#Captain phillips real story how to
#Captain phillips real story movie
#Captain phillips real story code

Phillips got them started in the lifeboat and the crew released the pirate leader but Phillips was still not released. He agreed to help launch the remaining three pirates in the lifeboat, after which he would be swapped for the pirate leader being held by the crew. Talks began and Phillips knew the key was to get the pirates off the ship. When the leader of the pirates went to search for the crew, they captured him and held him hostage.

#Captain phillips real story code

Phillips proceeded with the order but did not include the code word needed to ensure the order was obeyed the ship remained dead in the water. The pirates threatened to kill the captain if he didn't order the crew to start the engine. Phillips knew that at sea, 'you can't count on someone coming to your rescue.' Acting according to their training, the crew shut down the ship. 'Now there was no way for them to get off and they were more desperate.' 'One by one each of the four climbed aboard and then their skiff sank,' Phillips said. As they began to shoot off rocket propelled flares from the bridge, the pirates answered by firing AK 47s.Īs the skiff closed on the port side of the ship, they first bounced off and then were able to raise a ladder and start climbing up the side. Three crew remained on the bridge: the captain, the third mate and a sailor. 'We maneuvered and they maneuvered.' The emotions of the crew ranged from 'concerned to terrified,' Phillips recalled.Īfter calls to the US Piracy Center went unanswered and the distance between the pirates and the Maersk shrank, the alarm was sounded and the crew retreated into the ship behind locked doors, as they had planned.

'We changed course and they changed course,' Phillips recalled. a small boat was spotted behind them going 23 knots and gaining distance on the Maersk Alabama, which was traveling at 18 knots. The morning of April 8 dawned calm and beautiful, Phillips recalled, 'a perfect piracy day.' At 6:45 a.m. The ship was off the coast of Somalia, an area known for frequent pirate activity. There was some grumbling, but later everyone was happy we took the time to plan for the worst,' he recalled. 'We talked it through and came up with a backup plan that everyone seemed to get.

#Captain phillips real story how to

'Some crew didn't know how to sound the alarm, others didn't know passwords,' he said. The test lasted 15 minutes, and uncovered some issues. He arrived onboard the MV Maersk Alabama, with its crew of 20, in early April 2009, having sailed the route off the west coast of Africa for four years, and quickly realized the security on board was 'not what it should be.' On the morning of April 7, he decided to surprise the crew with a safety drill, positing a scenario where 'a small boat with four armed guys' was approaching the ship. His schedule involved 90 days on a ship and 90 days off, with a mission to ensure 'the safety of the crew, the ship and the cargo, in that order,' he said. The book reached the New York Times Best Seller list and became 'Captain Phillips' starring Tom Hanks, which received several Academy Award nominations.Ī 1979 graduate of the Maritime Academy, Phillips rose through the ranks, gaining experience along the way, and in 1991 he qualified to sail as a captain. Phillips wrote “A Captain’s Duty” to tell his story.

The incident held the world’s attention for five days, ending in his climactic rescue by US Navy SEALs from the USS Bainbridge. Phillips became the center of an extraordinary international drama when he was taken hostage by the pirates who attacked his ship. The now-famous hostage standoff began on Wednesday, Apwhen a small band of Somali pirates swung a ladder from their skiff onto the MV Maersk Alabama, a US-flagged container ship ferrying food aid to refugees in Kenya.

#Captain phillips real story movie

Richard Phillips, the former Captain of the MV Maersk Alabama and the titular subject of the movie 'Captain Phillips,' recounted his “bad day” experience and lessons learned as the guest speaker in an Ed Fouhy Speaker Series program presented by the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center Thursday night at the Mass Maritime Academy. You know you've had an exceptionally bad day at work when the experience is covered by worldwide media, you are held hostage at gun point and the outcome results in a gripping movie featuring piracy on the high seas.