Training, Quick Thinking by Union Crew Saved Boarded Ship, New Look Reveals
 |
||||
|
||||
For several days in April, the nation waited for the latest news from a U.S. merchant ship off the coast of Somalia, where the captain of the Maersk Alabama was being held hostage in a small lifeboat by Somali pirates.
The bare-bones news reports said pirates armed with AK-47s boarded the ship—which was carrying food relief supplies to Kenya—capturing Capt. Richard Phillips and several other crew members. The rest of the crew managed to evade the pirates and eventually capture one.
We learned Phillips brokered a deal allowing himself to be taken hostage April 8 in exchange for the pirates leaving the ship. On April 11, Navy Seal sharpshooters killed the trio of pirates holding Phillips and rescued the captain.
Now, thanks to an in-depth look at the drama’s first day—from pirate sightings to the launch of the hostage lifeboat—we get the firsthand story from the 20-man union crew.
AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Salutes Maersk Alabama Crew
 |
||||
|
||||
The AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department (MTD) salutes the courageous efforts of the all-union crew aboard the Maersk Alabama for maintaining control of their vessel, as well as the heroic efforts of the U.S. Navy in rescuing Capt. Richard Phillips from his Somali captors.
Union members like John Cronan, third engineer and son of a merchant sailor, who summed it up this way on NBC’s “Today” show:
We didn’t have to retake the ship because we never surrendered it. We’re American seaman. We’re union members. We stuck together and did our jobs.
The eight licensed officers and engineers aboard the U.S.-flag vessel are members of either the Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P) or Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA), while the 12 unlicensed crew members are represented by the Seafarers (SIU). Cronan is a MEBA member and a former Seafarers member.
