the attitude. Download Unionpedia on your Android device! Phillips gave his version of events in A Captains Duty (2010; cowritten with Stephan Talty), and the book was later adapted into the 2013 film Captain Phillips, which starred Tom Hanks in the title role. Weve got a dedicated section for the AR-15 here. It was a fire drill. At the time of the hijacking, Maersk Alabama was owned by the . [7], Later, after suffering in the overheated secure room for hours, the crew attempted to exchange the pirate whom they had captured for the captain, but the exchange went awry and the pirates refused to honor the agreement after the crew released their captive. Phillips story was made into a movie starring Tom Hanks. [12] CNN and Fox News quoted sources stating that the pirates' strategy was to await the arrival of additional hijacked vessels carrying more pirates and additional hostages to use as human shields. Although the crew finally repelled the attackers, Capt. Early the next morning, the destroyer USS Bainbridge and another U.S. Navy vessel arrived on the scene. On April 10 Phillips jumped overboard but was quickly recaptured. One of them, Maersk Alabama Third Engineer John Cronan, was unable to go back to work after the hijacking and ultimately lost his home to foreclosure. One of the pirates then accompanied another crew member to search for them, and he was ambushed and taken prisoner. After one of their number was injured fighting with the ships crew, the other three pirates fled in a lifeboat, taking Phillips with them in the hopes of using him as a bargaining chip. 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