US ship reaches Kenya minus kidnapped captain

Nineteen American sailors who escaped a pirate hijacking off the Horn of Africa reached safe harbour on Saturday, exhilarated by freedom but mourning the absence of the captain they hailed for sacrificing his freedom to save them.
With a throng of reporters shouting questions from shore, the crew of the Maersk Alabama described an ordeal that began with Somali pirates hauling themselves onto the deck from a small boat bobbing on the surface of the Indian Ocean far below.
"They came from the stern of the ship and came on with hooks and ropes and were firing in the air when they got on board," said ATM Reza, a crew member who said he was the first to see the pirates board Wednesday.
As the pirates shot in the air, Capt. Richard Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, told his crew to lock themselves in a cabin and surrendered himself to safeguard his men, crew members said. Phillips was still held hostage in an enclosed lifeboat Saturday by four pirates being closely watched by US warships in an increasingly tense standoff. A Pentagon spokesman said negotiations were ongoing.
"He saved our lives!" second mate Ken Quinn, of Bradenton, Florida, declared from the ship as it docked in the resort and port city of Mombasa. "He's a hero."