Captain Richard Phillips: I Thought I Was Going To Die On Lifeboat

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Former hostage Richard Phillips says he thought he'd never get out of the lifeboat where Somali pirates held him after an aborted hijacking attempt.

In his first interview, Phillips tells NBC's Matt Lauer he was resigned to dying at some points during his five-day Indian Ocean ordeal, which ended April 12 when U.S. Navy SEALs on the USS Bainbridge shot his three captors, freeing him.

Phillips, 53, said he discussed escaping in front of the pirates, who he described as "a little lax in their control on some things."

"I did have radio contact with the Maersk Alabama, and I told them if you see a splash in the water ... I'm coming. I had always expected to escape," he said.

Phillips said his escape attempt made the atmosphere in the lifeboat worse, though he was in "deep trouble" from the very start.

"I was in deep trouble from day one, so it didn't change for me. The atmosphere, the body language, yes, things changed from that point on. Yes, they did."

He said there was always a gun on him while he was in the lifeboat, and that he was preparing to die in it.

"It was just settling everything. Getting ready to die and just settling everything. You know, saying my last thoughts. Andrea, the kids," he said.

The interview, which wife Andrea Phillips participated in, was taped in Vermont and will be broadcast Tuesday on the "Today" show. Excerpts were released Friday night.

Phillips reiterated his praise for the Navy in the interview.

"What I said when I came home is true. These SEALs and the Navy did an impossible job. They're unbelievable people. We really owe it to the military for what they do day in and day out that we never even hear about. What they did was impossible," he said.

Phillips, of Underhill, Vt., is to be feted there with a picnic celebration in a park Saturday.

Comments

[SwingingFromCenter]

Again with calling this guy a "hero".

He didn't do anything "heroic". The pir.ates in Somalia have a long history of not harming their captives. If this guy thought he was going to perish on that boat, it was either because he was afraid he'd di.e in the ra.id by the Navy or else he was delusional.

Glad he's free and all, but this is a really loose definition of "hero".

[ProCynic]

Trading himself for his crew isn't heroic?

[BeasleysMom]

Wow. Your comment speaks volumns about you--about your perception of the world, about your lack of self-esteem, about your feelings toward your fellow human beings, about your inability to understand compassion and bravery.

[SwingingFromCenter]

And your post shows how completely naive and clueless you are.

[Meds]

I asked the same question after reading the headline on the main page of Huffingtonpost. What did he do other than being getting afraid? He is not the hero; the Navy is the real hero. However, I don't agree with the notion that there was nothing to be afraid of if taken hostages by Somali pirates because they have long history of not harming their captives. Things change, people change, and there is always a first time.

[jhb90277]

The first time already happened. A sailor from a Taiwanese fishing vessel was ki lled in 2007 because the owners didn't pay the ransom. Crews have been badly beaten. No, it's not commonplace, but it does happen.

One must assume that the heavily armed people boarding a ship are willing to use their weapons. if the experience of the Shanghai Venture last month is any indication, 91 bul let marks on the bridge (some bul lets went through the plate), the pirates are willing to use the weapons. The Shanghai Venture escaped, by the way.

[jhb90277]

Except for the people they've bea ten and the guy they kil led in 2007, they're a terrific bunch of people.

[Rangergirl]

God bless them all...Everyone did a great job getting them free..Now they need to deal with the pirates on a unified front....No more releasing pirates......They must be punished....Also they must deal with the unstable government in Somolia...I don't know if giving the government arms is good or not...They are I'm sure out gunned by the Pirates...also the pirates pay off government people...Don't know how high up that goes...Convoys are great but probablly impractical for the number of ships that go thru there....What a complex problem....

[Vaas]

Hip Hip Hooray for Captain Richard Phillips.

To get the actual feel of that situation, one should imagine to be in place of Captain Richard surrounded by armed criminals with AK-47s pointing at the head all the time. Even a witty and strong person would feel shivers in the spine in that situation.

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[dutch163]

I am proud of Capt Phillips, the crew and ,of course, the Navy Seals

the best possible outcome of a horrific situation

they exemplify our best

those who would say otherwise, or use this for some political agenda do not

[chonus]

nah..best possible outcome would have been no deaths at all.

[siegfried]

Four dead pirates would be better than three, but three is still really good.

[iSeeDumbPeople]

Is everyone on the planet a hero now?

[jackson678]

No just you

[alexii]

I find it proposterous that the crew wasn't appropriately armed or that security wasn't provided. The only heroes here are the the Navy.

[dutch163]

they don't want to spend the money on security

[trimom]

There are extremely good reasons why the crew on these ships are not armed. Try to catch up on the facts.

[ProCynic]

What part of "abiding by the laws of host countries" escapes you? Port regulations for most of the countries these guys put into do not allow arms of any kind.

[LWilkinson315]

What I have to come to admire about Captain Phillips and his crew is the fact how they are not allowing themselves to be dragged in to political bs...Captain Phillips is no Joe The Plumber thats for sure LOL.......This is such a great human interest story and as for our Navy SEALS- they are simply the best

[nana deb64]

Praise goes out to the Seals, it was wonderfully executed and whomever approved the mission doesn't matter - the Navy Seals did their job. The funny thing is, whether it was a Democrat President or a Republican President who issued the order - they DID THEIR JOB. The Captain is a remarkable humble man who gives credit where credit it due - BRAVO to you sir, BRAVO.

[Pleneras]

I love the Navy, and my shipmates! Go Seals!

[chonus]

You love seamen.

[rejoiceinit]

God Bless the Phillips family--we can only imagine the duress they have been under. Please, people, the Captain was totally right--it took unbelievable talent to do what they did. Amazingly, they lifted the spirits of the nation while saving a husband, a father and a brave American. Obama has mad skillz, but he didn't shoot the pirates--no need to snip at a hero for stating the facts!

[Promise]

No mention of all the people praying for him. Let's give some credit where it is due.

[liarsclub75]

He did. The SEALs saved him. Not some imaginary sky daddy.

[marquitin]

No, God wanted him to live and "those ones" to die. It was kind of like an election. The people's prayers spoke, and who was the Lord not to listen? Don't make fun.

[zenbuck2]

yeah...I guess God must have h*ated all the children he killed in the last tsunami. Thank goodness God cared enough to save these individuals on the boat. I guess we should have prayed harder to save all those folks in the Twin Towers....guess he didn't care about them either.....

[TreadingWater]

That's a point that people don't like to talk about. On the morning of 9-11, nineteen hijackers prayed for a successful mission. I'm sure many of the 3000 plus dead prayed for a nice day of work and dinner with their loved ones. Whose prayers did God grant?

[BurtR]

we are so used to the last 8 yrs when the Bush admin took credit if the sun came up and Rove turned it into a campaign issue
Obama is the commander in chief but the SEALs hung their butt out there.
Capt Phillips is home safe Obama doesnt need a "Mission Accomplished" half time show
no need to politicize this

[Gwen Randall]

So true!

[Marie62866]

He needs to praise the U.S. Military! The Navy Seals kick arsss! I personally don't care if he supports Obama or not! I think that this is a private man, that wants a private life! I am glad he is alive and with his family!

Obama supports all Americans regardless of their political beliefs! He wants what is best for American unlike the GOP, the party of NO!!

[lovable]

NOT ONCE HAS THIS CAPTIN PRAISED OBAMA . YES THE SEALS WRE THE TRUE HEROES BUT OBAMA GAVE THE ORDER . HE MUST BE ONE OF LIMBAUGH CULT. HE WILL BE ON FOX NEXT.

[lovethesinner]

You jump to conclusions, but anyway... he's an American citizen. He has a right to keep that to himself, just like all of us. And, let's be honest about it, no president pulls the trigger. And it's unlikely that he would have even given the ORDER TO SHOOT. He gave the Seals the AUTHORITY to do what they needed to do.

Some brave ass navy guy gave the order. And it was Seals that pulled the triggers. (damn fine shooting, we can all agree.)

I'm not dissing the president, but... I think the Captain has it about right. The Seals deserve ALL the credit, and that's what Obama would want, anyway.

Chill.

(p.s. not all Republicans are Limbaugh fans. That's becoming more and more true everyday.)

[LastLiberalRepublican]

I'm not at all certain why there is this rabid belief among some that the President must be praised or otherwise idolized. He is the Commander in Chief and he undoubtedly gave approval for this SEAL mission. However, we have to believe that had it gone badly, there would be room for "plausible deniability" and wiggle room to remove the President from any responsibility, as any Administration would have done.

All in all, this United States Merchant Marine officer was in harm's way and was rescued in a well planned, well executed SEAL mission. He has been most generous in his accolades to the military and, in particular, the SEALs. Let us ask ourselves, if this event had occurred four months earlier with the same successful outcome would people be calling for accolades to be heaped upon our immediate former President? I think not and you do protest too much.

End of story.

[adamsmith3]

I hope this is satire, considering the caps-lock and all. The throwing in of Limbaugh and Fox News to automatically discredit anyone not praising Obama as a "dittohead" or a Fox-brainwashee. Yup, all of the trademark character as.sas.inations are there, so some good satire indeed.

[JustLucky]

I think the president handled it beautifully, but even he never took any credit for it - he gave the credit to those who were intimately involved. I think the captain was just saying what seemed obvious to him.

[postman606]

Unnecessary gesture.

[ragged]

All kinds of people end up living through bad situations and get called heroes. This guy volunteered himself as a hostage to save his crew. He is a true hero. His praise for the Navy and the job it did is certainly appropriate, but Captain Phillips is the real story here.

[Danigirl65]

I agree with you, wholeheartedly.

[punkingale]

He could have, at some point, at least MENTIONED our Commander-in-chief!