now, my spa has more business than ever. ...and so does our cleaning crew. [ male announcer ] at citibank we believe small business is a big deal. what's your story? citibank can help you write it. ô(xdô(fáô(ñnb1ñoklpxdoké]p,ñé we're all going to die in this boat. >> hereq b ut this speedboat closing on you. no weapons. >> hisxd merchantñi ship defenseless. piratesñir tonight captain richard phill z reveal the inside story of how he became a hostage. his wife watching and waiting.w3 halfway aro)#ñ the globe. >> nowc he's one g r with fourçó pirates on a life boat. >> with rare-y seen video and dramatic minute by minute details from the commander-in-chief himself. >> the first thing i thought

>> recalling one of the first foreign crises ofb(rj young presidency. >> how tough a call was that to authorize thefá use of deadly force,e1 knowing that one missed shot would cost the life of thate1 captain? >> from theoç m-[ okexecution. >> the leader started clickrg his gun -- >> to thee1 amazing rescue. >> all hell broke loose. >> then the shots.ok >> rescue on the high seas, a "dateline" classic. captions paid for by nbc-universal television when aziñr american cargo ship captain richard phillips was taken hostage by somali pirates, he wasc portrayedfá as afrde1 hero willing to take his life for thecxd to have save hisw3 crewc member. the reality wasn't quite so simple. captain phillips sat down with me to tell me the harrowing true it is a tale of terror, despair and ultimately a tale of quiet

courage. it was high drama on the hiótr(t&háhp &hc& seas.xde1mylp an american ship captain helñ hostage,zvdesperate pirates have his3 life in their hands. at( situation that could only end badlyçó until the navy smis arrived.lpw3 tonight in a écial "dateline" -- >> i was afraid for the entire time. >> rarely seen the stand-off. the hour by hour details of the s7 captain's battle of wits with somali pirates.xd >> i told them, you're never going to makeq it out of here. they're never going to pay yourq ransom. we're all going to buy on this ñi boat. >> and you'll hear from the president himselft( aboutçó decision that's broughtt( rich philips home alive. trying to coordinate all u.s. power to figure outñi how to free him. >> good to bexd back on the ship.

>> to many, he is aok national hero. yet to some he is the captain who recklessly sailed into harm's way.lpw3 when hisg captain's duty was published last year, i sat downui him at the intrepid sea air and space museum in new york. >> if someone described your style in terms of being a son of a [ bleep xé >> i'm tough. i don't know ñiso. i'm tough. >> tough but when he can be, a homebody. he and his wife andrea live about as far from the dangersq o&p piracy as you can get. in the countryside of northern vermont.fáco cf1 o >> i've always wanted to live near th#á mountains, i'm a snow boarder, skier. >> you like the snow. >> i love it. >> rich andjfxdc andrea met in boston in the early 1980s. dated five years, and married in 1988.

they have a daughter mariah and a son dan w to his father about hisfá longct( absences. >> he said to me,t( oh, i don't have a dad. he ))ñp&ways at sea. he is never home. >> reporter: as a merry chance marine captain, he would be home three months. then gone three. >> when you're away over the years, you foundxd a way, you andcc andrea, to kind of findw3 ways to connect. the moon was something that you saw as a way to keep yourselves together. >> i would say i'm under the same moon you guys are. before they would go to bed they would look at the moon and say good night to dad. >> at(xdxd half moon hung in thec sky when rich ko$lips' voyagee1d on april 1, 2009. he was commanding the r alabama. a 508!u foot container ship loaded with3wñ food supplies. the ship sailed from cñixdaman, then headed to kenya. on that route he brought his unarmed ship and its 20-memberñi crew into the waters off the

coast of somalia.s7 the damages are well r gangs of ssp&i piratesxd in large motherships launch small attack boats, hundreds of mile from land. armed with automatic weapons and í!ket propelledi grenades, the pirates board ships, take crew at j2rsqák kill their captains. andq the pirates get away with millions of dollars in ransom.fá >> prior to this trip, you hadñr heard the news reports and you had read the headlines thatñi there were some real pirate activity along the route you were going to be traveling. >> i've been in thatw3 area of the world since early 2005. i was always highly concerned with it. as i told my crew, it was never a matter of if. it was a matter of when.ñr >> in fact, in the days leadingfá up to the jurngl÷ maritime security consultants had sent the maersk alabama numerous details warning of continuing pirate activity. two days intoñi thee1 trip, captain

philips ordered an unannounced security drill. >> i have u?p" that you as the captain watched that drill and thing didn't go well at all. and freaked is too strong a word happy. drill. we always can improve. >> after the drill, he says, he was confident the crew knew what to do. lock down all facilities, use the fire hoses and grab flares and to go a safew3 room. the first six days of thefá journey were uneventful. then on april 7th, danger appeared on thevpñhorizon. pirate boatsd distance. the chief mate shane murphy was captain philips' second in command.?; >> i was standing by hats with a kitchenqi@anife in myv watching the boat coming in within a mile. >> on the bridge, captain philips scrambled and ordered the speedt( increased. it was his first encounter with pirates in his 19 years commanding a ship.

but he had a few novel ideas. >> now they're getting closer you started to play for a lack of a better term, game on the radio. >> i started to simulate a conversation between me andlp a coalition warship. one of the countries that have navy ships. there to fight 3wpiracy. >> assuming the pirates would be monitoring any radio transmissions coming from your ship and they would hear, wait a second. this is not a good situation. >> correct.ñit( minutes ofçó cat and mouse maneuvers, the last of the small pirate boats turned away. >> when this thingjf finally ends, how did you feel about your lot in life at that moment? >> i think we allr successful that ourq procedures did work. it was a sense, we seemed to be on the right t(page. and it was a sense that we were successful. >> but within hours, all that would change.t(çócìáhp &hc& coming up, the pizatqj return business.

>> you're in a huge cargo ship and you're trying to outrun a speedboat. >> within minutes, the unarmed >> he is shooting up at me with >> when "62 on the high seas" thanks to the venture card from capital one we get double miles on every purchase, so me and the boys earned a trip to dc twice as fast! oh hi! we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast... one more chariot please. ...we can bring the whole gang! i cannot tell a lie. he did it. right... it's hard to beat double miles! read my lips -- no new axes! [

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coast of somalia. aprili] 8s and on the maersk alabama, captain rich phillips cá' cf1 o3 woke to disturbing news.t( >> i got a call from my second mate. wet( could see ar with binoculars. then i heá what they nbaid. somali pirate, somali pirate coming to get you. coming to get you. >> let me stop you there. that seem like the lastjf thing a somali pirate would say on theçó

radio. here i am, a somali pira4qt and i'm coming to get you. you would think they would wantp- the element of surprise. >> you would think. >> did you change course at all? >> we changed course and we sped upfá to 120 and kept that speed until i woke up 6:15 in the morning. >> when you sayi]xd you woke upr 6:15 in the morning, what might surprise some people, here now you've had perhaps your second encount we are somali pirates and you're age to go back toi] ó[ bed. i think i would have been standing on the bridge theree1 looking in every direct, unable to qsleep. how did you manage to go back to sleep. >> i do have a crew.ñi i stayed up obúu$e bridge and i'll say maybe 45 minutes to 502?y minut&ñ there. nothing on the radar. you're thinking a second >> maybe. or i'm thinking it is a fishing boatñi wantingç(áo you stay away from their gear. >> fishingñiq boat or not, it was a nagging reminder of the worst fear, being takençó hostage by pirates and being hauled off to somalia. chief mate.

>> i was pretty much on a hair trigger all t time waiting for something to çóhappen. >> and something did. it was around 6:45 a.m. just after sunrise. captain phillips hadñiçó returned to the bridge. the crewr potted a small boat behind them. >>jf i would say he was going 20, 21 knots. >> you're in a race now. you're in a huge cargo ship and you're trying to outrun a speedboat basically. >> the captain ordered the general alarm.t(t(e1 >> i knew it was a piracy situation.c% r(t&háhp &hc& i was nervous butlp i knew the procedures. >> here you have this speedboat closin!á on you. you've got no guns on board. >> no weapons. >> flares, you've got fire hoses but they're getting closer and closer. from what i understand, here @táátáhpuáomatic weapon fire.fá >>rírz going to say they wereñr a half mile and tv%- start firing. >> those chaotic moments just after 7:00 a.m., most of the 20-member crew took cover

according to plan. many eventually ended up in a s!s e1room, hidden in the bowels captain phillips though stayed crew members whot( helpedjfi] to stand watc this is an actual photo taken as the pirates approached.t(qxd and then the pirates' skiff came up alongside. warning shops? did you hear anything hit the ship. >> oh, yeah. you heard the whap of ricochets. >> they had a#gq ladder they tilted up to climb the 20ok feet.xd from their boat to an opening on the ship. >> how longó[ did it take them to get up that ladder?ó[ >> they were very quick. he's shootingñi upkoats7me with the ak-47. i'm going to say six c t(jták seven seconds for him to get up and on to the ñrdeck. >> it was 7:15 a.m. wednesday. the maersk alabama had been boarded by pirates. these are the photos taken later by a crew member.

the chief mate, by then, locked in his office down below, couldn't believe it. >> i was gearing myself up for a fistxd fight type situation. i was screaming and punching the walls and ñ.ájjtáy >> the captain didn't want to give up without a fight either. up on the bridge, h.á thought he had time before towed back offw3 and hide himself.n(5"yrñ our next procedureeq$rj for to us back off the bridge and surrender the bridge but i didn't see a reason at that >> let me give82tuñ arraign to surrender the bridge. they've got ak-47s and you've got nothing but a flare gun. a lot of people would have said that's a good time toxd surrender. >> butxd you can't surrender. i'm still trying to keep ñ/ semblance of cont2 unbeknownst toñr me, one of them t/qr" get by and out of th%ñfe1 corner of my eye, i looked. and there was the pirate. >> did he shoot you? >> he,t( basically shot at me twice and then came in and just said, relax, relax, no problem, no problem.

just business, just busines.ot( no al qaeda, just relax, relax, captain.h@÷j"yrñ the pirates wanted to take the ship and its crew to somalia and hold it ther ] until the ship'sxdr ransom. but the pirates didn't know those plans were already foiled. the@j wasq going nowhere. p secjb plan had gone into effect. the captain knew the chief engineer locked away in thejf engine room below had taken engine room below had taken control of the ship's power and steering. only he could move the ship.fá >> he disabled thexd system in a "]lñ that only he knew how to bring it back so hec made himself whole situation. >> it was a small victory. ship's crew had thwarted the pirates plan to moveçó the ship and 20 hostages to thekosomali coast. at least for the timp é@+being. but for captain phillips, a lifer and death %uuj begin.okg

coming up, tension builds to the breakingc point. >> they threatened to shoot my crew andçó myself if we didn't bring the crew up in two minutes. >> whatñi can the captain do now to protect his crew?3wiçó+ when "rescue on the high seas" continues. covered in yellow graffiti. ♪ ♪most whitening toothpastes only remove stainsfrom surface our teeth, but there's also a layer beneath called dentin. dentin discolors over time. rembrandt deeply white toothpaste uses the same enamel-safe whitening ingredient dentists use to noticeably whiten teeth from the inside and out. rembrandt deeply white. whiten inside and out. the 4th of july mattress spectacular is on now! get an extra ten percent off mattresses already half off. and instant savings up to three hundred fifty dollars on select mattresses. head to sears to talk with our mattress experts or shop our largest selection online. hurry, it's all on now! sears. having her is amazing. we made a miracle. and we got onesies! sometimes

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o cf1 o it was mid morning wednesday april 8th. bladesing sun, stifling humidity, and paralyzing fear hung over the indian ocean. >> i was afraid. i was afraid for the entire time. >> on board the maersk alabama, ñ& four somali pirates held captain richard phillips and bv this time, three other crew members at gun point on the bridge. 15 crew members were in a safe room in the bowels of the ship. the chief engineer controlled the ship's movements from the engine room and cut the power on board. yet the pirates were pleased at first. this ship was flying the stars and stripes. >> when they did find out it was an american flagship, they felt they had hit the jackpot. >> they started high fiving each other once they found out it was an american ship. >> but the captain wasn't going to let his american ship go without a struggle. he kept a handheld radio by his

side and when the pirates weren't looking, used to it communicate with the crew members who were hiding and he pirates himself. even issuing false orders. >> you're messing with them now. you're changing the radar so they can't tell where their mother ship is. you're messing with the radio so they can't contact their mothership. you're not bringing your crew into the open. >> i'm asking for the crew. sometime i'm saying send two guys, send three guys. they're getting upset. the crew has to come to the bridge immediately. >> but the crew knew to ignore his orders. he would have used a preset password if the commands were real. so the crew stayed hidden and as time passed, the danger and tension ratcheted up. the pirates set a deadline. alongside the carve on the bridge, the crew members colin wright, clifñ, and another name pám raza were being held hostage. the pirates threatened to shoot them if the crew members who

were in hiding didn't start to show up. >> i was afraid for my lives and the crew members. they threatened to shoot my crew and myself if we didn't bring the crew up in two minutes. i was able to pass to my crew over the radio, if you don't hear from us in two minutes, you'll get no quarter. you're on your own. there is no giving up. >> at this point, shane murphy was hiding perched on a crane. he could their desperation in the pirates' voices. and feared the worst. >> god, i'm going to hear this shot ring out and maybe colin or atm will be shot to death. >> a secret on board alert system had already sent a distress call to the u.s. military. navy planes were dispatched from a base in djibouti for reconstance. warships were rerouted and directed to the scene. at the whiáe house, barack obama was inform of the life or death situation. one of the first foreign crises of his young presidency. >> mr. president, when you heard that an american captain was being held by the pirates, what was the first thing that went through your mind?

>> the first thing i thought about was his family and tried to put myself in his family's shoes, thinking about how frightening that would be. for the captain's wife andrea, it was frightening. when she heard the news they told her not to worry. ? >> they just want money. no one will get hurt. >> snowed idea an ak47 was pointed at her husband's head. captain phillips, the tension and the heat made it nearly unbearable. >> but the deadline to kill a crew member passed without shots fired. and the pirates were beside themselves, trying to find the other crew members. >> like a ghost ship at this point. >> that's exactly right. they started to get a little hingy. where is the crew? >> frustrated, a pirate the captain called the leader left the gunman and hostages on the bridge and took the captain to look for the crew members who

were hiding. >> he was unarmed both times. >> you go wrth an unarmed pirate below decks. any thought once you get below decks to just clock him? >> it would have been no problem at all. i could have done just that. >> why did not you had. >> i have two men and three men on the bridge. it does nothing. it doesn't solve my problem. >> the power cut off, the captain escorted the leader through darkened passage ways. up ladders work into offices. >> i'm walk around making loud noise down with my feet. you want to go to the d deck. i was able to speak like. that i was able to walk a little slow. but heavy. >> were there any close call during that tour of the ship trying to find those crew members. >> i wasn't sure where everybody was. >> little did he know, he came within feet of his chief mate, at least three time. >> i would hear his loud voice. okay, we're going to open this door up. there is nobody in here. and it would give me enough time

to duck for cover. >> shane murphy took a page from the captain's play book the day before. he radioed to a phantom navy warship and the pirates heard it. >> i was saying, mayday, mayday, this is u.s. flag maersk alabama. american crew, we've been taken hostage by somali pirates. >> you write in the book when that happened, it looked like the lead pirate's head was going to explode. >> he couldn't/x understand it. who is that? where is he? >> i don't know. i'm here with you. >> the pirate wanted to search the ship again. this time it was the crew member named atm who took him. before he left, the captain whispered instructions. >> atm was coming toward me. i said take him to the boys. he doesn't have a weapon hoping that he would do that and he was smart enough and did a very imaginative and brave thing and took him down there and overpowered him. >> and incredibly, with the chief engineer brandishing a knife in the darkness, the pirate leader was subdued, bound, and dragged into the safe room with the hiding crew

members. this photo of the leader was taken by a crew member. soon after the capture. the tables were turned. it seemed like a major victory for the crew of the maersk alabama. the remaining pirates were now furious. >> they started getting panicky. you can tell it in their voice, the way they were screaming for their friend. >> the crew had a bargaining chip and the stage was set for a hostage trade. captain phillips, a trade that would go horribly wrong. coming up, the captain volunteers for a hostage exchange, but the pirates renege. now he's one guy with four pirates a life boat. >> with guns pointed at his head. when "rescue on the high seas" continues. that's just 3 for 10 bucks! then start up that paint project with an instant 10 dollars off every 50 dollars you spend on paint and paint supplies. and when you're

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the maersk alabama was off the coast of somalia pitch late afternoon, april 8th, 2009, nearly ten hours had gone by since the ship was boarded by somali pirates. captain rich phillips and by that time, two crew members were being held at gunpoint. the other 17 crew members were locked in a safe room down below. but a crew member named atm, along with the chief engineer, had turned the tables. they had seized the pirate leader and set the stage for a trade. >> now you've got the leader of the pirates under your control. >> under the crew's control, not mine. >> but the other three pirates still have the bridge basically, and they're armed.

>> on the bridge the three remaining pirates were obviously getting frantic. >> i'm assuming they believe the navy was very close and was going to be there shortly. >> after negotiations via radio between the remaining three pirates and the crew members holding their leader, there was a deal. the pirates would get the leader back if they got off the ship. they would also get $30,000 that captain phillips kept in the ship. >> they were winning in their eyes, because they were able to attack the ship and they were able to get off the ship and i will them we would exchange hostages but not while they were on the ship. the pirate's skiff had drifted on that and capsized. eventually if maersk alabama's orange enclosed life boat was lowered by crew members who came out of hiding. then the captain and the three free pirates transferred to it. the pirate leader was then freed and got into the life boat. in exchange, the captain was supposed to be freed.

and get back on the maersk alabama with his crew's assistance. >> now the transfer is going to be made. >> he brings him out on deck. >> he gets on the life boat and you're supposed to get off. like, okay. >> i'm actually driving the life& boat because they don't know how to drive it. >> and then what happened? >> then he came into the boat and then he wanted to learn how to run the boat. so i basically gave him little instructions. then he started steering off the ship. and then i said, okay, we're going back. and he said nope. that's where i learned, never trust a pirate. >> for captain phillips, it had been a disastrous miscalculation. ak-47s still aimed at his head, there was nothing he could do. he was out on a life boat, alone with four somali pirates. these are actual images recorded later of the orange craft racing

toward the somali coast. >> what was your feeling at that time. >> three quarters of my problems were solved. my crew, my cargo and my ship was safe and free. the ship was underway. i just had to worry about myself. myself. i thought of myself, i'm out here in the middle of the indian ocean with four pirates. i'm in a tough place but i still felt that i could, i would outwit them. >> really. you were confident that you >> i won't say okay. i was confident i could get away. >> but few others were. within an hour news that her husband was being held hostage along with the pirates had reached andrea in vermont where she had already been besieged by reporters. >> with the media on my living roár(áu(r at this poirngs okay everybody go. it dramatically changed my mood. now he's one guy with four pirates on a life boat. >> meanwhile, the pirates watched in amazement as the maersk alabama came back to life. >> engines are started.

>> they realized they had been duped in terms of everything that had gone on on the ship. >> and they saw that the maersk alabama was very close to us. even with me on the life boat. of course he will run us over. he wants my job and they got scared. they put me back on to steer the boat. >> soon though his humor and optimism were down. >> i expected to get out pretty quickly. but they never gave me a chance. >> 8,000 miles away, in washington, d.c., a decision had already been made at the highest level of government. >> immediately we went to work to try coordinate all u.s. power to figure out how we can free it. >> and according to former navy rear admiral terry mcknight, there was no debate which military asset was best for the job. >> the navy s.e.a.l.s are a group that are trained in hostage rescue. since it was determined it was a

maritime event, we need to send a s.e.a.l. te5out there to help and rescue this hostage. >> back in the united states, >> back in the united states, the giant c-17 cargo jet was prepared to carry the navy's elite commandos to the indian ocean. because for captain phillips, time was running out. coming up, desperate hours stretch into unbearable days. and the pirates' mood turns menacing.7=?y >> they were screaming, pacing up and down taking turns hitting me. >> when "rescue on the high seas" continues. pledge is also gentle on leather. safe on stainless. missed a spot. great for shining motorcycles... wood? come on. it's pledge. car seats and dashboards. hey there! it cleans laminate furniture... or whatever that was. even granite. today, pledge shines a whole lot more than just end tables. [ male announcer ] for a quick dusting, try pledge wipes. [ female announcer ] sc johnson, a family company.

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snomt a moonlit night as the maersk alabama circled, captain richard phillips was being held hostage in an enclosed life boat by four somali pirates. it was after midnight thursday, april 9th. about 18 hours since the pirates first attacked his ship. >> he said, you know, i was sure i was going to die on that boat. >> there's always hope. i was going to be their adversary and even if they did kill me, i don't care. they weren't going to bend me to their ways. >> but he didn't see a way out. suddenly at about 2:00 a.m., a bright light. >> it lit up the life boat.

it was brighter than daylight. >> it was the guided missile destroyer, the "uss bainbridge." >> it was good to see. it allayed my thought that i'm out here. nobody know i'm out here. i'm all alone. >> the cavalry came in. >> the bainbridge crew negotiated with the pirates to send small navy boats to get proof that the captain was alive and to drop off food. >> the bainbridge had the frequency for our radios so they were able to communicate and then the next day, they were able to drop another radio, batteries, some water, and some food, pop-tarts. they dropped it in the water and the pirates went and got it. >> pop-tarts. >> pop-tarts. >> but captain phillips was in no mood to eat. the unrelenting sun and humidity nearly smothered him in the enclosed craft. he estimated the temperature at more than 110 degrees. at this point, more than 30 urs had gone by since the pirates first attacked the

maersk alabama. shane murphy was now its acting captain, and was reluctant to leave the scene. >> we didn't have our full crew and we wanted to get captain >> but the navy wanted his ship to leave immediately. more pirate ships had been spotted nearby. the maersk alabama left the scene and its captain thursday evening. shane murphy sent andrea phillips an e-mail saying the crew owed the captain their lives. the nearly full moon shone that night and like it had so many time in her life, it gave andrea phillips comfort, a long way away from her husband. >> it gave me something to, again, to stay connected to him. i'm with you. i'm thinking of you. i'm not going to let you go. >> back on the indian ocean, it

was materialthe early hours of good friday, near many hours had gone by and the captain was still hostage in the life boat. >> the conditions have got to deer to i don't remember it a pretty rapidly. there's not a lot in the way of food. >> no. >> not a lot in the way of water. no sanitary facilities. and you decide at some point, you've got to figure a way off this life boat. you couldn't be on that life boat too much longer. >> he was saying to myself. i'm a wimp. what i am a doing? i'm still here. it wasn't early in the friday morning that the chance showed itself. >> he saw that one of the pirates was relieving himself off the side. while the others were sleeping. >> you got two sleeping in one part of the life boat. you got the other guy dozing off and this guy has put his gun down. >> i said this iit. i pushed him. i had to push him twice. he went screaming into the water which we can to other pirates. for a seng i was like frozen with that weapon there. but i didn't know how to use

ittism put it away and i dove in. >> you dive in the water. what's going through your mind? >> i was going to take two breaths, hold it as long as i could. hopefully they would''t be able to see me because it was nighttime now, albeit the full moon or near full moon was out there. >> he swam as fast as he could toward the bainbridge. about half a mile away. but the pirates gunned the engine and chased after him, brandishing automatic weapons. >> i thought if i was able to separate myself from the life boat, a good ending would happen. >> it wasn't to be. the bainbridge crew couldn't tell what happened and the pirates began to shoot. >> i think they fired two shots into the water. into the water. not a foot from my head and that's when i made the decision, okay, okay, you got me. >> and it's fair to say at that moment, the mood on that life boat changed dramatically. >> first of all they were upset that i would even think about trying to get away.

and they were just insensed. they were screaming, paigs up and down, hitting me, smacking me. >> with what? >> their fists, open handsthe guns. they tied me up very, very tight to the point that i just lost complete feeling i' my hands. >> in the dive he had lost his glasses too. and from that point on, he says, he was treated like a caged animal in the cramped confines of the life boat. the pirates, even staged mock executions. >> the leader just started clicking his gun and then started incantations. that's when i said, what are you going to do? kill me? they were trying to raise my hands out in this manner and my feet outstretched the other way. the other guy was behind my head the other guy was behind my head with the gun. >> all day friday, saturday, and into sunday, the life boat raced toward the somali coast. this is rarely seen u.s. navy footage of the attempts to slow the life boat down using fire

hoses and helicopter down drafts. on saturday, the pirates fired at the bainbridge. >> shots fired, shots fired! >> the navy didn't return fire. not yet. inside, a gun pointed at his head, captain phillips endured more abuse, humiliation, and mind games. fearing the worst, he had imaginary conversations as his thoughts turned to family and friends at home and beyond. >> i was apologizing to andrea for that 2:00 in the morning or that 5:00 in the morning that her husband was dead. and i start thinking about people i would see. my father is dead, a neighbor who died just before i left. >> he couldn't know it then but a squad of navy s.e.a.l.s had flown all the way from the united states, had already parachuted into the dark ocean. former rear admiral terry mcknight. >> as soon as they come out of the plane, they're ready to go. >> and soon, they would be ready to take action.

president obama gave permission to use deadly force if the captain' life was in imminent danger. >> how tough a call was that? to authorize the use of deadly force, knowing that one missed shot would cost the life of that captain? cf1 o >> one of the things you discover as commander-in-chief is that our military is so well trained that with confidence i can give them some clear instructions with some clear parameters, and have confidence that thqv ill exercise whatever discretion they need effectively. >> commander frank castellano of the bainbridge would be the one to exercise that discretion. >> he deems that his crew or anybody else is in danger, he has the right to defend his crew and those he is protecting. >> coming up -- the sharp shooters get their orders. >> take them out. >> and on board the life boat --

>> all hell broke loose. >> then the shots. >> and coming up friday on "dateline," mystery on the cause talk a river. >> his sister, a 20-year-old student, had been murdered. >> it was a true, what you call a who done it. >> the question was not just who. there was also the question of why. >> there is no motive. >> but a mot'te sn awall that was missing from the case. soon ttwists no one could have ever seen coming. >> it was unbelievable.

♪ o oh ohh ♪h ♪ just love me ♪ ♪ oh oh oh ♪ ♪ just hold me ♪ ♪ oh oh oh ♪ ♪ just kiss me ♪ ♪ oh oh oh ♪ ♪ just want me ♪ ♪ l-o-v-e ♪ ♪ love, love, love ♪

easter sunday, april 12th, 2009. captain richard phillips had been held at gunpoint in the life boat for four days. the pirates had gotten within 30 miles of somalia.

then almost out of fuel, they cut the engine. his hands bound tightly. captain phillips lashed out at his captors. >> i basically told them, you're never going to make it out. here. they're never going to pay your ransom. we're all going to die in this boat. >> reporter: seated inside the life boat noted idea that a team. navy s.e.a.l.s was watching from positions on the stern of the bainbridge. if worse came to worst, the snipers had a shot at the bobbing craft. >> from 1,000 yards, they could probably tell what you shoulder do you want? left or right shoulder. that's how accurate they are. >> reporter: as the tense stand-off wore on, the navy checked on captain phillips. >> a small zodiac come from the bainbridge and they bring some food and a bottle of a-1 steak sauce. later you realize that there was a message on that bottle of a-1 steak sauce. do you remember what it said? >> i was told later, i couldn't see it. my glasses were gone from driving. something, hang on, we're coming, sir.

>> reporter: each time a craft stopped by for what's called a proof of life check, the navy gathered more information about the layout of the life boat. >> that was one of the questions they asked me. where do you sit? i said i sit right here. >> they wanted to know exactly where you were. >> late sunday afternoon, negotiators allowed the pirates' leader on to the bainbridge for medical attention. he had gotten minor wounds when he was grabbed by the crew on the maersk alabama. then with the life boat drifting into waters control by rival somali pirates, the remaining pirates on the life boat allowed the navy to tow their vessel. that brought them much closer to the s.e.a.l.s, lying in wait on the bainbridge. a much easier target. as evening approached off somalia, in vermont, it was easter morning. >> and it started to snow. and just seeing that snow come down, just kind of hit me like, oh, my god. egoing to be okay.

i still can't even talk about it. and that was probably the first time i really cried. and i was like, he's going to be fine. >> but her husband didn't think that way. with a tether attached to the his own rope. >> so here we are, 96 hours into this ordeal. unbelievable conditions and here you say i'm out of here. i don't care what you do. i'm getting off this boat. there is a scuffle and one of the pirates fired his weapon. >> it told you they really don't care about anybody but themselves. >> that gunshot was the beginning of the end. after the shot rang out, there was a voice from outside. >> i heard, what's going on in there? what's the problem? >> because the navy, the person wrestle pretty close to the life boat. >> right. and there's a voice i haven't heard. four days, i know the same voices i'm listening to. >> on the bainbridge, there was an instant determination. the captain's life was in dire

jeopardy. >> the commanding officer's ship had the zmort áhe rules of engagement, if his life is in jeopardy, take out the pirates. >> on the life boat tempers flared as two of the pirates took on the one that fired the gun. these were the final seconds. >> the pirates yelling at him. what did you do that for? what did you do that? and i'm on all fours and i'm seeing their heads go up through hatch. hatch. and they're yelling, okay, okay, no problem, no problem. okay, okay.udákq to reassure me. >> that you were okay. >> time stood still. the light was fading. the s.e.a.l. team snipers attached night vision scopes to their high powered rifles but this was no easy shot. the life boat pitched in the sea. one slip by a fraction of an inch could kill the captain. as the two pirates raised their heads from the front of the life boat, the third could be seen in the window atop.

there was no room for error. >> and then all hell broke loose. >> then the shots. >> the navy s.e.a.l.s fired at least three shots. the captain thought the pirates were shooting each other. >> and i'm going, what the hell are you guys doing? what are you guys doing? and it was me -- >> this is extraordinary. you're hearing these gun shots and you're thinking, you know what? the pirates have turned on each other after all this time, they're now shooting each other. >> after the shots, i sort of picked my head up and right behind me is the young pirate who is taking his last gasp on the deck. the next thing i hear, are you okay? >> it was a navy s.e.a.l. dropping down to the life boat to rescue him. all three of the pirates on the life boat were dead. the alleged leader was in custody on the bainbridge. finally, captain richard phillips was free. >> thanks, guys.

>> partly because he showed such calm and i think handled himself with such exemplary heroism, and partly because we just had an incredible team out in the region that was able to execute what was a very difficult operation. >> but andrea phillips didn't find out until everyone else. she learned of the rescue while pwatching tv. >> and i think they basically kind of forgot to call us, to tell us that he had been saved. >> when i first met them in 2009, captain richard phillips was hailed as a national hero. a man who didn't give in to pirates. captain phillips hit the lecture circuit but later, several maersk alabama crew members said they were unnecessarily sent into pirate infested waters. >> in the months following your rescue, several crew members have criticized you personally and publicly. they said you put them and the ship in harm's way by not going further off the somali coast. how do you respond to that? >> well, it wasn't until

december that they all came up. it is a legal concern so there is not too much i can say. i will say we're always in those areas. >> did you heed the warnings closely enough? >> i believe i did. >> you don't feel you had any choice to go a different way? i don't think it mattered where we were. you could be a thousand miles out and ship have still been taken. >> in an ongoing lawsuit, several crew members claimed the maersk alabama's owner and crew management company were negligent in seng the ship into danger without more security. those crew member declined "dateline's" request for an interview. the ship's owner and the crew management company declined comment on the lawsuit. in his book, captain phillips praises the crew members' actions and most of all his rescuers. the member of navy s.e.a.l. team 6 who this year fou'd and kill osama bin laden. >> that was one of the reasons i wrote the book, to give them

credit. i believe they are the true heroes in the story an_%ñ lord knows, they don't get enough credit for what they do day in and day out. >> now hollywood is calling. in march columbia pictures optioned the rights to rich phillips' story as a project for tom hanks. the captain himself is now back at sea. yet still looking back at an overwhelming experience. >> even now, i look ought and i realize, there is an enormous amount of emotion. how much time did you spend over those 96 hours thinking of your family on that boat? >> the most telling thing to me. even now i can feel a welling, was my son. one of the last things he said to me, we have a way of bantering back and forth, i don't have a dad. he is always at sea. he is never home. so i was thinking even now it still affects me. the one thing that affects me. that was my will to live. i had to get back for him. >> to prove him wrong. >> to prove him wrong.