Maritime Accident News

Four Americans Killed by Somali Pirates

Four American boaters were taken hostage and murdered by Somali pirates before a U.S. special operations team could rescue the Americans. The incident took place on Tuesday morning, February 22, 2011, off the North African coast.

The owners of the 58-foot yacht Quest have been identified as Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, California. The other couple has been identified as Phyllis Macay and Robert Riggle, of Seattle, Washington. The two couples were on an around-the-world sailing trip when they were taken hostage by Somalia pirates on Friday off of Oman.

The couple was part of a rally of yachts hosted by Blue Water Rally. According to Blue Water Rally, the Adams chose to break off from the group on February 15, choosing an independent route to their destination.

Before the two couples were murdered, a U.S. special operations team boarded the hijacked yacht killing two of the pirates and capturing the others. Some of the victims were still alive when the team boarded the vessel, but all four eventually died of injuries sustained by the hijackers, according to Adm. Mark Fox, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces in the region.

According to reports, there were 19 pirates involved in the hijacking, which turned into a standoff with the crew from the USS Sterett. The hijacking turned fatal when a rocket-propelled grenade was launched at the USS Sterett. The special teams unit boarded the yacht after hearing gun shots coming from the vessel.

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