Cargo ship crew blames captain for pirate attack

Sometimes I do think think word hero is thrown around a bit much. What glory awaited the Captain for his risk, not freedom or glory, but efficiency and perhaps a fat bonus?

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Maersk-Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips (R) stands alongside Cmdr. Frank Castellano, commanding officer of USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) after being rescued by U.S Naval Forces April 12, 2009 off the coast of Somalia. Three of the Somali pirates were killed and one captured in the firefight that freed Philips, who was held hostage for five days.

Cargo ship crew blames captain for pirate attack

AP  |  Dec 3, 2009

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Some crewmen who were aboard the American cargo ship hijacked by pirates last April now say their captain ignored repeated warnings to stay at least 600 miles off the African coast.

Records obtained by The Associated Press show that maritime safety groups issued at least seven advisories warning of pirate attacks in the days before outlaws boarded the Maersk Alabama in the Gulf of Aden, about 380 miles offshore.

A piracy expert and the ship’s second-in-command say Captain Richard Phillips had the prerogative to heed the warnings or not.

Phillips, who lives in Underhill, declined to comment on the allegation.