Apr 12, 2009 1:26 pm US/Eastern
Report: U.S. Captain Rescued From Somali Pirates
American Capt. Richard Phillips Held Hostage For 14 Days; Crew Of Cargo Ship Docks Safely In Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya (CBS) ―
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Capt. Richard Phillips is seen in this undated file photo.
AP
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View of a pirate armed with a kalachnikov, on the boat the Tanit, taken on April 10, 2009, that was seized by Somali pirates on April 4.
ecpad/AFP/Getty Images
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The Maersk Alabama docks at a port in Kenya on April 11, 2009, with 19 American crew members. The cargo ship's captain was still being held by hostages.
CBS
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A U.S. Navy Seal makes his way on April 11, 2009, to escort the crew members aboard the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, which was attacked by Somali pirates days earlier.
CBS
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Capt. Richard Phillips, held hostage by Somali pirates.
AP
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Shane Murphy, seen in this undated file photo, is second in command on Maersk Alabama, according to his father.
WBZ
American Capt. Richard Phillips was freed from Somali pirates Sunday
after being held for 14 days in a lifeboat off the Horn of Africa,
according to a U.S. intelligence official.
The official told CNN that Phillips is uninjured and in good
condition, and that three of the four pirates were killed.
The high seas drama began Wednesday after Somali pirates tried to hijack the Maersk Alabama, a 17,000-ton U.S.-flagged cargo ship. Failing in their attempt, the four Somali pirates took Captain Richard Phillips hostage on a drifting lifeboat.
Days later, the pirates are not backing down. Yesterday they fired at a small Navy vessel that approached the lifeboat. No one was hurt.
Meanwhile, the remaining 19 crewmembers of the Maersk Alabama are now safe after the shipped pulled into port in Mombasa, Kenya last night. While they are being debriefed by officials, the sailors have to remain aboard the cargo ship.
Some crewmembers spoke to reporters just after docking. One unidentified crew member said he'd had no sleep in four days.
Captain Phillips surrendered to the pirates to keep his crew safe. They're calling him a hero.
"He saved our lives!"
second mate Ken Quinn, of Bradenton, Florida, declared from the
ship deck. "He's a hero."
"We appreciate his courage and know he will survive because he will
never give up," said Capt. Joseph Murphy, whose son is on the Maersk
Alabama.
ATM
Reza, a crew member who said he was first to see the pirates board the
U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama on Wednesday. described how the bandits
"came on with hooks and ropes and were firing in the air."
Recalling their ordeal, the crew told reporters that one of the pirates was taken to the engine room, where a crew member stabbed him in the hand with an ice pick and tied him up. Other sailors corroborated that story.
"We take hostage, their leader guy, the leader of them. He don't look like leader, small guy, very skinny," said one unidentified crew member. "When they take him he was very scared."
They hoped the remaining pirates would accept their leader's return in exchange for Phillips, but it didn't turn out that way.
Instead, the Somalis fled with Phillips to the lifeboat.
Phillips has been held hostage for 14 days.
U.S. warships and helicopters have been stalking the lifeboat. American officials have refrained from using any firepower in fear of bringing harm to Phillips
The U.S. Navy has assumed that the pirates would try to get the lifeboat to shore, even though the vessel apparently has no fuel and is drifting.
Phillips' crew were still on board the freighter on Sunday, moored at the quayside in Mombasa, whilst the FBI investigates the attack. They could bring federal charges against the pirates if they're captured in international waters.
The FBI is treating the ship as a crime scene … the crew won't be able to leave until they're questioned.
The shipping line said on Saturday it was not clear when they would be allowed home.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
CBS News Interactive: About Somalia
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