RSSBREAKING: American Capt. Richard Phillips Rescued … Pirates Dead in Davy Jones Locker
FREED!!!
It is being reported at CNN, that the American Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama who has been held hostage by Somali pirates since Wednesday has been freed. It is also being reported that 3 of the 4 pirates have been killed and will be residing in Davy Jones’ locker. The other pirate is in custody.
American Captain Richard Phillips Free
The captain of the Maersk Alabama was freed Sunday after being held captive since Wednesday by pirates off the coast of Somalia, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told CNN.
The official said Capt. Richard Phillips is uninjured and in good condition, and that three of the four pirates were killed. The fourth pirate is in custody. Phillips was taken aboard the USS Bainbridge, a nearby naval warship.
VT town’s prayers are answered on Easter Sunday
UPDATE I: As reported at MSNBC, there was a swift firefight off the Somali coast on Sunday. Hostage Richard Phillips was not hurt; however, 3 pirates were killed and one was taken into custody. Richard Phillips was safely transported to a Navy warship nearby.
UPDATE II: When Negotiations with Pirates Break Down, Bring in The U.S. Navy & U.S. Marine Corps.
As Atlas Shrugs stated, so much for the FBI crime scene … Hello Navy & Marines.
What was needed to negotiate with pirates was Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element. It would appear that finally The US Navy & Marines took a page from Mr. Willis and not the FBI.
SEND SOMEONE TO NEGOTIATE – THE FIFTH ELEMENT
UPDATE III: From Hot Air, Second Times a Charm
Captain Richard Phillips jumped overboard again, and this time, the Navy was ready to do some negotiating of their own and killed the pirates. Great work, Navy! Once again it just goes to prove, the best negotiator is a Navy Seal. Blue Crab Boulevard is surprised at Obama gave the order. How bad would Obama have looked if Phillips made two attempts to flee and the US Navy sat on their hands and did nothing? Once was bad enough.
A special shout out and tremendous kudos to Captain Richard Phillips, a true American hero. He sacrificed himself for his crew and persevered his ordeal. Not once, but twice he attempted to escape his captors and on Easter Sunday, a day of eternal hope, he was provided the gift of freedom.
UPDATE IV: When the USA Needs to Negotiate … Just say NAVY SEALS
An American ship captain was freed unharmed Sunday and three of the pirates who held him for days in a lifeboat off the Somali coast were killed in a operation by U.S. Navy Seals that was approved by President Barack Obama, officials said.
From the reaction of the pirates, I would tend to think that any hostage taken might mean they are in imminent danger. One would think that if one had a gun pointed at them they would be in continued imminent danger. Personally, the fact that one is in danger would be good enough for me to have the SEAL’s do their job. Having a heroic individual like Richard’s life hang in the balance on the definition of what is, is does not suffice.
A U.S. Navy commander made a split-second decision to fire on the pirates because he believed that Phillips, who tried to escape on Friday, faced imminent danger amid tense hostage talks with his captors and deteriorating sea conditions.
“They were pointing the AK-47s at the captain,” Vice Admiral William Gortney, head of the U.S. Naval Central Command, said in a Pentagon briefing from Bahrain.
“The on-scene commander took it as the captain was in imminent danger and then made that decision (to kill the pirates) and he had the authorities to make that decision and he had seconds to make that decision.”
President Barack Obama granted the Pentagon’s request for standing authority to use appropriate force to save the life of the captain, Gortney said.
UPDATE V: How the Rescue Went Sown from Milblogger Black Five
The officials say Obama ordered the Defense Department to use military resources to rescue Richard Phillips from a lifeboat off the Somali coast.
He did affirm the military’s authorization to use force if the captain’s life was in danger, but they already would have had that authorization as part of their standard rules of engagement.
Since I already explained that Obama’s part in this was apparently to reinforce the authority already possessed by the on scene commander. Matter of fact if there was a second communication with the President it nay have been because his first order actually restricted them from taking action i.e. why nothing happened when Phillips made his escape attempt. Regardless, Obama did not order a rescue and I kinda doubt he would have.
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Comments
29 Responses to “BREAKING: American Capt. Richard Phillips Rescued … Pirates Dead in Davy Jones Locker”
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Good News. Glad to hear he’s free and those stinkin pirates are where they belong.
I think they might check out the flag the ship is flying before they try and attack the next boat.
Just two words to say … NAVY SEALS!!!
R
what a wonderful change of pace this whole incident has been. americans being americans. a brilliant and heroic episode to overcome the black hole of ultra-liberal poppycock we’ve been exposed to since obama took over the news.
dennisintn
Sounds like someone did some rat killing.
Should never have happened in the first place. Break out the 50 cal and put a bullet through their boat so they can swim home.
Check out the new video, looks like they hired Bruce Willis to negotiate.
R
HOO-YAH !!!! You go Capt Phillips!! Our prayers were answered…thank you Lord!!! Thank you Navy Seals!!!! HOO-YAH
American military at it’s best!
Kudos to the Navy, our Commander in Chief, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and anyone else involved in this textbook rescue!
#8 – Indeed!
Captain of Maersk Alabama freed safely, 3 Somali t…
The standoff with the Somali jihad pirates has ended with the hostage rescued safely:…
What’s next … Obama apologizing to the pirates for the use of excessive force.
It is pretty sad when at the press conference the military had to emphasize that the Phillips was really in “imminent” danger.
Because if he was only in danger then I guess the LEFT and the liberal MSM would be asking for the SEAL’s to be brought up on war crimes.
R
#12, don’t relax yet. it could still happen. don’t ever think the far left is too smart to do something stupid like that.
dennisintn
Does any one know if urin vandercrap was one of the pirates ??? I heard that was his new gig.
C’mon “R,” don’t you think you’re being ridiculous. I mean, could you possibly be more petty than to disect the phrase “imminent danger” to put a right wing spin on it. Obama gave the go-ahead to use force on Friday. They waited until the timing was right and pulled it off to perfection. Can’t Americans unite on this one?
_______
SM: Dude, maybe you should come on. You think I am the one dissecting the phrase, “imminent danger”? Dude, you need to buy a vowel or get a clue. There is a reason why the Navy could not have acted if Richard Phillips was just in danger.
If this was you or your family member would you want #1 or #2 to occur? There is a reason why the SEAL’s did not act until after the negotiations broke off.
Do not even begin to explain that the option was on the table the entire time. If it were they would have blown the pirates out of the water when Phillips made a break for it the first time.
1. The Obama Admin and FBI to negotiate indefinitely as your ass drifts closer and closer the the Somali shore when once you hit land you are a dead man.
2. Your fate be in the hands of trained Navy Seals?
Personally, I want #2. The idea of even negotiating with pirates astounds me. They are friggin pirates.
I applaud Obama for calling the shot to saying it was ok to shoot. My point is the definition of imminent danger vs. danger. The captain was in imminent danger the minute he was taken hostage. Even more so after he jumped in the water and tried to escape, then was recaptured as no one acted fast enough.
I would have liked if the MSM asked the question whether they had the OK to use force then.
However, I am happy that he is safe. He is a hero. He put himself before his men.
I would question any govt how they handle these situations. Go in like you mean it and shoot to kill. I am tired of wars and battles being run by lawyers and politicians.
R
First of all, the lifeboat was not drifting closer and closer to the Somali shore. They had already secured a line to it and were towing it away from land.
I think the situation was handled perfectly. The captain was rescued unharmed and the pirates were all either killed or captured; none escaped. If they had opened fire at the wrong time (i.e, when they didn’t have the clear shot), the captain surely would have been killed. On the other hand, as long as the Navy waited them out, the pirates got more and more desparate, as their supplies were already running low. Looks like a waiting game paid off, because the pirates let down their guard (fatal mistake) and the Navy moved with swift precision. Kind of takes the wind out of the sails (nautical pun intended) of those who thought that the Obama administration would be weak on military decisions.
All you hyperbole about leftists and the liberal media was just rhetoric, I presume.
PIRATES????,PIRATES?????,I think back to the Indy coach,PLAYOFFS????,PLAYOFFS???? W.T.F.Please don’t tell me about pirates!! How hard can this be to solve??If we can’t handle some f-ing pirates,we are in trouble. PIRATES????????
R, What is the deal, man? You remind me of Keith Olbermann – only without the talent. I got so sick of KO that I literally couldn’t stomach watching him. NOTHING George Bush did was worthy of anything but smugness and ridicule. And you’re the same way with Obama. This particular incident was handled to PERFECTION by everyone involved – including the President. But noooooooooooo! You gotta squeal and holler and MSM this and left wing that. Goofy! Just goofy. If this had turned out like the debacle in the desert a few decades back, it would have been 110% Obama’s fault according to you. Man! I’ll tell you one damn thing – I’m glad it wasn’t YOUR finger on the trigger, or the captain would probably be coming home in a box. I say congratulations to the captain, the Seals, the Navy, and the President; and God bless the USA!
Now, what we need to do, is put on a happy song
real loud over the chopper speakers…
Something light and bubbly, like Stevie Wonder’s
“You Are The Sunshine Of My Life”
…and raze dem snarley flip flop wearin’ AK totin’ sons-muh-bishes.
Napalm and a rain of machine gun shells!!!
I would like to dub it the “No Pirate Left Behind Act of 2009.”
HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!
#16, I will defer to a Milblogger over your version. Sorry.
From Black Five, one of the best Milbloggers on the internet, if not the best:
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2009/04/how-the-rescue-happened.html
#20, whatever!
You just can’t bring yourself to admit that all your panic-stricken cries during the Presidential campaign about compromising our national security were for naught. This little demonstration of leadsership and resolve should send a loud and clear message to the entire region. Next time they see the U.S. flag, they should hear it shouting, “Don’t Tread On Me!”
No 21, it’s whatever to you.
BTW, since when does the LEFT like SEALS?
What took Obama so long to make the call?
http://macsmind.com/wordpress/2009/04/12/what-took-obama-so-long-to-make-the-call/
But why the delay? And why not when Philips was spotted by a Navy drone trying to escape on Friday? The Navy could have executed the rescue during the escape but could not get an OK via a source close to the action.
So action is better than no action, I wouldn’t call this anything but a dangerous indication that President Obama – in a crisis – is slow to action.
Okay Guys,Obama inherited a bad economy. He did not inherit piracy. Obama needs to stop this rediculas threat NOW!!!! PIRATES?!?!?!?! WTF
Dotratc, Give it up, buddy. This guy is either 13 years old or 40 & living with his mom. His comment about “since when does the LEFT like SEALS” is probably the most inane and inappropriate response I’ve ever seen.
Dear SM,
IMO captain’s life and his entire crew was in imminent danger from the time the pirates targeted his ship for attack.
I do wish the SEALS had been able to pick off the pirates when Phillips tried to swim off the first time, but we cannot know why they weren’t able to pull of the shots.
If Obama and Hitlary are as concerned about pirates as they claim, should be made mandatory American vessels be armed sufficiently to ward off pirates. These pirates brazenly declared they do not fear the Americans…which may be true. But if our current administration makes it clear this is how it will be should you attack one of our ships…no doubt they’ll figure out it’s best to avoid our ships!
#22, I’m sure that Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are also highly critical of the flawless rescue mission executed by our Navy.
Why is it the pirate folk in Somalia are surprised? Avast! A pirate does not die of old age! A cutlass through the guts from an overly brave crew, a navy bullet or cannonball, dead from too much drink or swingin’ at the end of a rope is all a pirate can expect.
Now the game is changin’, maybe more crews will be brave-or–(shudder)be armed! Maybe some of those naval heckilopters will shoot at the poor fishermen armed with RPG’s when they dunna stop! Maybe even the top pirate officials in the pirate towns of Puntland will get a visit from a Predator.
If President Obama parachuted in and killed the pirates himself #22 would find fault.
Brenda, most ships are not using a big navy flag. more Panama or other obscure countries.
also they don’t do it because of the escalation of violence that will happen.
besides, they have to fix Somalie first, the mess there is the biggest problem