Piracy, patience, precision and steel

by Mark Silva and updated with a transcript of interview

The Navy SEAL snipers aboard the USS Bainbridge, hooking and towing the lifeboat in which four pirates held the captain of the pirate-attacked Maersk Alabama, waited, picking the moment to shoot, to rescue Captain Richard Phillips.

Commanders "ultimately believed the pirates were about to kill the captain. That's what was the decision point," says Cmdr. Frank Castellano, commanding officer of the Bainbridge - a vessel named for a commodore who battled Barbary Coast pirates two centuries ago -- in an interview aired on National Public Radio's Morning Edition today.

Before ending the standoff with three fatally precise shots, the strong>SEAL snipers had passed on multiple opportunities to fire, Julian Barnes and Greg Miller of Tribune's Washington bureau report today. "The marksmen had moved into position after the White House expanded the authority it had given the world's most powerful navy against a ragtag foe holding an American hostage,'' they report. "They kept their scopes trained on their Somali targets as prospects for a peaceful resolution seemed to shrivel.''

One pirate's cooperation, however, was critical to the dramatic rescue, the Bainbridge's commander says. The fourth pirate had come aboard the USS Bainbridge earlier in the day Sunday after U.S. forces made a supply run of food, water and clothes for Phillips. The pirate "wanted to come back to the ship and talk about how we could get Capt. Phillips back," Castellano tells NPR's Renee Montagne. "It was all part of the hostage negotiations that occurred over the course of the event...

"I don't know really what went through his mind ... but he came, and that was a step in the direction to allow Capt. Richard Phillips to get home, and that was very important,'' says Castellano, in the NPR interview, reporting that the mood of the pirates holding the Alabama captain hostage had gone up and down with the sea.

"Sometimes they were calm, and there was progress being made. Other times, they were angry and seemed to be vengeful. They had their ups and downs, but when all is said and done, they are criminals."

The turning point came, he says, when it appeared that the captain's life was in imminent danger. Phillips' hands were bound and, just before his rescue, an AK-47 was seen pointed at the captain. When the captain's life appeared at risk, and the snipers found their shot, they took it - three bullets, three pirates.

The moment of rescue "was joyous," Castellano says. "I can tell you there was almost a shout that went throughout the ship when we found out that we had success and that we had rescued Capt. Richard Phillips."

Footnote: The USS Bainbridge is named for Commodore William Bainbridge, who fought the Barbary pirates in the early 19th Century - something that was talked about throughout the events that unfolded since Wednesday's attack on the Alabama, the first U.S.-flagged ship attacked by pirates in these waters in centuries. "

"His ship, now today, 206 years later, was fighting pirates over in the Indian Ocean,'' Castellano says. "I could not imagine a U.S. naval vessel more fitting than Bainbridge to have participated in this mission.''

Here, courtesy of NPR's Morning Edition, is a transcript:

RENEE MONTAGNE: We're going to hear now from the man responsible for that rescue, Commander Frank Castellano, the commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge. He's the one who decided on Sunday that Phillips was in imminent danger and gave the order to snipers from the Navy Seals to fire. Exactly three shots, killing the three pirates and freeing Phillips.

Speaking to us from his ship in the Indian Ocean and operating on very little sleep, Commander Castellano recounted his dealings with the pirates, which at one point were calm enough that they accepted a change of clothes for their American hostage.

COMMANDER FRANK CASTELLANO: We actually had sent over batteries for their radio, so that we were able to communicate with them, and then the package of food, water and change of clothes for Captain Phillips actually occurred on Easter Sunday morning. In the evening he was rescued but that morning was when we were able to get the material over to him and that was a big, a big step.

MONTAGNE: And was that the moment at which, there was a fourth pirate who left the hostage situation, who left the lifeboat and came back to your ship, did he give himself up?

CASTELLANO: We sent the boat over there to bring the food and water and clothes for Captain Phillips, and he wanted to come back to the ship and talk about how we could get Captain Phillips back. So it was all part of the hostage negotiations that occurred over the course of the event.

MONTAGNE: When you were actually negotiating with the pirates, what were they like to deal with?

CASTELLANO: It depended on the situation. Sometimes they were calm and there was progress being made, and other times they were angry and seemed to be vengeful. They had their ups and downs, but when all is said and done, they are criminals.

MONTAGNE: In those last moments, what was the vision that you all had of this boat with Captain Phillips on it and these pirates?

CASTELLANO: You know, the vision in those last moments was that the weather had been getting worsening conditions and tensions were rising and there was a tracer round was fired from the lifeboat. You know, that caused a lot of concern. You know we basically, ultimately believed that the pirates were about to kill the captain, and that's what was the decision point.

MONTAGNE: It's been reported that what was happening on the boat, then, was that the Captain was there, standing next to a pirate who was pointing an AK47 at him.

CASTELLANO: Yes, I would say that was an accurate statement.

MONTAGNE: So, pretty serious situation. But, it must have also, how can I say this, giving the order to shoot, when Captain Phillips was standing right there. These people were very close together. Did you hold your breath?

CASTELLANO: I'd really not like to go into that, but I can just tell you that our special operations forces are very highly trained, and that training certainly proved to be invaluable that night.

MONTAGNE: When you literally rescued him, he was bound right?

CASTELLANO: His hands had been bound and it was just, it was joyous. I can tell you there was almost a shout that went throughout the ship when we found out that we had success, and that we had rescued Captain Richard Phillips. And we brought him on board the ship and he got to step onto sovereign U.S. soil. And it was a joyous moment for everyone who was involved.

MONTAGNE: During all those days, did you ever consider who the Bainbridge was named after?

CASTELLANO: Yes I did, and actually that had been a discussion point throughout the event, that you know, my ship's namesake, Commodore William Bainbridge, who had fought against the Barbary pirates over 200 hundred years ago, his ship, was fighting pirates over in the Indian Ocean. I could not image a U.S. Naval vessel more fitting than Bainbridge that participated in this mission.

MONTAGNE: Commander Castellano, thank you for talking with us.

CASTELLANO: It's been my pleasure to talk with you, and I can't say enough about my crew and those of all the ships involved in the mission. It was great; they stood their watches around the clock with a new sense of purpose, insuring Captain Phillips' safety.

MONTAGNE: Frank Castellano is commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge and spoke to us from the ship.