NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A merchant sea captain who was captured and held by Somali pirates has thanked the U.S. Navy crew and captain who were part of his daring rescue.
Richard Phillips stood Thursday on the fantail of the USS Bainbridge during the reunion with the skipper, Frank X. Castellano, and crew. The guided-missile destroyer was berthed in the Elizabeth River in downtown Norfolk.
Richards called the Navy the real heroes in the high seas drama.
U.S. special forces snipers ended Phillips' captivity in April with three pinpoint shots that killed three pirates in the lifeboat where the New England mariner had been held for five days.
Wednesday, Somali pirates attacked Phillips' old ship, the Maersk Alabama, for the second time in seven months but were turned away.
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