Red Hook

EXCLUSIVE: Eagle tours USS Bainbridge, ship that rescued Captain Phillips from Somali pirates

May 27, 2016 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The USS Bainbridge (left) next to the USS Farragut. Eagle photos by Scott Enman
Share this:

One of the—if not the most—prestigious and famed naval ships in the U.S. Navy’s history docked at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook on Wednesday for Fleet Week New York.

The ship is none other than the USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that was the key ship involved in the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage by Somali pirates in April of 2009.

The story goes that on April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates hijacked the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama container ship off the Somali port city of Eyl. After the Maersk Alabama crew miraculously overpowered the pirates, the freebooters kidnapped Phillips as a bargaining chip and absconded in a lifeboat.

The USS Bainbridge was one of two ships to respond to the hostage situation.

Subscribe to our newsletters

For three tense days, the pirates held Phillips hostage. On April 12, U.S. Navy SEAL snipers on the USS Bainbridge’s fantail opened fired on the lifeboat, adroitly killing the three pirates through minuscule windows in the lifeboat’s side.

Phillips was successfully rescued and was miraculously in good condition.

The heroic rescue mission was documented in the 2013 biographical survival thriller film “Captain Phillips,” which starred Tom Hanks as Phillips.

On Friday, the Brooklyn Eagle had the pleasure of boarding this illustrious vessel and receiving a tour of the ship. As the warm, late May sun glistened on the ship, we were transported back to one of the most heroic feats in U.S. armed forces history.

Lt. Pia Chapman who is stationed on the USS Bainbridge spoke to the Eagle in the wardroom about the historical significance of the ship.

“The Bainbridge is definitely a historical ship,” Chapman said. “The Bainbridge is a destroyer, which are the workhorses of the Navy. They are multi-mission platforms that are heavily in demand and go out and do missions from surface warfare to anti-piracy to search and rescue missions.

“The Captain Phillips rescue definitely showcased the different things the Navy can do and showed how even in unpredictable circumstances, the Navy is able to answer the call, go over and stabilize an unstable situation and be on station for long periods of time,” Chapman continued. “It shows why we are the deployed force of the high seas. Not too many navies do it the way we do it and because of our presence forward, we were able to help save lives that day.”


Leave a Comment


Leave a Comment