The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet says an American ship captain is resting comfortably on a San Diego-based U.S. warship after receiving a medical exam following his release from captivity.
Capt. Richard Phillips was released at 7:19 p.m. Sunday in an operation that killed three of the four pirates holding him. He was first taken aboard the Norfolk-based USS Bainbridge and then flown to the San Diego-based USS Boxer for the medical exam, 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said.
USS Boxer has more than 1,800 Marines aboard, mostly from Camp Pendleton, the Orange County Register reported. The Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) left Naval Base San Diego in January.
The warship was in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, Christensen said. The flagship of a multination anti-piracy task force, resembles a small aircraft carrier. It has a mobile hospital, missile launchers and about two dozen helicopters and attack planes.
President Barack Obama says he's pleased that Capt. Richard Phillips has been rescued and is on board the Navy ship. He says Phillips' safety was his main concern and that the captain has courage that is "a model for all Americans."
Mr. Obama says he is proud of the U.S. military and other agencies that worked to free Phillips and says the United States needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable.
