In their New York Times piece Navy Tracking Pirates and Their U.S. Hostage, Mark Mazzetti and Mark McDonald write:
In this case, however, the crew of the Alabama managed to disable the ship at about the time the pirates came on board, according to a senior American military official. The four hijackers, apparently overrun by the ship’s crew, then loaded the captain into a lifeboat, shoved off from the Alabama and began negotiating for his release.
American officials praised the crew’s decision to disable the ship. The Alabama’s second in command, Capt. Shane Murphy, is the son of an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy who teaches a course on how to repel pirate attacks.
Capt. Murphy, with a specialty in unexpected situations, brings to mind Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, hero of flight 1549, who is an airline safety expert. This incident also echoes another flight — United
Airlines flight 93 on 9/11, when the passengers apparently thwarted the hijackers’ aims.
Meanwhile, the Alabama hijackers, in a lifeboat with the hostage captain and with a U.S. destroyer tracking them, are not exactly dealing from a position of power. Still, they’ll no doubt get something out of it, just a smaller ransom than these pirates have been accustomed to.
For a comprehensive survey of Somalian piracy, the New Atlanticist has compiled all its articles on the subject in this post: Somali Pirates Capture U.S. Vessel, World Attention.
More at Memeorandum, too.
Related posts (automated):
- Press overuses anonymous military sources in Phillips’ rescue
- Avast! Tis Talk Like a Pirate Day 2008!
- What the rockets’ red glare wrought one July 4th holiday
Print This Post
I would probably try to do something myself, in their situation. However, is it not, as reported elsewhere, Maersk policy to go to a “safe room” and wait things out? The safe room thing does not sound like such a great option when you consider that there are ships the somali pirates have been holding since October. That is a long time to be holed up in a small room with a bunch of other sweaty
and none too happy dudes.
Yeah I agree, thats why I had to Scooby-Doo those kids, I wasn’t gonna sit there and wait for Hilary and Barrack to end their pissing match while I rot and my kids go hungry. Keep lookin up yo, Go Bama, Roll Tide,
Capt. Shane M. Murphy