A Story of Turnabout Slips Out of Pirated Ship's Crew

There was almost no pomp and circumstance to welcome the 19 crew members of the Maersk Alabama to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center yesterday morning -- at least none visible to the public. Instead, the courageous mariners who survived a pirate attack on the Indian Ocean last week spent their first full day on U.S. soil eating a buffet-style breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns -- and answering questions from the horde of reporters gathered in the convention center's hallways.

"It feels great to be alive," crewman John White, 70, said as he walked with his wife.

"I breathe new air, brother," said Miguel Ruiz, another crewman.

Sequestered all morning in a hallway marked "Chesapeake Rooms," crew members who eventually emerged said they spent the time reuniting with their families and meeting with Maersk and union officials. The Gaylord set aside a room for them to answer questions from the media, but few, if any, took advantage of it, choosing instead to handle the mob of television cameras in brief exchanges in the hotel's hallways.

ATM Zahid Reza, an able-bodied seaman aboard the Alabama, and William Rios, the ship's boatswain, were among those who stole the show. After sneaking outside to drink a cup of coffee and smoke a cigarette, the two were quickly spotted by cameramen, who rushed outside to hear their stories.

Reza said he lured one of the Somali pirates to the darkened engine room by saying he would turn over the crew members who were hiding. He and the Alabama's chief engineer then attacked the pirate and took him hostage, Reza said.

"I told him: 'Trust me. You are Muslim. I am Muslim,' " Reza said.

The crew's visit to the Gaylord was arranged so quickly that it surprised many of those staying there. Linda Fitzpatrick, who was in town from Atlanta for a digital software conference, said she found out about the celebrity guests only yesterday morning, when her husband called her to say: "Guess what? Your hotel is on TV." She said she was able to snap some photos of the crew even as dozens of reporters charged past her to do the same thing.

"It was very active," she said with a laugh.

The 19 members of the Alabama landed at Andrews Air Force Base just before 1 a.m. yesterday, meeting up with family members before departing for the Gaylord. When they arrived at the hotel after 2 a.m., they were greeted by an open bar and a candlelit buffet.

The Alabama's captain, Richard Phillips, was not there, his trip home delayed while the destroyer he was on responded to another pirate attack on a U.S.-flagged ship, the Liberty Sun. The crew foiled that attack, and Phillips was delivered to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa yesterday. He was expected to return to the United States from there.

About 2 p.m., the Alabama's crew members departed without ceremony. Some evaded reporters as they left; others left with a wave and a smile.

Kevin Mousaw, 53, stood outside the hotel with his 16-year-old son, Joshua, trying to snap a picture of the crew members. A police officer in Canton, N.Y., and in town because his wife was attending a conference, Mousaw said he wanted proof for his colleagues that he crossed paths with the suddenly famous crew.

"It'd be nice to take home. My guys at my station won't believe it."

Staff writer Jenna Johnson contributed to this report.