MARINE CAPTAIN RICHARD

PHILLIPS SHARED HIS

HORROWING STORY WITH CBN

NEWS, MONTHS AFTER IT

UNFOLDED, ABOARD THE MAERSK

ALABAMA CARGO SHIP.

IT BEGAN WITH A RADIO CALL

HE WILL NEVER FORGET.

ONE PIRATE ABOARD.

FROM THEN IT WAS A 12 TO 15

HOUR SLIPPERY SLOPE BEFORE

WE GOT INTO THE LIFE BOAT.

FOUR PIRATES ON BOARD.

FOUR PIRATES.

Reporter: HOURS TURNED

INTO DAYS, AND THAT CAT AND

MOUSE GAME NOW PLAYS OUT ON

THE BIG SCREEN.

WE SAY LOCKDOWN.

NO ONE COMES DOWN UNTIL YOU

HEAR THE PASSWORD, WHICH IS

SUPPER TIME.

Reporter: WITH TO TOM

HANKS PLAYING CAPTAIN

PHILLIPS.

PHILLIPS SURRENDERED HIMSELF

TO THE REMAINING THREE AND

BOARDED ONE OF THE SHIP'S

LIFE BOATS.

YOU'RE IN THE WATER AND

OFF YOU GO.

I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE

EXCHANGED FOR THEIR LEADER.

THE LEADER CAME DOWN, HE GOT

IN THE BOAT, AND THEN THEY

DIDN'T EXCHANGE ME.

SO THAT'S ONE OF THE LESSONS

I LEARNED.

NEVER TRUST A PIRATE.

Reporter: THIS MAN

PLAYS ONE OF THE PIRATES,

MUSI, IN THE FILM.

BEFORE LANDING THE ROLE, HE

WAS A LIMO DRIVER LIVING IN

MINNESOTA.

I WAS BORN IN SOMALIA.

AND I LIVED IN SOMALIA UNTIL

I WAS SIX YEARS OLD.

Reporter: HIS YOUNG

LIFE IN SOMALIA GAVE HIM THE

BACKGROUND TO EMBRACE THE

ROLE.

KIDS HAVE NO PARENTS.

I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO

HAVE PARENTS WHO TOOK ME

FROM THE COUNTRY TO BE A

BETTER PERSON AND MAKE

SOMETHING OUT OF MYSELF.

BUT HE DIDN'T HAVE THAT.

YOU KNOW?

I UNDERSTAND IT.

Reporter: CAPTAIN

RICHARD PHILIPS WAS THE

FIRST SEAMAN CAPTURED BY

PIRATES IN 200 YEARS.

HE WAS FREED ON EASTER

SUNDAY IN 2009 AFTER NAVY

SEALS CAPTURED THE PIRATES

PIRATES.

THE BIGGEST LESSON HE

LEARNED --

THERE IS POWER TO

PRAYER.

AND IT DID HELP ME.

I DIDN'T PRAY FOR ESCAPE.

I PRAYED FOR STRENGTH AND

PATIENCE.

I GAVE FOR THE STRENGTH, AND

THAT GOD WOULD LET ME HAVE

THE STRENGTH TO CONTINUE AND

KNOW WHEN TO ESCAPE AND THE

PATIENCE TO WAIT FOR THAT

TIME.

Reporter: EVEN WHEN

THAT TIME DID COME, PHILLIPS

HAD A HARD TIME BELIEVING

IT.

IT WASN'T UNTIL I WAS

BEING HOISTED UP ON THE DECK

OF THAT U.S. NAVY SHIP THAT

THAT WONDERFUL SIGHT I GET

TO SEE, THAT I FINALLY

REALIZED, HEY, I MADE IT.

I'M OUT OF THERE.

I'M ALIVE.

Reporter: HE SHARED HIS

STORY IN A BOOK, AND NOW ON

THE BIG SCREEN, WHERE THERE

IS OSCAR BUZZ.

BUT PHILLIPS' BIGGEST HONOR

IS RECOGNIZING HIS FELLOW

MERCHANT MARINES AND SHINING

A LIGHT ON THE DANGERS AT

SEA.

FELLOW MEN AND WOMEN, THE

INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT

MARINES, WHO ARE KEPT AT GUN

POINT AS HOSTAGES WAITING TO

BE FREED.

Reporter: EPHRAIM

GRAHAM, CBN NEWS.