A Captain's Duty

Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea

By: Richard Phillips, Stephan Talty

Narrated by: George K. Wilson

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

"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."
President Barack Obama

It was just another day on the job for 53-year-old Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama, a United States-flagged cargo ship that was carrying, among other things, food and agricultural materials for the World Food Program. That all changed when armed Somali pirates boarded the ship.

The pirates didn't expect the crew to fight back, nor did they expect Captain Phillips to offer himself as a hostage in exchange for the safety of his crew. Thus began the tense five-day standoff, which ended in a daring high-seas rescue when U.S. Navy SEALs opened fire and picked off three of the captors.

"It never ends like this," Captain Phillips said. And he's right. A story of adventure and courage, A Captain's Duty provides the intimate details of this high-seas hostage-taking - the unbearable heat, the death threats, the mock executions, and the escape attempt. When the pirates boarded his ship, Captain Phillips put his experience into action, doing everything he could to safeguard his crew. And when he was held captive by the pirates, he marshaled all his resources to ensure his own survival, withstanding intense physical hardship and an escalating battle of wills with the pirates. This was it: the moment where training meets instinct and where character is everything. Richard Phillips was ready.

©2010 Richard Phillips (P)2010 Tantor

Excelllent

I saw the movie first which helped me follow along putting faces on the characters.
The book goes much deeper into the story and tells it in a way that puts you in the life boat with the captain.
It's written beautifully and I would highly recommend it to all...

Go Captain Phillips!

What did you love best about A Captain's Duty?

I loved the adventure and the personalities of EVERY character! A little bit too much bragging at times by Capt. Phillips but he certainly deserves a fan club, of which I'm a member.

Any additional comments?

Well worth a credit or the highest charge on Audible.

Gripping

Very descriptive narrative full of wonderful imagery. Deeply moving account and kept me entertained for hours. Glad you made it back Capt.

Excellent Story

What made the experience of listening to A Captain's Duty the most enjoyable?

The reader did a good job of reading this book and doing the various voices.

Which scene was your favorite?

The captain coming home.

Interesting, but not compelling

Any additional comments?

With all due respect to Captain Phillips, his ordeal, as traumatic as it was for him, is not a compelling story. Hours after being taken hostage, he and hist captures are surrounded by the US Navy… obviously the kidnappers were going nowhere. Captain Phillips made equal number of good and bad decisions, surviving by luck and the intervention of the US Navy.

The most interesting aspect of the story to me was the recounting of President Obama's use of military might… once the American people became engaged in the story. He sent the US Navy to rescue one man from four teenage boys with four rifles. Not much risk for his reputation. Unlike Benghazi, where he and Hillary Clinton fabricated a story to divert attention from their spineless inaction that let four Americans die without any military response.

Interesting...

I'd give this three and a half stars. The first 2/3 of the book is really interesting, both in learning about the author's background and what the Merchant Marine industry is like. The last couple of hours describing the actual hostage incident are a bit monotonous and confusing, and by the very end you have a lot of questions that aren't clearly answered (it needs a better epilogue). Not the best I've read but probably worth the time.

Superior to the movie!

What did you like best about this story?

The details of what was going on.... Capt Phillips's thoughts... the rescue fron the Navy's eyes...

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The rescue.... (the moves did a terrible job with it)

Any additional comments?

The audiobook was far superior in detail... the movie changed many things to shorten the story. I am glad I did the audiobook first, my wife didn't believe me so we listened to it together after seeing the movie.... we both agree the book is much better.

Harrowing but a bit distanced

Wow, if I ever thought this was the career for me, this book changes that in a heartbeat. What an incredible story. The movie version of this story definitely amps up the emotion and scariness, which might help sell the story to an audience. The book looks back on the events with a bit more distance which helps to convey the events very clearly but somewhat with less scariness. Either that or Richard Phillips is way more courageous than I will ever be. He is calm, cool and collected pretty much throughout this book which is either amazing or distance from the actual events. Either way, this is a great, great story that is definitely worth reading. The performance by Wilson probably could have been more dramatic but overall I'd recommend it. And I definitely recommend the movie. Well worth the Best Picture nod it got.

Lucky Hero, mediocre book

Most would consider author to be a hero. He seems to deny being hero but describes many instances of heroic contact and significant luck. In any event, strong character with high Cajones factor. This is his portion of his tale of standing up to the first Pirates to seize an American ship in 200 years.

Surprisingly little about the Navy Seals whose conduct was reported in the media as just short of miraculous ( three simultaneous successful sniper shots in rolling seas.) and virtually nothing about the rest of the Navy. Sure this is Captain Phillips portion of the story but more of the Navy and Navy Seals and less of the filler on how Phillips became a merchant marine would have made a more interesting book.

Book is informationally interesting but a bit slow with much filler material. Greatly admire the author whom I would consider to be heroic. For that reason I gave it a four although it is a rather mediocre listen. Narrator is excellent.

Good 1st Person Account of Terror on the Seas

Captain Phillips is in deed a heroe. Very interesting and terrifying experience. I hope you have peace in your life.