Sunday, October 13, 2013

Captain Philips' Story Challenged By Crew


Who do you believe?

Crew members: ‘Captain Phillips’ is one big lie

from the ny post
It’s made for Hollywood: the story of an average American family man, captain of a cargo ship in dangerous waters, his vessel overtaken by armed Somali pirates demanding ransom, saving his crew by allowing himself to be removed from the boat and taken hostage.
All of this is the basis for “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks as the titular, real-life hero. The only problem, say some members of the real Capt. Phillips’ crew, is none of it is true.
Capt. Richard Phillips, they say, is no hero, and the film is one big lie.
Modal Trigger
The Maersk Alabama leaving the Port of Mombasa, Kenya in 2009.Photo: AP Photo/Sayyid Azim
Phillips wasn’t the big leader like he is in the movie,” says one crew member, who, for legal reasons, spoke with The Post anonymously. He worked very closely with Phillips on the Maersk Alabama and was alarmed by his behavior from the beginning. Phillips, he says, had a bad reputation for at least 12 years prior, known as a sullen and self-righteous captain.
No one wants to sail with him,” he says.
After the hijacking, 11 crew members have sued Maersk Line and the Waterman Steamship Corp. for almost $50 million, alleging “willful, wanton and conscious disregard for their safety.” Phillips is a witness for the defense.
The crew had begged Captain Phillips not to go so close to the Somali coast,” said Deborah Waters, the attorney who brought the claim. “He told them he wouldn’t let pirates scare him or force him to sail away from the coast.
‘REAL ARROGANT’
Phillips had taken command of the Maerskin late March 2009. Left for him, says the crew member, was a detailed anti-piracy plan now used by all ships per the International Maritime Organization. Should pirates get too close, the crew should cut the lights and power and lock themselves below deck.
He didn’t want anything to do with it, because it wasn’t his plan,” says the crew member. “He was real arrogant.” Phillips says he knows nothing about such a plan.
Over this three-week period, 16 container ships in the same region had been attacked by pirates, and eight had been taken hostage.
As the film opens, Hanks, as Phillips, is seen assiduously tending to safety protocols. “Let’s tighten up security!” he orders. “I want everything closed, locked, even in port.”
Phillips has admitted that, on board, he got seven e-mails about increased piracy off Somalia — each exhorting ships to move farther offshore by at least 600 miles.
The Maersk was 235 miles off the coast, says the crew member, though Phillips has since rounded that number up to 300.
“I couldn’t tell you exactly the miles,” Phillips tells The Post. “I don’t know.”
In 2010, Phillips told CNN the Maersk was 300 miles off shore; published reports from that time had the ship at 240.
Phillips ignored every missive and later admitted he didn’t share these warnings — though they were not sent exclusively to him.
Meanwhile, another crew member was tasked with keeping track of every ship in the region that had been attacked. Using the e-mails, a chart was built. On it were the names of each ship, the dates and times they were assaulted, their latitude and longitude, the ransom demanded.
When presented with this data, a crew member says, Phillips ignored it, too. In the film, Hanks tells his crew — depicted as lazy coffee guzzlers who fall back on the security of their union-protected employment — that their job is to get the cargo ship from Point A to Point B in the shortest, cheapest time possible.
In fact, says this crew member, the Maersk veered off course by 180 degrees south — this was during the first attack, on April 8. Phillips denies this, and says the boat only picked up speed.
We had two pirate attacks over 18 hours,” says this crew member, not just the one shown in the film.
The crew didn’t know whom to fear more: the pirates or Phillips.
According to this crew member, during the first attack, as two pirate boats came into view, clearly chasing them, Phillips was putting the crew through a fire drill. In the film, it’s a security drill.
We said, ‘You want us to knock it off and go to our pirate stations?’ ” the crew member recalls. “And he goes, ‘Oh, no, no, no — you’ve got to do the lifeboats drill.’ This is how screwed up he is. These are drills we need to do once a year. Two boats with pirates and he doesn’t give a s- -t. That’s the kind of guy he is.
At first, Phillips maintains this is a lie. “No,” he says. “The mate called up and said, ‘Do you want to stop the drill?’ They [the boats] were seven miles away. There was nothing we could do. We didn’t know the exact situation.”
But is it true that he ordered the entire drill completed anyway?
Correct,” Phillips says.
Yeah, seven miles. What’s the dif?” the crew member says. “I saw them, and they were closer than that.”
The Maersk eventually made a narrow escape, and Phillips ordered it back to its original route.
One of the crew mutinied — he refused to do it, instead going below deck, sleeping with his boots on and his flashlight by his side, waiting for the inevitable.
At 3 a.m., the pirates radioed the boat to stop; Phillips had left the stern light on and the bridge open. At 7 a.m., came the third and final attack: Four armed Somali pirates stormed the Maersk.
The crew was on their own. “Phillips didn’t say what he wanted to do,” says the crew member. “His plan [was], when the pirates come aboard, we throw our hands in the air and say, ‘Oh, the pirates are here!’ The chief engineer said, ‘We’re going downstairs and locking ourselves in.’ One of the mates said, ‘Let’s go down. We’re on our own.’ 
They hid in the engine room, in 130 degree heat, for 12 hours. Phillips and three other crew members were held at gunpoint, yet Phillips tells The Post things weren’t that dire. “The ship,” he says, “was never actually taken.
DEATH WISH
Chief Engineer Mike Perry, who has a small presence in the film, was perhaps the most heroic. He led most of the crew downstairs and locked them in; he disabled all systems; he attacked the chief pirate, seizing him and using him as a bargaining chip for Phillips.
Most of this is accurately depicted in the movie — until, Perry has said, the moment of exchange, when the Maersk crew tries to swap the pirate for Phillips.
We vowed we were going to take it to our graves, that we weren’t going to say anything,” Perry told CNN in 2010. “Then we hear this p.r. stuff about him giving himself up . . . and the whole crew’s like, ‘What?’ ”
If you’re gonna shoot somebody, shoot me!” Hanks pleads in the film.
It didn’t go down like that, say several crew members: The pirates just reneged on the deal, grabbing their guy and making off with Phillips in a Maersk lifeboat.
While the remaining crew waited for the Navy to reach them, they sat and wondered: What just happened?
Four days later, Phillips was rescued by SEAL Team Six. He was hailed as an American hero. He met with President Obama in the Oval Office and wrote a memoir.
For some of the crew, it was too much. In their version, Phillips was the victim of a botched exchange. In 2009, he told ABC News he was taken after promising to show the pirates how to operate their escape boat. His book was packaged as the story of a man who gave himself up for his crew, which Phillips later said was a false narrative spread by the media. Today he tells The Post, “I was already a hostage,” but remains vague on the exchange.
Perry and third engineer John Cronan went to CNN, speaking of Phillips’ recklessness, claiming he endangered all their lives.
Perry said he and other crew believed Phillips had a perverse desire to be taken hostage. “That’s what many of us officers were saying to ourselves,” he said.
The crew member, who is not part of the suit, agrees Phillips had a death wish: “Yeah,” he says. “Because he went through that area, and the company is sending him e-mails, and I know he saw that chart [of prior attacks] 50 times.
It is galling for them to see Captain Phillips set up as a hero,” Waters said. “It is just horrendous, and they’re angry.”
In the run-up to Friday’s release of “Captain Phillips,” Hanks has appeared on the cover of Parade magazine with Phillips and the headline “The Making of an American Hero.” The film won the opening-night slot at the New York Film Festival on Sept. 28 and opened the London Film Festival last Wednesday. It has won raves, all of which note the film is based on real events. The two men have walked the red carpet together.
Not all of the crew cooperated with the movie, and those who did were paid as little as $5,000 for their life rights by Sony and made to sign nondisclosure agreements — meaning they can never speak publicly about what really happened on that ship.
It’s the film’s version of events — and Hanks’ version of Phillips — that will be immortalized.
They told us they would change some stuff,” says the crew member, laughing. By the end of Friday, opening day, he had seen the film. “It’s a good movie,” he says dryly. “Real entertaining.”

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lie's just a boxa chocolates,,,...

Sus said...

It's a movie "based on real events." That means the only accurate fact might be that the ship was overrun with pirates. The movie was made for entertainment, not historical accuracy.

Added: The crew and Captain Phillips are deceptive...each for their own image.

Anonymous said...

Right-it's a movie. "Based on real events". It's Holywood, people, fantasy land. Enjoy it for entertainment purposes only.

Tania Cadogan said...

there is a ship involved and some people and lots of water. ( may contain some creative dialogue)

All characters and events in this movie are purely fictional and bear no resemblance to known historical facts or persons living or dead.

TopixNut said...

Hollywood is going to tell the story in a way to make money and awards.
Everything is always a dad "off" in these types of films.

elf said...

Men lol
I believe the crew.

marietje said...

Remember the HMS Bounty that went down in October 2012? Seems that Captain Walbridge had his problems, too. Only most of the crew didn't live to tell about it.
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/03/us/bounty/.

marietje said...

Correction: Two of the crew didn't survive.

Anonymous said...

I saw the movie. It comes off like fiction. It doesn't make sense --- that they are entering an obviously dangerous situation so willfully. From the movie you go away thinking the shipping company itself is made of greedy idiots - setting up their crew like that. But makes even more sense it was the captain.

Do people ever write memiors based on true heroism??? Seems those self congratulatory books are always based on narcisistic reaction-formation, guilt squelching lies. Are there any exceptions??? When a man (or woman) calls himself a self-sacrificing hero for porofit -- you can bet there's another story.

Anonymous said...

the guy who plays the Samailan Pirate is now a STAR. so at least something awesome came out of it.


Heroism movies are pretty much always propaganda.

Anonymous said...

OT arrest made in Madeline McCann case!

GetThem said...

I don't trust either side of the story completely. However, I do believe the crew more than the captain.

Sus said...

Anon 4:31

Unbroken

Where Men Win Glory; The Oddessy of Pat Tilman

Both are stories of heroism and true honor.

Tania Cadogan said...

A bunch of us will be watxching the case on crime watch tommorow and in between the giggles several of us will be calling in with information ( myself included, mine will be analysis) currently the giggles are about the reconstruction filmed in spain cos the mccanns A) didn't want to anger the Portuguese cops and B( found it too upsetting, though not upsetting enough to prevent them filming their own mockumentary there and including themselves. This time we have actors playing the mccanns including one playing kate, who in their version was cut as her story was unbelievable according to gerry.

The reconstruction apparantly shows events up to the 'abduction' including Maddie fetching tennis balls when kate and gerry played tennis ( they didn't and she didn't, it was a creche thing)so we have a none event happening on a day it could never have happened and then we have cuddlecat sleeping in a well lit room (outside light - it didn't exist it was sodium lighting and dark)

Even better the media and cops are saying everything we the public knew about the timeline of events was wrong and we now have new timelines. Since the timelines were thrust down our throats by the mccanns and chums even to testifying under oath, did they lie then? or are they lying now?
it seems we are not talking a min here or there we are talking wholescale changes. if this is true then the mccanns and chums lied about the official timings of checks etc ( we we all knew) so why have they changed? is it because the checks as claimed and events are imposiible to have happened in which case why lie to the PJ? could this mean they will now face neglect charges as a minimum? admit to neglect and the PJ can't charge them with murder?

The down side is in the UK we don't have double jeopardy, with new and compelling evidence an aquitted person can be reprosecuted.

This is all too coincidental with their libel trial in Portugal when is failing miserably.

Anonymous said...

Hobs said
"we have cuddlecat sleeping in a well lit room (outside light - it didn't exist it was sodium lighting and dark)"


I don't understand about the lighting, please explain? Do you mean "stadium" lighting?

Also, why are you going to call in to laugh? I'm sorry, I'm not following.
Also, what's the non-event you referred to?

TYIA

Skip said...

This is making the rounds on facebook... legit or fake?

Just wanted to let you guys now I'm not happy right now. I bought a pack of the Delano farms table grapes for my family at your store located on 79th ave and peoria in Arizona. Today my children, ages 7 & 10, were eating them as an afternoon snack. My daughter noticed the grape had what she described as a white ooze coming out of it. She wiped the grape off and saw something inside. What she found is disturbing. A white rectangular pill was shoved inside the grape. The white ooze was probably the pill beginning to disintegrate after she had rinsed them in the sink. I don't know what kind of pill it was, but who cares. My child could've gotten severely ill. Thank God that my child was old enough to pay attention and know that the white stuff wasn't normal. I always shop at Wal-Mart's and I have never had an issue that makes me want to not shop there anymore. This is very scary!!! I'm not saying anything against Wal-Mart, but when I called the store manager I felt like I was not being taken seriously.

*****Since no-one takes the time to read through the comments maybe this will work. I have contacted the police. They have the grape and the pill. Unfortunately this could've happened anywhere between the farm to Wal-Mart. We may never know who did it. Once again I was just trying to make people aware of the situation so that someone doesn't get seriously hurt. I DO NOT BLAME WAL-MART, I'm just upset that I wasn't taken seriously to begin with. ****

Jen said...

OT
Hi Hobs-

You are much more informed about the Maddie case than I am, but I see the current arrest as more of the same old game. The McCann's are looking bad, and as always, a sighting or some development magically happens to lend weight to the theory that Maddie was kidnapped and is still alive.

Is this your take as well? What connection does the man who was arrested allegedly have to the case? Details are sketchy regarding what evidence led to his arrest. The article I read just said the guy was arrested and his computers were seized to CHECK for evidence. The McCanns should be ashamed. How many more lives will they disrupt and destroy to continue their farce?

Anonymous said...

In the photo of Phillips and Hanks, Phillips needs to have his nasty teeth cleaned and whitened.

Anonymous said...

@Skip,

I call fake. I feed my pet birds grapes daily and I can't imagine how anyone could shove a pill into one and the grape still look normal.

My first impulse was to attempt it with an aspirin, but 3 seconds later I realized I have no idea how one could do this without somehow cutting into the grape.

The biggest thing to me though is, if this supposed pill started to dissolve after the grapes were rinsed, it would have dissolved long before that in the juice in the grape. Unless the child started to eat it almost immediately after the grape was tampered with.

Hope that helps.

Anonymous said...


OT: Pill in grape

Something is sour about that story and it ain't the grapes.

Missing information, could be hospital visit(?). (I hope!)

"I don't know what kind of pill it was, but who cares. My child could've gotten severely ill."

To know and say specifically "child" "could've "gotten ill", and not acknowledge or not "care" about the many other things that could have happened -yikes.

Sensitive following the negative "don't": "know what kind"



Tania Cadogan said...

Hi Jen.

The alleged sighting was way too predictable, so much so we take guesses on where the next one will be.

Apparantly it seems the arrest is nothing to to with Maddie.

What has caught our interest is the fact the e fits (which are laughable) weren't put out immediately but held back for several months, if this guy was allegedly involved ( we think it is to do with the smith sighting it's supposed to be 2 views of the same man) why did SY decide to keep it under wraps for so long assuming that Maddie was still alive (she isn't)and could be being raped and abused daily.
Is this a case of wheel out the sighting and changed timelines (which means someone told lies in the first place) and let Maddie know "don't worry we will come find you in a few months when we do the reconstruction, you'll be fine love kate and gerry"

This is all to divert attention from the Portuguese libel trial, Goncalo has posted on his facebook this is all a PR stunt and Wendy Murphy an ex prosecutor said outright on fox news this was all a PR stunt and a load of rubbish, to which the pink princess responded that kate and gerry would not dignify her comments with a response, failing to realise by saying they weren't going to respond, they were responding.

There was little they could say to counteract her allegations such as kate refusing to answer the 48 questions and no one doing the reconstruction when asked. The poor host was struck dumb and although she tried to support the mccanns failed miserably as Wendy wasn't buying it. Clearly they had failed to pre interview her and likely she won't be invited back.

They can't sue her either since what she says is in the police files and true , even their own admissions.

Anonymous said...

"The making of an American hero"

Absolutely correct. That's how it's done. Fabricate reality by twisting the facts and sell it to the American public.

Anonymous said...


OT: Maddie McCann

I too read the McCann PR Ad about the arrest in connection with Maddie's case and thought when reading it, do these people own this faux news organization? And have they hired Angela Harry to write under a pen name?

The parents always appear to be in mourning. Where's their tenacity, perseverance, veracity like Beth Hollaway, John Walsh and many others.

They keep the charade going; it must be a horrible existence to have to look at themselves and each other, everyday.

Tania Cadogan said...

It seems the e-fits are as we suspected to do with the Smith family sighting.

having seen the e fits they are supposed to be of the same person, the concensus is that it is an e fit of gerry.

This is interesting in the the mccanns minimised and ignored the original sighting whilst issuing e fits and artists impressions of a wide variety of people including 2 who looked like gerry and russle and 1 which looked like kate with a porn star moustache (george harrison man)

Eventually they couldn't ignore the comments and included the sighting in their mockumentray which by now had morphed into tanners bundle man and also warranted a mention in her bewk ( they couldn't ignore everyone asking why they were ignoring this sighting)

The Smith family said they remembered the man when they saw gerry getting off the plane carrying one of the twins, they said they were 80% sure it was gerry ( bad news for the mccanns)

Sodium lighting for the anon is what we call the street lamps with the yellow/orangey red color as opposed to white street lights.
Sodium lighting is not as bright and affects how colors are perceived pretty much making everything appear washed out shades of mustard ( thus stopping anyone seeing a pinky tint to pyjamas they would see a yellow/mustard color)

In the reconstruction the lighting in the street is white ( they replaced the lighting after Maddie went missing to brighter and white)
and it was brighter, the room was dark with no lighting visible on the bed as shown tastefully spotlighting cuddlecat. kate herself said the room was dark and she didn't want to turn on the lights to see if the lump in the bed was Maddie or bedding.

if this was the case why didn't she notice the shutters were open letting light in and the windows were opemn ( oh that's right she remembered in later interviews with whooshing cutains etc)

They still haven'r explained how the 'abductor' managed to open metal shutters silently in a deserted street apart from gerry wilkins and tanner in earshot ( we know how noisy they can be even in a busy street) and how gerry and oldfield never noticed the opend shutters and windows.

The police are now saying everything we know about the case is untrue and the timelines are all wrong ( how can this be if the timelines are what the mccanns confessed to and wrote down twice?)

Does this means the mccanns and chums lied? in which case obstruction of justice and perverting the course of justice charges should be filed.

We think the timelines have been changed to allow for the Smith sighting, we shall see on crimewatch tonight hehe

ima.grandma said...

Hobs, you are great at summarizing the McCann case. When I heard something on the news today, I knew my friend "over yonder" would help me figure it out. I appreciate your passion and common sense you apply to the statements even though there have been times my personal emotions got in the way resulting in slight disagreements. I recognize and appreciate the patience you have displayed since joining this blog....especially with me.

Investigate said...

I don't believe much of what Hobs writes. Most of her opinions are far fetched. Just my opinion, which I am entitled to. Thank you very much. No insult meant.

Investigate said...

Oh, I am from the United States.

Anonymous said...

I know, right? Keeping metal shudders quiet is impossible, but making a child disappear is so easy!

Lemon said...

ima.grandma@8:50-
That was a lovely and sensitive comment/compliment to Hobs.
Lemon