who are the people involved in this Somali Pirates Hijack Ship 20?
Somali Pirates Hijack Ship With 20 Americans On Board KATHARINE HOURELD | April 8, 2009 10:29 PM EST | AP NAIROBI, Kenya — In a riveting high-seas drama, an unarmed American crew wrested control of their U.S.-flagged cargo ship from Somali pirates Wednesday and sent them fleeing to a lifeboat with the captain as hostage. The destroyer USS Bainbridge, one of a half dozen warships that headed for the area, arrived at the scene Thursday morning a few hours before dawn, said Kevin Speers, a spokesman for the company that owns the Maersk Alabama. He said the boat with the pirates was floating near the ship, the first with an American crew to be taken by pirates off the Horn of Africa. Speers said officials were waiting to see what happens when the sun comes up. Crew members had been negotiating with the pirates Wednesday for the return of the captain. A family member said Capt. Richard Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of the crew. “What I understand is that h
