April 12 (Bloomberg) -- Sharpshooters firing from the fantail of a U.S. Navy destroyer killed three pirates holding an American cargo-ship captain in a lifeboat, ending a five-day ordeal that unfolded amid a surge in piracy off Somalia’s coast.

Richard Phillips, 53, captain of the Maersk Alabama, was untied, pulled from the lifeboat and brought unharmed aboard the USS Bainbridge, said Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

The Navy acted because Phillips’s life was threatened by pirates who were aiming weapons at him, Gourtney said. The on- scene commander “had seconds” to make a decision, he said.

“The captain’s life was in immediate danger,” said Gortney, who spoke by teleconference from his headquarters in Bahrain. “The pirates were armed with AK-47s and had small- caliber pistols, and they were pointing the AK-47 at the captain.”

A fourth pirate who had been aboard the Bainbridge conducting negotiations may be taken to Kenya or the U.S. for trial, Gortney said.

Phillips had been held aboard the lifeboat since April 8, when he persuaded his reluctant crew to abandon him to the pirates. The Maersk Alabama steamed on to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, where its crew celebrated upon hearing of Phillips’s release. Phillips, who was taken to another U.S. vessel, had a shower, a change of clothes and a conversation with his family in Vermont, according to Gortney and a Navy statement.

Hijackings off Somalia

The Maersk Alabama was the first American-operated ship to be seized in a spate of hijackings in the waters off Somalia, which has not had a central government for more than 17 years. Pirates attacked 165 ships last year between Yemen and Somalia, seizing 43 of them for ransom.

President Barack Obama in a statement said, “I share the country’s admiration for the bravery of Captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew. His courage is a model for all Americans.”

Obama had given standing orders for a rescue effort if Phillips’s life was in danger, Gortney said. After Phillips was rescued, Obama called Phillips, his wife and several top military officials, according to the White House press office.

During Phillips’s captivity, the Navy sent a small boat to and from the lifeboat to supply food, water and medicine, Gortney said. He said officials conducted “hostage negotiations” rather than discussions over a possible ransom.

Threatened With Death

“They were threatening throughout to kill the captain,” Gortney said.

The Bainbridge had the lifeboat under tow shortly after 7 p.m. local time, roughly an hour after sunset, according to Gortney and a Navy press release. The vessel was 25 to 30 meters away when special forces commandos opened fire, Gortney said.

“We pay a lot for their training,” Gortney said of the snipers. “We got a good return on their investment tonight.”

Phillips was untied, put into a lifejacket, and taken by small craft first to the Bainbridge and then flown to the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, Gortney said.

Protecting His Crew

On April 8 the Maersk Alabama’s crew managed to repulse the pirates, who spirited the captain away onto the lifeboat. Phillips jumped overboard yesterday in an effort to escape, only to be recaptured after being shot at, Gortney said.

The Maersk Alabama is operated by the Maersk Line, a Norfolk, Virginia-based U.S. unit of A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S, which is based in Copenhagen.

After hearing of their captain’s release, some of the Maersk Alabama’s crew came out on the ship’s deck in Mombasa cheering, pumping fists into the air and waving American flags.

“It’s a big relief,” William Rios, a crew member from New York City, said as he spoke with his wife by cell phone.

Maersk Chief Executive Officer John Reinhart called the rescue a “good moment.” He said he’s spoken with Phillips, who told him to say that “John, I’m just a byline. The real heroes are the Navy, the SEALs who have brought me home.” SEALs are the Navy’s special warfare commandos.

Reinhart also spoke earlier with the captain’s wife, Andrea, and he said she was relieved and thankful for her husband’s safe return. Reinhart made the comments in a televised press conference from Norfolk, Virginia.

Phillips lives with his family in Underhill, Vermont. He graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1979.

An Easter Egg

Gortney said a message from home told Phillips that, “Your family is saving a chocolate Easter egg for you, unless your son eats it first.”

In a separate incident yesterday, an Italian tugboat was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The Buccaneer, a tugboat with a crew of 16, was seized as it was towing two barges, said Shona Lowe, a spokeswoman for NATO’s Northwood Maritime Command Center near London. Ten of the crew are Italian nationals, she said.

The Alabama is the first U.S.-flagged vessel hijacked since a maritime protection corridor was set up in the region in August, according to the U.S. Navy.

“We remain resolved to halt the rise of piracy in this region,” Obama said in today’s statement. “To achieve that goal, we must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes.”

The Bainbridge was 300 nautical miles from the Maersk Alabama when the cargo ship was assaulted, Gortney said.

“‘It’s such a vast area,” Gortney said. “We simply do no have enough resources” to prevent all attacks. There have been “18 or 19” attempts on ships in the past three weeks, he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Jeff Bliss in Washington at jbliss@bloomberg.net; Todd Shields in Washington at tshields3@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 12, 2009 19:47 EDT