Richard Phillips (born May 16, 1955) is an American merchant mariner and author who served as captain of the MV Maersk Alabama during its hijacking by Somali pirates in April 2009.Phillips was born in Massachusetts , and graduated from Winchester High School in 1973. Phillips enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and planned to study international law but transferred to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, from which he graduated in 1979. During his schooling, Phillips worked as a taxi driver in Boston. On April 7, 2009, the U.S. Maritime Administration, following NATO advisories, released a Somalia Gulf of Aden "advisory to mariners" recommending ships to stay at least 600 nautical miles (1,100 km; 690 mi) off Somalia's coast of east Africa. With these advisories in effect, on April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates boarded the Maersk Alabama when it was located around 300 nmi (560 km) southeast of the Somalian port city of Eyl. With a crew of 20, the ship departed from Salalah, Oman en route to Mombasa, Kenya. The ship was carrying 17,000 metric tons of cargo, of which 5,000 metric tons were relief supplies bound for Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. "In that area of the world, any blip on your radar is of concern," said Phillips, "I always told my crew it was a matter of when, not if." On April 9, a standoff began between the Bainbridge and the pirates in the Maersk Alabama's lifeboat, where they continued to hold Phillips hostage. Three days later, on Sunday, April 12, U.S. Navy marksmen from DEVGRU (formerly known as SEAL Team Six) opened fire and killed the three pirates on the lifeboat, and Phillips was rescued. The Bainbridge captain Commander Frank Castellano ordered the action after determining that Phillips' life was in immediate danger, based on reports that a pirate was pointing an AK-47 automatic rifle at his back. Navy SEAL snipers on Bainbridge's fantail opened fire, killing the three pirates with bullets to the head; one of the pirates was named Ali Aden Elmi, another's last name was Hamac, and the third remains unidentified. A fourth pirate, Abduwali Muse, aboard the Bainbridge and speaking with military negotiators while being treated for an injury sustained in the takeover of Maersk Alabama, surrendered and was taken into custody. He later pleaded guilty to hijacking, kidnapping and hostage-taking charges and was sentenced to over 33 years in prison.

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