Somali Pirates Killed as Captain Phillips Successfully Escapes

CNN broke the story of Captain Richard Phillips' escape from the Somali pirates at around 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

If ever there existed a series of events that said "ideal for movie," the events that transpired since Wednesday, April 8, in the Indian Ocean fit the bill. The story of Captain Richard Phillips and the crew of the Maersk Alabama is one to be told on film. It is a story of bravery and heroism. It is a story of pirates. And who doesn't like a story about pirates? Especially when the good guys win the day?

Using time as an ally, Captain Phillips waited until his Somali captors had grown tired, lethargic, apathetic toward their situation. On Sunday he jumped over the side of the lifeboat he has been held hostage within for the past five days. It was the second time he had attempted to escape, having tried once before the day after the Somali pirates had unsuccessfully tried to take his ship. He had gotten only a few yards before gunshots forced him to end his first attempt.

His ship, the Maersk Alabama, a container ship loaded with food aid for Somalia, had been stormed by pirates the day before. The crew had managed to retake the ship, including overpowering and restraining one gunman, but in the process lost crew members as hostages. Captain Richard Phillips then negotiated an exchange, himself for his crewmen. He then traded places in the lifeboat. That was the situation when the USS Bainbridge, a U. S. Navy missile cruiser, arrived on the scene.

As the USS Bainbridge kept a watchful eye on the lifeboat and attempted to negotiate the captain's release, the Maersk Alabama continued on to Mombasa, Kenya. Arriving in port on Saturday, the FBI boarded, establishing the ship as a crime scene. The crew seemed more than happy to cooperate. One crewman yelled out that Captain Phillips was a hero.

And indeed he has shown himself to be. Taking advantage of his captors' growing inattention, he jumped into the water Sunday and began swimming. Servicemen watching the lifeboat in anticipation of just such a opening, converged on the lifeboat, shooting as they came. When it was all over, Captain Richard Phillips was safe aboard the USS Bainbridge. Three Somali pirates had been killed. One was taken into custody.

And that is the storyline of a great movie. And the producers will not even have to use the disclaimer "based on a true story." This was a true happening. A real story. Piracy on the high seas. The taking of a ship. The retaking of a ship. The selfless act of sacrifice by a captain for his fellow crewmen. An attempted escape. The uncertainty of negotiations and waiting under the guns of a massive American warship. The second escape attempt. The deadly finale and success.

The true story of Captain Phillips and the crew of the Maersk Alabama is definitely destined to be made into a movie.

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Sources:

CNN Television

CNN.com