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{{Infobox terrorist attack
{{Infobox terrorist attack
| title = Action of 12 April 2009<br/>Part of [[War on Terror]]
| title = Action of April 12, 2009<br/>Part of [[War on Terror]]
| image = Lifeboat of the Maersk Alabama, after capture.jpg
| image = Lifeboat of the Maersk Alabama, after capture.jpg
| caption = The lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama is hoisted aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer to be processed for evidence.
| caption = The lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama is hoisted aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer to be processed for evidence.
| location = 240 miles off the [[Somalia]]n coast
| location = 240 miles off the [[Somalia]]n coast
| date = [[8 April]] [[2009]] - [[12 April]] [[2009]]
| date = April 8, 2009 – April 12, 2009
| timezone = [[East Africa Time|EAT]], [[UTC]] +3:00
| timezone = [[East Africa Time|EAT]], [[UTC]] +3:00
| type = Ship pirated, [[hostage crisis]]
| type = Ship pirated, [[hostage crisis]]
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{{Campaignbox Operation Enduring Freedom Horn of Africa}}
{{Campaignbox Operation Enduring Freedom Horn of Africa}}
The '''Maersk Alabama hijacking''' was a series of events involving piracy that began with four [[Piracy in Somalia|Somali pirates]] seizing the cargo ship {{MV|Maersk Alabama}} {{convert|240|nmi|km mi|lk=in}} southeast of the Somalia port city of [[Eyl]]. This event ended with the Action of 12 April 2009.<ref>{{cite web
The '''Maersk Alabama hijacking''' was a series of events involving piracy that began with four [[Piracy in Somalia|Somali pirates]] seizing the cargo ship {{MV|Maersk Alabama}} {{convert|240|nmi|km mi|lk=in}} southeast of the Somalia port city of [[Eyl]]. This event ended with the Action of April 12, 2009.<ref>{{cite web
|date= April 9, 2009
|date= April 9, 2009
|last= Sanders
|last= Sanders
|first= Edmund
|first= Edmund
|authorlink=
|authorlink=
|coauthors= Barnes, Julian E.
|coauthors= Barnes, Julian E.
|url= http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-somali-pirates9-2009apr09,0,4104857.story
|url= http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-somali-pirates9-2009apr09,0,4104857.story
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==Timeline of events==
==Timeline of events==
===Hijacking===
===Hijacking===
The ship, carrying a crew of 21 in addition to 17,000 [[metric ton]]s of cargo, was headed for Mombasa, Kenya. On 8 April 2009, four pirates boarded the ship, hijacking it in the process.<ref name=BBC7989474>{{cite news|title=Somali pirates hijack Danish ship |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7989474.stm|date= 2009-04-08|accessdate= 2009-04-08|publisher=BBC news}}</ref><ref name=CNN>{{cite news|title=Ship carrying 20 Americans believed hijacked off Somalia |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/08/ship.hijacked/index.html|date= 2009-04-09|accessdate= 2009-04-09|publisher=CNN}}</ref>
The ship, carrying a crew of 21 in addition to 17,000 [[metric ton]]s of cargo, was headed for Mombasa, Kenya. On April 8, 2009, four pirates boarded the ship, hijacking it in the process.<ref name=BBC7989474>{{cite news|title=Somali pirates hijack Danish ship |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7989474.stm|date= 2009-04-08|accessdate= 2009-04-08|publisher=BBC news}}</ref><ref name=CNN>{{cite news|title=Ship carrying 20 Americans believed hijacked off Somalia |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/08/ship.hijacked/index.html|date= 2009-04-09|accessdate= 2009-04-09|publisher=CNN}}</ref>


According to [[second mate]] Ken Quinn, who spoke by [[telephone]] to [[CNN]], the pirate's skiff overturned during boarding the ''Alabama'' early on Wednesday, April 8.<ref name = onlinewsj>{{Cite web
According to [[second mate]] Ken Quinn, who spoke by [[telephone]] to [[CNN]], the pirate's skiff overturned during boarding the ''Alabama'' early on Wednesday, April 8.<ref name = onlinewsj>{{Cite web
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| header = Stand-off
| header = Stand-off
| header_align = center
| header_align = center
| header_background =
| header_background =
| footer =
| footer =
| footer_align = left
| footer_align = left
| footer_background =
| footer_background =
| width =
| width =
| image1 = Web 090409-N-0000X-926.jpg
| image1 = Web 090409-N-0000X-926.jpg
| width1 = 200
| width1 = 200
Line 157: Line 157:
|publisher= [[The Washington Post]]
|publisher= [[The Washington Post]]
|accessdate= April 12, 2009
|accessdate= April 12, 2009
}}</ref> A fourth pirate, Abdul Wal-i-Musi,<ref name="Barrett">{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4Y1MnRroyL-xSWTNxV4XJMtDXBgD97JSHU00|title=Source: Captured Somali pirate to face trial in NY|last=Barrett|first=Devlin|coauthors=Hays, Tom|publisher=The Associated Press|date=April 16, 2009|accessdate=17 April 2009}}</ref> was aboard the USS ''Bainbridge'' negotiating a ransom and was taken into custody. Wal-i-Musi, believed to be under the age of 20, will be brought to New York for trial on unspecified charges.<ref name="Barrett" /> The U.S. Navy evacuated Captain Phillips via [[Rigid-hulled inflatable boat|RHIB boat]] to the USS ''Bainbridge'' and then flew him by helicopter to the USS ''Boxer'' for medical evaluation.<ref name="CNN04120901">{{cite web
}}</ref> A fourth pirate, Abdul Wal-i-Musi,<ref name="Barrett">{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4Y1MnRroyL-xSWTNxV4XJMtDXBgD97JSHU00|title=Source: Captured Somali pirate to face trial in NY|last=Barrett|first=Devlin|coauthors=Hays, Tom|publisher=The Associated Press|date=April 16, 2009|accessdate=April 17, 2009}}</ref> was aboard the USS ''Bainbridge'' negotiating a ransom and was taken into custody. Wal-i-Musi, believed to be under the age of 20, will be brought to New York for trial on unspecified charges.<ref name="Barrett" /> The U.S. Navy evacuated Captain Phillips via [[Rigid-hulled inflatable boat|RHIB boat]] to the USS ''Bainbridge'' and then flew him by helicopter to the USS ''Boxer'' for medical evaluation.<ref name="CNN04120901">{{cite web
|date= April 12, 2009
|date= April 12, 2009
|last= Verjee
|last= Verjee
Line 173: Line 173:
|publisher= [[BBC News]]
|publisher= [[BBC News]]
|accessdate= April 14, 2009
|accessdate= April 14, 2009
}}</ref> In response to the rescue, [[Somalia|Somali]] pirate commander [[Abdi Garad]] issued a threat to attack American interests in the region.<ref>{{cite news |
}}</ref> In response to the rescue, [[Somalia|Somali]] pirate commander [[Abdi Garad]] issued a threat to attack American interests in the region.<ref>{{cite news |
title = Pirates Issue New Threat Over US Hostage |
title = Pirates Issue New Threat Over US Hostage |
publisher = [[Sky News]] |
publisher = [[Sky News]] |

Revision as of 15:58, 18 April 2009

Action of April 12, 2009
Part of War on Terror
The lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama is hoisted aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer to be processed for evidence.
Location240 miles off the Somalian coast
DateApril 8, 2009 – April 12, 2009 (EAT, UTC +3:00)
Attack type
Ship pirated, hostage crisis
Deaths3 (Pirates) [1]
PerpetratorsSomali Pirates

The Maersk Alabama hijacking was a series of events involving piracy that began with four Somali pirates seizing the cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) southeast of the Somalia port city of Eyl. This event ended with the Action of April 12, 2009.[2] It was the sixth vessel in a week to be attacked by pirates who had previously extorted ransoms in the tens of millions of dollars. Although reported to be the first successful pirate seizure of a ship registered under the American flag since the Second Barbary War in 1815, other incidents had occurred as late as 1821.[3][4][5]

Ship background

See the MV Maersk Alabama article for more information.

Timeline of events

Hijacking

The ship, carrying a crew of 21 in addition to 17,000 metric tons of cargo, was headed for Mombasa, Kenya. On April 8, 2009, four pirates boarded the ship, hijacking it in the process.[6][7]

According to second mate Ken Quinn, who spoke by telephone to CNN, the pirate's skiff overturned during boarding the Alabama early on Wednesday, April 8.[8] As the pirates were boarding the ship, the crew members locked themselves in the engine room.


The crew soon used "brute force" to retake control of the ship, and overpowered the leader of the pirates.[8] The ship's captain, Richard Phillips, 53, surrendered himself to ensure his crew's safety. The crew attempted to trade the pirate they had captured and tied up for twelve hours[9] for the captain, but after the crew released their captive, the pirates refused to honor the agreement. They fled in one of the ship's covered lifeboats with nine days of food rations and took Phillips with them, as the crew had control of the ship's steering from the engine room.[10]

On April 8, 2009, the destroyer USS Bainbridge was dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in response to a hostage situation, and reached the Maersk Alabama early on April 9.[11]

The Alabama was then escorted from the scene under armed guard towards its original destination in Mombasa, Kenya.[citation needed] CNN and FOX 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.[12][13]

Rescue

Stand-off
The 28 foot lifeboat where Captain Richard Phillips and the 4 Somali pirates were held up as seen from a US Navy Scan Eagle UAV.
USS Bainbridge shadows the lifeboat, near the lower right corner of the picture.

As of April 9, 2009, a stand-off was established between the USS Bainbridge and the pirates' lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama, where they continued to hold the captain of the ship, Richard Phillips, hostage. The warship was several hundred yards away, with rescue helicopters and lifeboats, but kept its distance, out of the pirates' range of fire. A P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft was securing aerial footage. Radio communication between the two ships had been established. Four foreign vessels held by pirates were heading toward the lifeboat. A total of 54 hostages were on two of the ships, citizens of China, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Tuvalu, Indonesia and Taiwan.[14][15]

On April 10, 2009, Phillips attempted to escape from the lifeboat but was recaptured after the captors fired shots. The pirates then threw a phone—and a two-way radio dropped to them by the U.S. Navy—into the ocean, fearing the Americans were somehow using the equipment to give instructions to the captain. The pirates wanted a ransom and were ready to kill Phillips. The U.S. dispatched other warships, including the guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton, and the USS Boxer to the site off the Horn of Africa. The pirates' strategy was to link up with their comrades, who were holding Russian, German, Filipino and other hostages, and get Phillips to Somalia, where they could hide him, making it difficult to stage a rescue, giving the pirates more leverage and a stronger negotiating position. Anchoring near shore would allow them to land quickly if attacked. Negotiations were ongoing between the pirates and the captain of the Bainbridge, who was under the direction of FBI hostage negotiators. The captors were also communicating with other pirate vessels by satellite phone.[14]

However, negotiations broke down hours after the pirates fired on a small United States Navy vessel that had tried to approach the lifeboat not long after sunrise Saturday in the Indian Ocean. The American boat did not return fire and "did not want to escalate the situation".[16]

"We are safe and we are not afraid of the Americans. We will defend ourselves if attacked", one of the pirates told Reuters by satellite phone. Phillips' family had gathered at his farmhouse in Vermont.[1]

File:090412-N-XXXXN-001.jpg
Captain Phillips (right) with Commander Frank Castellano of the USS Bainbridge after being rescued

On Saturday, April 11, 2009, the Maersk Alabama arrived in the port of Mombasa, Kenya under U.S. military escort. An 18-man security team was on board.[11] The FBI secured the ship as a crime scene.[17]

Commander Castellano 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 Bainbridge.[18]

On Sunday, April 12, 2009, Capt. Richard Phillips was rescued, reportedly in good condition, from his pirate captors.[19][20] The commander of United States Fifth Fleet Vice Admiral William E. Gortney reported the rescue began when Commander Frank Castellano, captain of the Bainbridge, determined that Phillips' life was in imminent danger and ordered the action. President Barack Obama had previously given standing orders to take action if it was determined Phillips' life was in immediate danger.[21][22] The Vice Admiral reported that U.S. Navy SEAL snipers, reportedly from SEAL Team Six[23], on the Bainbridge's fantail opened fire and killed the three pirates remaining in the lifeboat with a simultaneous volley of three shots. The SEALs had arrived Friday afternoon after being parachuted into the water near the Halyburton, a guided missile frigate, which later joined with the Bainbridge. [8] At the time, the Bainbridge had the lifeboat under tow, approximately 25 to 30 yards astern.[24] A fourth pirate, Abdul Wal-i-Musi,[25] was aboard the USS Bainbridge negotiating a ransom and was taken into custody. Wal-i-Musi, believed to be under the age of 20, will be brought to New York for trial on unspecified charges.[25] The U.S. Navy evacuated Captain Phillips via RHIB boat to the USS Bainbridge and then flew him by helicopter to the USS Boxer for medical evaluation.[19][20] In response to the rescue, Somali pirate commander Abdi Garad issued a threat to attack American interests in the region.[26]

Captain Richard Phillips

Phillips met his future wife, Andrea Coggio, in Boston. The couple married in 1987 and have two children, Mariah and Danny. Phillips and his family reside in Underhill, Vermont.

Phillips is an 1979 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

He became captain of the MV Maersk Alabama in 2009.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MV Maersk Alabama.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Rice, Xan (April 10, 2009). "Somali pirates vow to take on US military might if attacked". The Guardian. Retrieved April 12, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Sanders, Edmund (April 9, 2009). "Somalia pirates hold U.S. captain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Americans take back cargo ship Maersk Alabama after it was hijacked by Somali pirates". New York Daily News. April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  4. ^ Davis, William. The pirates Laffite. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 457. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Porter, David. Memoir of Commodore David Porter. p. 291. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ "Somali pirates hijack Danish ship". BBC news. 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  7. ^ "Ship carrying 20 Americans believed hijacked off Somalia". CNN. 2009-04-09. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  8. ^ a b c Cummins, Chip; Childress, Sarah (2009). "On the Maersk: 'I Hope if I Die, I Die a Brave Person'". Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  9. ^ "Africa | FBI in hostage talks with Somalis". BBC News. 2009-04-09. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  10. ^ "Cargo ship heads for Kenya". 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2009-04-09. {{cite news}}: Text "work CNN]]" ignored (help)
  11. ^ a b "U.S. Warship Shadows Somali Pirates With Hostage". The Associated Press. April 9, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  12. ^ McKenzie, David (April 10, 2009). "Pirates raising the stakes". CNN. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  13. ^ "14 ships, 260 crew held by Somali pirates". The Associated Press. April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  14. ^ a b Houreld, Katharine (April 10, 2009). "Pirates recapture US hostage after escape attempt". The Associated Press. Retrieved April 12, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "Pirates Hold American Captain Hostage; Negotiations Continue for Release". The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. April 9, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  16. ^ Kovaleski, Serge F. (April 11, 2009). "Negotiations Break Down in Standoff With Pirates". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "WRAPUP 10-U.S. Navy rescues captain, kills Somali pirates". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. 2009-04-12. Retrieved http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1134689120090412?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10112. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); External link in |accessdate= (help)
  18. ^ "Commander Castellano interviewed by Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News". MSNBC. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  19. ^ a b Verjee, Zain (April 12, 2009). "Captain jumps overboard, SEALs shoot pirates, official says". CNN. Retrieved April 12, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ a b "US captain held by pirates freed". BBC News. April 12, 2009. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  21. ^ "Official: US sea captain faced imminent danger". Associated Press. April 12, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  22. ^ Mikkelsen, Randall (April 12, 2009). "US acted after pirates aimed at ship captain". Reuters. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  23. ^ Gaskell, Stephanie (2009-04-14). "Three Navy SEALS freed Capt. Phillips from pirates with simultaneous shots from 100 feet away". NY Daily News. New York Daily News. Retrieved 2009-04-16. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ McCrummen, Stephanie (April 12, 2009). "U.S. Ship Captain Rescued From Pirates by Navy Seals". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 12, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ a b Barrett, Devlin (April 16, 2009). "Source: Captured Somali pirate to face trial in NY". The Associated Press. Retrieved April 17, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "Pirates Issue New Threat Over US Hostage". Sky News. 2009-04-11. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
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