Tweet
Capt. Richard Phillips jumps overboard but is pulled back by his captors, officials say. Military officials at the scene are attempting to keep other vessels away.
By Julian E. Barnes
April 10, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- The American captain of a cargo ship who is being held captive by Somali pirates on a lifeboat tried to escape by jumping overboard but was recaptured a short time later, a U.S. official said today.
Capt. Richard Phillips, who was taken by the pirates on Wednesday in a failed effort to seize the Maersk Alabama, jumped out of the lifeboat and attempted to swim to safety. He may have been trying to reach one of the nearby U.S. Navy ships keeping watch.
Officials said they had heard, but could not confirm, reports that one of his captors jumped into the water after him, and that Phillips was pulled back into the lifeboat.
U.S. military officials on the scene observed him moving about on the lifeboat after he was recaptured, and he appeared to be unharmed.
The official also said that reports of dozens of other pirate ships approaching the lifeboat was an "overstatement," although officials did not dispute that some vessels had left Somali ports.
Keeping other pirate vessels away from the craft is key to the U.S. strategy. Defense officials believe their negotiating position will grow stronger as the pirates run low on supplies. Officials will probably try to prevent the pirates from moving to another vessel or halt any ship from re-supplying the lifeboat.
There are now two large naval vessels in the area, the destroyer Bainbridge and the frigate Halliburton. But the Navy did not appear to have a smaller boat in the water near the lifeboat at the time of the escape.
Bryan G. Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to answer questions about the escape attempt or confirm that it occurred. Asked why the Navy had not had smaller boats in the water to assist the captain during the rescue attempt, Whitman said that was an "oversimplification."
"People can second-guess the activities task force out there, but this is a vast body of water," Whitman said. "To operate in those waters and to be able to maneuver around, you need vessels that can move distances and have staying power."
julian.barnes@latimes.com
By Julian E. Barnes
April 10, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- The American captain of a cargo ship who is being held captive by Somali pirates on a lifeboat tried to escape by jumping overboard but was recaptured a short time later, a U.S. official said today.
Capt. Richard Phillips, who was taken by the pirates on Wednesday in a failed effort to seize the Maersk Alabama, jumped out of the lifeboat and attempted to swim to safety. He may have been trying to reach one of the nearby U.S. Navy ships keeping watch.
Officials said they had heard, but could not confirm, reports that one of his captors jumped into the water after him, and that Phillips was pulled back into the lifeboat.
U.S. military officials on the scene observed him moving about on the lifeboat after he was recaptured, and he appeared to be unharmed.
The official also said that reports of dozens of other pirate ships approaching the lifeboat was an "overstatement," although officials did not dispute that some vessels had left Somali ports.
Keeping other pirate vessels away from the craft is key to the U.S. strategy. Defense officials believe their negotiating position will grow stronger as the pirates run low on supplies. Officials will probably try to prevent the pirates from moving to another vessel or halt any ship from re-supplying the lifeboat.
There are now two large naval vessels in the area, the destroyer Bainbridge and the frigate Halliburton. But the Navy did not appear to have a smaller boat in the water near the lifeboat at the time of the escape.
Bryan G. Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to answer questions about the escape attempt or confirm that it occurred. Asked why the Navy had not had smaller boats in the water to assist the captain during the rescue attempt, Whitman said that was an "oversimplification."
"People can second-guess the activities task force out there, but this is a vast body of water," Whitman said. "To operate in those waters and to be able to maneuver around, you need vessels that can move distances and have staying power."
julian.barnes@latimes.com
Comment