Navy's pirate rescue ship to return home Monday

By Jaedda Armstrong

NORFOLK

The Navy destroyer that assisted in the dramatic rescue of an American ship captain held hostage by pirates is due home in Norfolk Monday, the Navy announced.

The guided-missile destroyer Bainbridge responded when the merchant vessel Maersk Alabama was seized by pirates off the coast of Africa in April. The Alabama's captain, Richard Phillips, was held hostage for several days in a lifeboat that floated nearby.

The standoff ended when Navy SEAL snipers aboard the Bainbridge shot and killed three pirates and rescued Phillips. 

During the Bainbridge's seven-month deployment, the crew of 300 patrolled the Gulf of Aden to combat piracy. Sailors also conducted extensive surveillance of pirate camps and pirated vessels and collected data to help locate pirate vessels.

Jaedda Armstrong, (757) 222-5846, jaedda.armstrong@pilotonline.com