yachtsman killed by pirates

US couple whose yacht was hijacked by prisoners were likely thrown overboard, authorities say

An American couple who was feared dead after their catamaran yacht was hijacked by three escaped prisoners were likely thrown overboard in the Caribbean Sea, authorities said Monday.

Ralph Hendry, 66, and his wife, Kathy Brandel, 71, were last known to be near Grand Anse Beach in Grenada. Their catamaran, named "Simplicity," was found abandoned in St. Vincent and there were signs of violence at the scene, according to Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force spokesperson Junior Simmons.

Although family, friends, and members of the sailing community had hoped the pair was still alive, police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines said Hendry and Brandel were likely thrown into the ocean when their vessel was hijacked. "Based on the investigation thus far, it is presumed that Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel are deceased," Simmons said in a  video statement Monday .

Don McKenzie, police commissioner of the Royal Grenada Police Force, said at a news conference Monday that the three prisoners escaped on Feb. 18 from the South St. George Police Station. They hijacked the catamaran on the following day and traveled to the nearby island of St. Vincent, where they were arrested last Wednesday, he said.

Police: Prisoners 'disposed' occupants of Simplicity

After escaping from the South St. George Police Station, McKenzie said the three prisoners "commandeered" the catamaran, which had two U.S. citizens on board, Hendry and Brandel. The couple were likely thrown into the ocean and died, police in Grenada said.

“Information suggests that while traveling between Grenada and St Vincent, they disposed of the occupants,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie added that while police have "nothing conclusive" to prove that the couple was dead, he cited a "low probability" they were alive.

The suspects are being investigated for several criminal acts, including "bodily harm to the couple," according to Simmons. Authorities discovered signs of violence on the couple’s boat after it was found abandoned, he said.

"Several items were strewn on the deck and in the cabin, and a red substance that resembles blood was seen on board," Simmons said.

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Police investigating prisoners' escape

According to the Royal Grenada Police Force, the escaped prisoners were identified as Ron Mitchell, 30; Trevon Robertson, 19; and Abita Stanislaus, 25.

All three were arrested and charged in December with one count of robbery with violence. Mitchell also was charged with one count of rape, three counts of attempted rape, and two counts of indecent assault and causing harm, police said.

McKenzie said police have launched an investigation into the escape and are looking into whether it was "a system failure" or a case of a "slip up."

"All aspects of that investigation are on the table," he said, adding that the police holding station where the three men were being held has "sufficient safety to prevent an incident like that (from) occurring."

The three men appeared in court in St. Vincent on Monday and pleaded guilty to four counts each of immigration-related charges, including entering the island as a "prohibited immigrant" with no passport, according to Simmons. They are scheduled to be sentenced on those charges in March.

Simplicity discovered by paddle-boarder near St. Vincent

The Salty Dawg Sailing Association said it was alerted by a cruising skipper about Simplicity, which was found "anchored and abandoned" off a beach on the island of St. Vincent. The association added that its live member’s tracking map showed the vessel anchored in Grenada before it moved to its last anchorage off St. Vincent.

"The good Samaritan had boarded the boat and noted that the owners … were not on board and found evidence of apparent violence," the association said in a statement. 

People reported that a sailing captain was paddle-boarding near St. Vincent when he noticed the catamaran with a broken sail. When he boarded Simplicity, he found the deck covered in blood and two passports belonging to Brandel and Hendry, according to People.

The St. Vincent Coast Guard took possession of Simplicity and local police are investigating with the U.S. Embassy and the Grenada police, according to the association.

Family, sailing community mourns couple's disappearance

According to a GoFundMe page raising money for the couple's families, Hendry and Brandel were "seasoned sailors who lived on their beloved catamaran." The pair spent their retirement sailing, the GoFundMe page states.

"This heartbreaking tragedy has left not only the sailing community, but also their families, shattered," the GoFundMe page states, adding that Brandel had recently welcomed her first grandchild.

The couple had sailed their yacht in last year's Caribbean Rally from Hampton, Virginia, to Antigua, and were spending the winter cruising in the eastern Caribbean, the Salty Dawg Sailing Association said. The association noted that the couple were veteran cruisers and longtime members of the association from its earliest days.

"Warm-hearted and capable, they both contributed to building the SDSA and Kathy sat on the association’s board for two years," the association said.

In a statement from the couple's families on Saturday, they thanked authorities and those who helped gather information.

"It means so much to us that so many people cared for Ralph and Kathy as friends and fellow cruisers that they are willing to stop and help in whatever way possible," the couple's sons, Bryan Hendry and Nick Buro, said.

Travel advisories near the Caribbean

Both Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are listed under a Level 1 travel advisory, according to the U.S. State Department. A Level 1 travel advisory urges U.S. citizens to take normal precautions in the area.

Other Caribbean islands are more dangerous, with Level 2 and 3 advisories in effect for the Bahamas and Jamaica, respectively. The advisory for the Bahamas was issued last month , warning travelers to "exercise increased caution" due to crime in some areas.

A security alert posted by the  U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas also advised U.S. citizens to be "aware that 18 murders have occurred in Nassau since the beginning of 2024." The alert warns that murders have occurred at all hours including in broad daylight on the streets.

Contributing: Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

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Pirates Brutally End Yachting Dream

By Adam Nagourney and Jeffrey Gettleman

• Feb. 22, 2011

LOS ANGELES — Jean and Scott Adam shared a dream through 15 years of marriage: to retire, build a boat and sail the world. And that is precisely what they did, heading out in 2004 from Marina Del Rey, Calif., on a custom-built 58-foot yacht for a permanent vacation that brought them to exotic islands and remote coastlines: Fiji, Micronesia, China, Phuket.

“And now: Angkor Wat! And Burma!” Mrs. Adam wrote just before Christmas, her blog post bustling with characteristic excitement.

The dream came to a brutal end on Tuesday when the Adams and their crew — Phyllis Macay and Robert A. Riggle of Seattle — were killed by pirates off the coast of Somalia in one of the most violent episodes since the modern-day piracy epidemic began several years ago, American officials said.

It is not clear why the pirates killed their hostages, either accidentally during a firefight or possibly out of revenge for the Somali pirates killed by American sharpshooters in a hostage-taking in 2009.

United States naval forces had been shadowing the hijacked yacht, called the Quest, and as soon as they saw a burst of gunfire on board, American Special Operations forces rushed to the yacht in assault craft, shot one of the pirates and knifed another. But all four hostages were already dead or fatally wounded.

Few people who travel the high seas these days are unaware of the dangers from pirates, though it seemed a risk the Adams were willing to take in the spirit of adventure and excitement. “She said to us, ‘If anything happens to us on these travels, just know that we died living our dream,’ ” said Richard Savage, Mrs. Adam’s brother-in-law from her first marriage. “They were aware that this kind of thing has risks. But they were living their dream.”

Still, in a decision that troubled friends and family members, the Quest had departed from a convoy of yachts that was assembled to ward off attacks by pirates in those waters — such maritime convoys are known as rallies — to go off on their own into some of the most dangerous waters in the world.

Mr. Adam took a security course last year from Blue Water Rallies, the organizer of the rally he had been on, and friends said he often turned off his G.P.S. instrument because pirates had learned to use them as homing devices.

“They were not risk-seekers,” said Vivian Callahan, who had sailed with the Adams as a crew member over the years. “They were very well aware of the dangers and I can’t imagine them straying from the rally unless conditions were very serious."

The Adams had been married about 15 years. They had both been married once before. He had a daughter, she had two sons.

Before their retirement, Mrs. Adam was a dentist in Marina Del Rey, a graduate of dental school at the University of California, Los Angeles. He worked as a film production manager, on such films as “The Goonies” and “Deliverance,” before leaving the business to attend divinity school; he received a master’s of divinity in 2000 and a master’s of theology in 2010.

Indeed, for the Adams, this was as much a voyage of faith as it was one of adventure. They would load the Quest up with tons of Bibles and distribute them as they traveled the world.

“They would stop in these small islands and connect with the church there, which were in isolated places and really welcomed them,” said Richard Peace, a professor of ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. “Scott would preach at times for them and being a doctoral student, he would teach in Bible colleges. This was really a major part of their travels.”

Still, friends said that the Adams were not on a mission of proselytization.

“They were very much in love and shared both a love of the sea and a love of God’s word,” Samantha Carlson, a fellow sailor, said in an e-mail to friends. She added: “They were NOT proselytizing or converting anyone.”

Ms. Macay and Mr. Riggle signed on to the Quest as crew members late last year, providing needed assistance and companionship on these voyages, which are often rigorous and lonely. Both Mr. Adam, 70, and Mrs. Adam, 66, were in relatively good shape, though Mrs. Adam battled with intense bouts of seasickness.

“She certainly didn’t let that stop her,” Mr. Savage said, adding with a laugh, “It’s kind of bizarre.”

Ms. Macay, 59, was a freelance interior designer and Mr. Riggle, 67, a retired veterinarian. They had been a couple in the past but were simply crewmates at the time of their deaths, friends said. They had met at the Seattle Singles Yacht Club and had been at sea together for most of the past three and a half years.

“Originally, it was supposed to be a year-and-a-half long, but she kept extending it,” said Joe Macay, her brother. “She wasn’t a thrill-seeker trying to live on the edge. She was just a person who loved sailing and was trying to live the life she loved.”

Don Jordan, the director of the Seattle Animal Shelter, said Mr. Riggle had served as a contract veterinarian there for the past 15 to 20 years. “He was a natural fit for a vet, kind and compassionate,” Mr. Jordan said.

The American Navy has pleaded with shipowners to stick to designated shipping lanes when passing through the Arabian Sea, where pirates continue to strike with impunity, despite the presence of dozens of warships. Yachters who knew the Adams said they had been, given these times, inclined to ship their boats overland to avoid dangerous waters or travel in rallies.

“I really have no idea why they would leave the rally when they specifically joined the rally to be in a safer environment,” said Jeff Allen, a close friend. “I hope this sends a message that you really shouldn’t be trying to go through that area.”

Friends of Ms. Macay and Mr. Riggle said that they were only serving as crew members. Cindy Kirkham, a friend of Ms. Macay and her family, said, “The family is very upset that people are suggesting that they made the decision.”

But Mr. Macay said that it was not uncommon for boats to leave rallies and return. He said his sister had “expressed concern about pirates — anybody sailing in that Blue Water Rally knows that a portion of risk goes along with it.”

He added, “She knew the risk involved, and accepted it.”

The killings underscore how lawless the seas have become in that part of the world. Just about every week another ship gets hijacked. More than 50 vessels, from fishing trawlers and traditional wooden dhows to giant freighters and oil tankers, are currently being held captive, with more than 800 hostages, according to Ecoterra International, a nonprofit maritime group that monitors pirate attacks.

“At the moment, it looks like it’s getting out of control,” said Capt. Pottengal Mukundan, director of the International Maritime Bureau, which has tracked piracy at sea since 1991.

The Somali seas are now known as the most perilous in the world, crawling with young gunmen in lightweight skiffs cruising around with machine guns, looking for quarry.

The Adams had been sailing the world on the Quest, a Davidson 58 Pilot House Sloop, that they had custom built for $1.5 million in New Zealand in 2001, using money they earned from selling their homes.

“When designing the yacht, we had to make sure that the yacht trimmed well when hundreds of Bibles were stored at the beginning of each adventure: It amounted to tons of weight,” said Kevin Dibley, the owner of Dibley Marine Ltd., who was brought on to assist the project.

On Friday, the Quest sent out an S O S, 275 miles from the coast of Oman, in the open seas between Mumbai and Djibouti. A mother ship had been observed near the yacht when it was hijacked by pirates in a smaller craft, maritime officials said, but it disappeared once warships drew close, or was captured.

Either way, the pirates were blocked from escaping and that may be one reason tensions rose on board, said Andrew Mwangura, the maritime editor of Somalia Report, a Web site that monitors piracy attacks.

“There were a big number of gunmen on a small yacht,” Mr. Mwangura said. “They could have been fighting over food, water, space. And with military choppers overhead, people get jumpy.”

According to Vice Adm. Mark Fox, the commander of United States Naval Forces Central Command, shortly after the Quest was hijacked, the Navy began talking to the pirates’ financier as well as elders from the pirates’ village. Many pirate crews are paid by wealthy Somali businessmen who later get a cut of the ransom.

On Monday, two of the pirates boarded a naval destroyer that had pulled within 600 yards of the Quest to negotiate further.

But the talks seemed to unravel on Tuesday morning, when a pirate aboard the Quest fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the destroyer. Almost immediately gunfire erupted from inside the yacht’s cabin, Admiral Fox said, and several pirates then stepped up to the bow with their hands up.

Fifteen Special Operations officers in two high-speed assault craft rushed in. When they boarded the Quest, they shot and killed one pirate and stabbed another.

Once aboard, the American forces found two pirates already dead, apparently killed by their comrades. The pirates were in disarray, the American military said, and a fight had broken out among them.

The deaths of the Adams was particularly striking to many of their friends, considering the kind of mission they were on.

“The irony of all this is that Scott and Jean, like so many of us out here cruising the world, are out here to meet the people, learn about their culture and help those we meet in whatever way we can,” said Mr. Allen.

A previous version of this article misspelled the name of the Navy warship that had been shadowing the Quest. The vessel is the Sterett, not the Starrett. It also misspelled the name of one of the Americans who was killed aboard the yacht. It is Phyllis Macay, not Phyllis Mackay.

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Adam Nagourney reported from Los Angeles, and Jeffrey Gettleman from Nairobi, Kenya. Reporting was contributed by Eric Schmitt and Elisabeth Bumiller from Washington; William Yardley from Seattle; Jennifer Medina from Marina del Rey, Calif.; Ian Lovett, Noah Gilbert and Ana Facio Contreras from Los Angeles; and J. David Goodman from New York.

U.S: Seattle couple, 2 other Americans killed by pirates

Four Americans, including two from Seattle, have been killed by pirates who hijacked their yacht off the coast of Somalia.

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NAIROBI, Kenya — A pirate fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a U.S. Navy destroyer shadowing a hijacked yacht with four Americans aboard Tuesday. Then gunfire erupted, the military said, and U.S. special forces rushed to the yacht only to find the four American hostages fatally wounded.

The experienced yacht enthusiasts from Seattle and California are the first Americans killed by Somali pirates since the start of attacks off East Africa several years ago.

The yacht’s owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey near Los Angeles, along with Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle were taken hostage on Friday several hundred miles south of Oman.

Their deaths appeared to underscore an increasingly brutal and aggressive shift by pirates in their treatment of hostages.

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Killing hostages “has now become part of our rules,” said a pirate who identified himself as Muse Abdi and referred to last week’s sentencing of a pirate to 33 years in prison for the 2009 attack on the U.S. cargo vessel the Maersk Alabama.

“From now on, anyone who tries to rescue the hostages in our hands will only collect dead bodies,” he said. “It will never ever happen that hostages are rescued and we are hauled to prison.”

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton strongly condemned the killings, saying in a statement that the slayings were “deplorable” and underscored the need for international cooperation in fighting the scourge of piracy in waters off the Horn of Africa.

Pirates had hijacked the 58-foot yacht Quest south of Oman on Friday. Since then, four U.S. warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, and sky-high drones shadowed the vessel’s movement as pirates tried to sail it to the Somali shore.

U.S. officials negotiated with the captors via radio.

But at 8 a.m. East Africa time Tuesday (9 p.m. Monday in Seattle), a rocket-propelled grenade was fired from the Quest at the USS Sterett, a guided-missile destroyer 600 yards away. The RPG missed, and almost immediately afterward small-arms fire was heard coming from the yacht, said Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain.

Several pirates then appeared on deck with their hands up. U.S. naval forces boarded the vessel and tried to provide lifesaving care to the Americans, but they died, Fox said. No U.S. forces were injured or killed.

Thirteen pirates were captured and detained Tuesday, and two other pirates had boarded the USS Sterett on Monday to negotiate, Fox said.

A member of a U.S. special operations force killed one of the pirates with a knife, Fox said. A second pirate was also killed, and the bodies of two other pirates were discovered on board, bringing to 19 the total number of pirates involved. The U.S. military didn’t say how those two died and it was not known if the pirates had fought among themselves.

“Great sailors, good people”

The Quest was the home Jean and Scott Adam, of Marina del Rey, near Los Angeles. The two had been sailing around the world since December 2004. Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, had recently joined the Adams.

“Great sailors, good people. They were doing what they wanted to do, but that’s small comfort in the face of this,” said Joe Grande of the Seattle Singles Yacht Club, where Riggle and Macay were members.

Around Christmas the Quest joined the Blue Water Rally, an around-the-world race. But race organizers said the Quest recently left the race despite what Fox said were warnings about the dangers of sailing in Horn of Africa region.

The Blue Water Rally said in a statement Tuesday that though yachtsmen are discouraged from sailing in the region, the only other choices are to sail around the stormy and dangerous tip of South Africa or sail back across the Pacific.

The Adams were skilled and experienced sailors, having traveled from Panama in 2005 to Fiji in 2007 and Cambodia last year. They most recently sailed from Thailand to Sri Lanka and India, and were on their way to Oman when captured.

The Adams ran a Bible ministry and had been distributing Bibles to schools and churches in remote villages in areas including the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia.

At the Seattle Singles Yacht Club, friend Hank Curci said Riggle and Macay were carrying out a lifelong dream.

“Now that they’re gone it’s just difficult for us to accept because it’s like having a family member killed,” he said.

Meticulous planners

Friends, family and fellow sailors said that despite an adventurous spirit, the four were meticulous planners who knew the dangers they faced. The Adams had been sailing around the world since December 2004 with a yacht full of Bibles to distribute to remote regions, and were joined by Riggle and Macay, who left Seattle nine or 10 months ago.

The four had traveled with a large flotilla to stay safe from pirates earlier in the trip, but had left the group when the attack occurred, Macay’s niece, Nina Crossland, told reporters in South San Francisco.

Visibly shaken and holding back tears, Crossland said her 59-year-old aunt was shot but alive when the SEALs boarded the Quest. She died later.

“My aunt is a very smart and avid sailor,” Crossland told reporters in South San Francisco on Tuesday morning. “I think she was smart enough and planned ahead and prepared to not be in this type of situation.”

Macay had been keeping her mother in San Francisco updated by e-mail during her three-year voyage around the world.

In her last e-mail, sent just before Valentine’s Day, Macay told her mother they had “gotten information about the possibility of pirates before starting down their current route,” Crossland said Sunday.

But Macay indicated she believed their route would take them a safe distance away from pirates.

“A kindhearted individual”

Macay and longtime friend Riggle, a retired veterinarian and sailboat owner, had researched and planned for three years of cruising.

They joined an international community of cruising sailors who sometimes swap crew depending on where they want to go. Crossland said her aunt and Riggle had just joined up with the Adams.

Riggle had worked as a relief veterinarian for the Seattle Animal Shelter for the past seven to eight years, providing spay and neutering services for adopted animals and through a city program, said director Don Jordan.

“He wasn’t a man of many words but he was a kindhearted individual with a great passion for animals and animal welfare,” Jordan said. “He treated our staff with dignity and respect.”

Jordan recalled that Riggle once took a colleague’s family sailing when their daughter was diagnosed with cancer to get their mind off their troubles. “That was just a small indicator about how he treated people,” he said.

Maritime missionaries

During morning Mass at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson spoke about the Adams. “We are heartbroken. They were an extraordinary couple.”

Scott Adam, in his mid-60s, had been an associate producer in Hollywood when he turned in a spiritual direction and enrolled in the seminary a decade ago, Professor Robert K. Johnston of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena and a friend of Adam’s.

“He decided he could take his pension, and he wanted to serve God and humankind,” he said.

Johnston and Adam worked together to start a film and theology institute. Adam also taught a class on church and media at the school.

Since 2004, the Adams lived on their yacht in Marina del Rey for about half the year and the rest of the year they sailed around the world, often distributing Bibles in remote parts of the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia, Johnston said.

Scott and Jane Adam documented their maritime missionary work on their website, S/V Quest Adventure Log.

“This is a first”

Pirates have increased attacks off the coast of East Africa in recent years despite an international flotilla of warships dedicated to protecting vessels and stopping the pirate assaults.

But the conventional wisdom in the shipping industry had been that Somali pirates are businessmen looking for a multimillion-dollar ransom payday, not insurgents looking to terrorize people.

“We have heard threats against the lives of Americans before but it strikes me as being very, very unusual why they would kill hostages outright,” said Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of Dryad Maritime Intelligence, adding that the pirates must realize that killing Americans would invite a military response.

President Obama, who was notified about the deaths at 4:42 a.m. Washington time, had authorized the military on Saturday to use force in case of an imminent threat to the hostages, said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Motivated by million-dollar ransoms, pirates have become increasingly bold in their attacks despite a flotilla of international warships patrolling the waters off East Africa. The last time pirates kidnapped a U.S. citizen — during the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama — Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates and rescued the ship’s captain.

But Tuesday’s bloody events are apt to leave U.S. military planners in a quandary: Do they go after the pirates harder? Do they attack their bases on Somalia’s ungoverned shores? One maritime expert said it’s too early to tell.

“This is a first,” said Gibbon-Brooks, the analyst. “We don’t know if the situation is related to a straight execution. We don’t know if it was related to an attempt to break free. We don’t know if it was related to an accident.”

Gibbon-Brooks said the killings were “extremely unwise” by the Somalis, and that the deaths threaten what has been a successful and lucrative business model.

“They lost bigger than us”

Two days before the hijacking, a New York court sentenced a pirate to 33 years in prison for the 2009 attack on the Maersk Alabama, a U.S. cargo vessel. A pirate in Somalia told the AP last week that pirates were more likely to attack Americans because of the sentencing.

“It’s a black day for us and also the Americans, but they lost bigger than us,” a pirate who said his name was Bile Hussein said. “If they still want a solution and safety for their citizens in the oceans, let them release our men they arrested.”

Only minutes before the military announced that the four Americans had died, a Somali pirate told AP by phone that if the yacht were attacked, “the hostages will be the first to go.”

“Some pirates have even suggested rigging the yacht with land mines and explosives so as the whole yacht explodes with the first gunshot,” said the pirate, who gave his name as Abdullahi Mohamed, who claimed to be a friend of the pirates holding the four Americans.

Pirates — who currently hold 30 ships and more than 660 hostages — typically win a multimillion ransom for releasing their captives, a huge sum that is shared among investors and pirates. The money is often spent on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes. One ransom paid last year was reported as $9.5 million. Most ransoms are worth several million dollars.

Given that typical financial motivation, Tuesday’s killings left several unanswered questions, such as whether the pirates, being trailed by the Americans, believed there was no way to avoid spending years in a U.S. prison, or if the American forces spooked the pirates by approaching the yacht, or even if the hostages had tried to retake the yacht from the pirates.

Mohamed, the pirate in Somalia, told AP that pirate leaders had been expecting the yacht to make landfall soon.

Five cars full of pirates were headed toward the pirate dens of Eyl and Gara’ad in anticipation of the Quest reaching land Monday, he said. Had the four reached land, they may have faced a long hostage ordeal like the 388 days that the British sailing couple Paul and Rachel Chandler spent in the hands of pirates. The two were released in November.

“This incident is a clear message and alarm that it’s time the world community quickly steps up to stop these pirate criminal activities. They should be treated mercilessly,” said Gen. Yusuf Ahmed Khayr, the security minister in the northern Somalia region of Puntland, a pirate haven.

Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek in Washington; Abdi Guled in Mogadishu, Somalia; and George Tibbits and Doug Esser in Seattle, Washington contributed to this report.

Seattle Times staff reporters Jack Broom and Lornet Turnbull contributed to this report.

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Four Americans Killed on Yacht Hijacked by Somali Pirates

This undated photo shows Scott and Jean Adam, two of the Americans killed by pirates. (svquest.com)

Four Americans aboard a yacht hijacked by Somali pirates were gunned down by their captors Tuesday.

U.S. forces responded to gunfire aboard the yacht Quest at approximately 1 a.m. Tuesday, but discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite attempts to save their lives, all four hostages died of their wounds.

“We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest,” said Gen. James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command Commander in a news release.

Two pirates died during the confrontation and U.S. forces found the remains of two other pirates already dead aboard the vessel. Thirteen pirates were captured and detained, along with two already in custody. A total of 19 pirates were involved in the hijacking.

The remains of the four Americans were taken aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, as were the 15 pirates in custody. There is no word yet on where the pirates will be taken for trial. They could go to Kenya or they could come back to the U.S. There is a precedent for both.

The yacht Quest was hijacked on Friday off the coast of Oman and U.S. forces had been closely monitoring the vessel.

Unlike most pirate incidents, these pirates boarded the Quest directly from their mother ship, rather than using faster skiffs. The mother ship remains free.

Vice Admiral Mark Fox, Commander of Centcom's Naval Forces, explained the timeline of events during a press briefing with Pentagon reporters. According to Fox, there was "absolutely no warning" before the hostage situation turned deadly.

On Monday two pirates boarded the USS Sterett (one of four U.S. Naval ships monitoring the situation) to conduct negotiations for the release of the American hostages. They stayed on board overnight and it's unclear if any ransom was offered before the killing took place.

At 8:00 am local time Tuesday morning a rocket propelled grenade was fired at the Sterett from pirates on board the Quest. The shot missed, but immediately after gunfire erupted inside the cabin of the Quest.

"Several pirates appeared on deck and moved up to the bow with their hands in the air in surrender," Fox said. That's when SOF approached on small boats and boarded the yacht.

When U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) soldiers -- from a classified Navy SEALS unit --  reached the yacht, they found two pirates had already been killed by small arms fire. As they went below deck there was an exchange of fire that killed one pirate. The other pirate was killed by an SOF member who used a knife in close combat, Vice Adm. Fox said.

The SOF found some of the Americans still alive, but all four soon died of their wounds. Vice Adm. Fox called it the deadliest pirate incident to date.

"We did everything we could," said a senior military official. "But I don't think our guys would see this as a good outcome."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the killings "deplorable." She said in a statement that the killings underscored the need for international cooperation on fighting the scourge of piracy in waters off the Horn of Africa.

She urged international partners to provide material, financial and logistical support to an African peacekeeping mission in Somalia, the country the pirates use as the launching point of their attacks.

The organizers of an international yacht race called the Blue Water Rally said the Quest had been taking part in the race but left it Feb. 15 to chart an independent course from India to Oman.

The Quest is owned by Scott and Jean Adam, a couple from California. The two other Americans on board were Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, Washington.

At the Seattle Singles Yacht Club, where Riggle and Macay were well known, Joe Grande said the two were "great sailors, good people. They were doing what they wanted to do, but that's small comfort in the face of this."

The Adams have been sailing the world with a yacht full of Bibles since 2004. The hijacking of their yacht came two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama. That case ended when Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's captain.

Pirates have increased attacks off the coast of East Africa in recent years despite an international flotilla of warships dedicated to protecting vessels and stopping the pirate assaults. Multimillion-dollar ransoms are fueling the trade, and the prices for releasing a ship and hostages have risen sharply.

Pirates currently hold 30 ships and more than 660 hostages, not counting the attack against the Quest. Before this incident there were less than 10 pirate related deaths this year.

The best-known case of Westerners being held hostage in Somalia was that of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held for 388 days. The two, who were captured while sailing in their private yacht, were released in November.

The Adams -- who are members of the Marina del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, Calif. -- run a Bible ministry, according to their website, and have been distributing Bibles to schools and churches in remote villages in areas including the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Four Americans killed by Somali pirates

Somali pirates have killed four americans including a retired couple onboard their hijacked yacht in a sudden violent turn to efforts to end a hostage drama, the us military said..

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Peter Blake, the world's leading sailor, shot dead in attack by Amazon pirates

Sir Peter Blake, the world's most famous sailor, who went further and faster then anyone before, was yesterday shot and killed by a group of armed pirates known as "the water rats" in a night-time robbery on his boat in the Brazilian Amazon.

Blake, aged 53, had returned from dinner with his crew in Macapa, a remote city on the northern bank of the Amazon delta, when a gang of up to eight men arrived at his boat by rubber dinghy.

When the gang, wearing motorcycle helmets, made their demands, Blake reached for his gun and shot one of them, according to Brazilian police. In retaliation the robbers opened fire. Blake died from gunshot wounds. Two other members of the crew were injured.

It was a tragic end for the man who dominated the world of sailing for more than a decade, twice securing the America's Cup - the sport's most prestigious trophy - for his native New Zealand. Blake was also the only man to complete five Whitbread Round the World races, finally winning in 1990 when, uniquely, he finished first in all six legs.

"He was a New Zealand hero and everyone will feel a great sense of sadness at his death," Paul East, New Zealand's high commissioner in London, said.

Last night, as tributes continued to pour in from around the world for the man whose other great love was the environment, the New Zealand ambassador in Brazil arrived in Macapa. Brazilian police said the robbers took a watch and the boat's motor. No one has been arrested.

Blake, who was appointed in July as a goodwill ambassador of the United Nation's environment programme, was on a research expedition - sponsored by Omega - that was progressing up the River Amazon. He arrived in Rio de Janeiro on September 12 and headed north up the Brazilian coast. He reached Belem, where the Amazon meets the Atlantic Ocean, on October 2. The crew was planning to sail upstream and reach Venzeuela at the beginning of February.

Blake was travelling with 14 crew, including his daughter Sarah Jane. Nine people were on board the Seamaster yacht when the attack happened, just after 10pm on Wednesday.

The riverside near Macapa is well known for its violence, said a man in the city who did not want to be named. "Blake was badly advised to anchor there," he said. "The police definitely know who did it, but they will only catch them if there is enough international pressure."

Blake arrived in Macapa away from the eyes of the local media. "There is no way the pirates knew who he was. For them he was just another tourist with a large boat."

While on his Amazonian journey Blake kept a log on his website. The last entry was written on Wednesday, the day he died. "Status: still motoring. Conditions: pleasant," he wrote. "Dusk has turned the surface of the river into a greasy grey, with the sky quickly darkening after the sun's orange and golds have gone.

"Again, I raise the question: why are we here? Our aim is to begin to understand the reasons why we must all start appreciating what we have before it is too late. We want to restart people caring for the environment as it must be cared for. We want to make a difference."

Blake, who had started to sail aged five, had achieved what he set out to do in the sport- everything. His domination was a hallmark of his application, persistence and overriding passion for the job in hand. The yacht in which he finally won the Whitbread, Steinlager 2, was built to the limits of the rule for that race. It incorporated his and designer Bruce Farr's thinking and gave him a psychological as well as physical advantage over his rivals.

In those days (1989/90), the race was scored on cumulative time and at the end of the first leg, from Southampton to Punta del Este in Uruguay, Blake had such a commanding lead that he need only sail the rest of the race conservatively to be sure of overall victory.

Buoyed by that success, Blake was sought by Sir Michael Fay to instil a spirit of teamwork into his America's Cup campaign for New Zealand in 1992.

He was devastated by the failure of this campaign, and when Fay stood down Blake picked up the gauntlet, mortgaging his house to pay the $75,000 deposit for a challenge in 1995. At the time he had no support, but he had always had strong backers in his home country and financial leaders provided most of the money needed.

He had, by then, captured the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest sailing circumnavigation with co-skipper Robin Knox-Johnston aboard the 92-foot catamaran Enza. His "lucky red socks" - knitted for him by his wife Pippa - became an icon. 500,000 pairs were sold in New Zealand, with half a million dollars helping the challenge fund.

Black Magic, with Blake as skipper, lost only two races in the challenger trials and went on to win the cup in straight races. He received a knighthood, and managed the successful defence of the Cup in 2000, again winning in five straight races.

He had earlier become head of the Jacques Cousteau Foundation. Blake took the foundation's specially designed boat and set off on scientific exploration in Antarctic waters twice before opting for further scientific research up the Amazon.

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Why did Somali pirates kill four American yachters?

As US forces negotiated the release of four Americans captured while yachting in the Arabian Sea, Somali pirates shot and killed them today. The incident raises questions about the new military approach to piracy.

• By Scott Baldauf Staff Writer

February 22, 2011 | Johannesburg, South Africa

Somali pirates have killed the four Americans they captured last week in the Arabian Sea , according to US Central Command .

The killings are unusual for Somali pirates, since captives are often valuable for ransom. Pirates reportedly received about $1 million for the November release of a pair of British yachters Paul and Rachel Chandler , who were detained for more than a year.

But at a time of increased militarization in the Indian Ocean – with European, Russian, Chinese, Indian, and American navies patrolling sea lanes and carrying out attacks on suspected pirate ships – the Somali gangs have struck back, threatening to kill and mutilate captives in revenge for the killing of Somali pirates by foreign navies.

Top 5 high-profile captures by Somali pirates

Scott and Jean Adam, a husband and wife from California , were taking a seven-year, around-the-world trip on their personal yacht when it was captured Feb. 18 south of Oman 's coast. Also aboard the Quest at the time of capture were two Americans from Seattle , Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle .

US Central Command said four Navy warships were deployed in an effort to secure the Americans' release, and "negotiations were ongoing" when the shooting occurred at 1 a.m. today. Upon hearing gunfire, US forces boarded the Quest and confronted the pirates, capturing 13 and killing two. Attempts to revive the four Americans were unsuccessful and all four died from the gun wounds.

"We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest," Gen. James Mattis , US Central Command Commander, said in the statement .

There have been a number of high-profile rescue missions in recent months.

On Jan. 20, a Malaysian oil tanker, the Bunga Laurel, was boarded by Somali pirates off the coast Aden , just after having been escorted by a Malaysian Navy escort group. Within two hours, Malaysian special forces returned, shot three pirates, and freed the crew of 23 sailors.

On Jan. 15, a South Korean cargo ship, the Samho Jewelry, was attacked and boarded by pirates some 430 miles from the Somali coast. A South Korean naval destroyer on patrol in the area shadowed the captured ship for several days before striking. After a gun battle, all 21 crew members were rescued, but all eight pirates were shot dead.

Back in Somalia, pirate chief Abdullahi Mohamud Abdulle told Radio Shabelle that his men would take revenge for the pirate deaths by killing other Korean sailors currently being held for ransom. “We are going to avenge the deaths of our dead colleagues,” he said. “We are going to mutilate the bodies of the Koreans we are holding as hostages....”

While increased foreign military presence in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea have provoked the wrath of pirates, it is debated whether the naval patrols have curtailed piracy.

“Since EU NAVFOR's inception at the end of 2008 the piracy has started in earnest and it has now completely escalated,” according to a January report from Kenya -based nongovernmental group Ecoterra International , which tracks Somali piracy. “While billions are spend for the navies, the general militarization and mercenaries, still no help is coming forward to pacify and develop the coastal areas of Somalia.”

According to Ecoterra International, 51 foreign vessels and 819 sailors are currently being held captive. However, the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), in a Feb. 22 report (pdf) , said Somali pirates are currently holding at least 32 vessels and 692 hostages.

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Three Yachtsmen Killed by Somali Pirates were Hams

Four Americans -- including three Amateur Radio operators -- who were being held hostage on their yacht by pirates off the coast of Oman have been killed. Scott Adam, K9ESO, and his wife Jean, KF6RVB, along with Bob Riggle, KE7IIV, and Phylis Macay were on board the S/V Quest when pirates boarded their vessel on Friday, February 18. The Adams were based in the Los Angeles area; Riggle and Macay were from Seattle.

According to the US Central Command , the boat was in the Indian Ocean, headed toward the Somali coast when on Friday, the 58 foot yacht sent a distress signal. The boat was being trailed by US Navy forces; it was about a two day sail from the Somali coast. They had begun tracking the yacht after being alerted that a Danish naval helicopter had seen the Quest off Oman under the pirates’ control. The Central Command oversees US anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean.

Officials were in the process of negotiating for the Americans’ release when gunfire was heard around 1 AM (EST) on Tuesday, February 22. “As (US forces) responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest , the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors,” a statement from US Central Command said. “Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds.”

There were signs of divisions among the 19 pirates during the hostage standoff, Central Command said. On Monday, two of them came aboard one of the Navy vessels, the USS Sterret , for face-to-face negotiations and did not return to the yacht. The incident turned fatal on Tuesday morning when the pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Sterret , which missed, and US naval personnel heard gunshots coming from the yacht. At that point, a team of 15 special-operations forces boarded the yacht. On Saturday, President Barack Obama authorized the military to use force in case of an imminent threat to the hostages, said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

After the grenade was fired at the Sterret , several pirates came on deck with their hands raised, as if trying to surrender, said Admiral Mark Fox. The gunfire erupted on board almost immediately. But US officers said it was not known whether the hostages had made an escape attempt or whether disagreements among the pirates prompted the shots. Fox -- the Commander of US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the coast off East Africa as far south as Kenya -- said that the incident was the deadliest one he could recall involving US citizens held by pirates. It is believed 19 pirates were involved in the hijacking.

The Navy had been closely monitoring the S/V Quest for about three days, once it became known to be pirated. Four US Navy warships comprised the response force dedicated to recovering the Quest : the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise , the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and the guided-missile destroyers USS Sterret and USS Bulkeley . The bodies of the four Americans are now on board the Enterprise .

The Adams planned to travel across the Indian Ocean from their temporary dock in Phuket, Thailand, and then head up the Red Sea and through the Mediterranean to the Greek islands. They had considered shipping the boat to avoid the dangers of the trip, but decided instead to join a rally of yachts heading to the same location. For reasons unknown, the foursome apparently decided to break off from the Blue Water Rally , which organized and supported the group of boats headed toward the Mediterranean. Blue Water Rally organizers released a statement on their website, saying that said the Adams chose to take an independent route from Mumbai to Salalah, Oman, and left the rally on February 15. In a statement on February 22 after hearing of the deaths from “the pirate menace which is plaguing the Indian Ocean,” Blue Water Rally called the Adams, Riggle and Macay “brave adventurers.”

A former TV unit production manager, Scott Adam, 70, was an experienced sailor who had owned a boat most of his life. And although 66 year old Jean Adam, a retired dentist, became seasick easily, she took medication for it because she loved being on the water. According to their website, the Adams -- who each have children from previous marriages -- planned to hand out Bibles during their trip.  -- Thanks to The Associated Press and US Central Command for some information

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Four American Hostages Killed By Somali Pirates

According to the U.S. military, four Americans being held hostage by pirates off Somalia have been killed. They were on a yacht called Quest, carrying bibles, sailing past the Somali coast. It's not clear what their mission was. The U.S. Navy had responded, surrounding the captured vessel with warships. While the military negotiated with the pirates, gunfire was heard and the military went on board. Two pirates were killed and 13 were captured; all four hostages were found to be dead, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.

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The two-way, four americans on hijacked yacht killed by somali pirates, centcom says.

STEVE INSKEEP, Host:

Let's listen to Vice Admiral Mark Fox, who is commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

MARK FOX: As they responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the U.S. sailors discovered that all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four of the American hostages died of their wounds.

INSKEEP: The Quest, the name of the ship, was owned by Jean and Scott Adam. They were a couple from California. They'd been sailing around the world since December 2004. It is said that they had a yacht full of Bibles.

G: It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News.

Copyright © 2011 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Watch CBS News

Somali pirates kill 4 Americans after hijacking yacht off Somali coast

By Edecio Martinez

February 22, 2011 / 11:54 AM EST / CBS News

(CBS/KIRO/AP) Scott Adam, one of the four Americans killed by Somali pirates Monday,  wanted to "serve God and humankind," according to a family friend, but his mission ended tragically when he and three other U.S. citizens were killed off the coast of Somalia. The killings mark  the first time U.S. citizens have been killed in a wave of pirate attacks plaguing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean for years.

PICTURES: 4 Americans on hijacked yacht dead off Somalia

U.S. naval forces, who were trailing the Americans' captured yacht with four warships, quickly boarded the vessel after hearing the gunfire and tried to provide lifesaving care to the Americans, but they died of their wounds, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement from Tampa, Fla.

Two pirates died during the confrontation and 13 were captured and detained, the U.S. Central Command said. The remains of two other pirates who were already dead for some time were also found. The U.S. military didn't state how those two might have died.

On Monday, two pirates had peacefully come aboard the USS Sterett to negotiate with naval forces for the release of the hostages, and remained aboard overnight.

But on Tuesday, pirates aboard the Quest unexpectedly fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Sterett. Shortly afterward, gunfire erupted inside the Quest cabin, and U.S. special forces responded, approaching the Quest in small boats and boarding the vessel, Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a Tuesday press conference.

Some pirates moved to bow and put up their hands in surrender. The U.S. forces killed two pirates in the course of clearing the vessel - one with a handgun and one in a close-combat knife fight. There were no injuries to U.S. forces or damage to U.S. ships, Fox said.

The Quest was the home of Jean and Scott Adam, a couple from California who had been sailing around the world since December 2004 with a yacht full of Bibles. The two other Americans on board were Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, Wash.

According to CBS affiliate KIRO , Adam, in his mid-60s, had been an associate producer in Hollywood when he turned in a spiritual direction and enrolled in the seminary a decade ago, said Robert K. Johnston, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena and a friend of Adam's.

"He decided he could take his pension, and he wanted to serve God and humankind," he said.

Johnston and Adam worked together to start a film and theology institute. Adam also taught a class on church and media at the school.

Since 2004, the Adams lived on their yacht in Marina Del Rey for about half the year and the rest of the year they sailed around the world, often distributing Bibles in remote parts of the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia, Johnston said.

Scott and Jane Adam documented their maritime missionary work on their website, S/V Quest Adventure Log .

"We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest," said Gen. James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command Commander.

Johnston said that despite an adventurous spirit, the Adams were meticulous planners who knew the dangers they faced. The couple had sailed with a large flotilla to stay safe from pirates near Thailand earlier in the trip.

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Pirates Preview: Jared Jones makes MLB debut

Pirates Jared Jones Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones throws during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

MIAMI — This article originally appeared on PittsburghBaseballNOW.com.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (2-0) were victorious over the Miami Marlins (0-2) for the second time in as many days to start the season. It’s the first time since 2018 the Pirates have started the year 2-0.

Ryder Ryan earned his first big-league win and Josh Fleming recorded a three-inning save for the Pirates in their 7-2 win over the Marlins on Friday night.

As the Pirates look to make it three in a row to start the season, prospect Jared Jones will make his much-anticipated major-league debut in Miami on Saturday afternoon.

Click here to read more from PittsburghBaseballNOW.com.

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