Yesterday, Captain Richard Phillips talked about the movie and merchant marine at the National Press Club in DC. He was asked many questions about the piracy, but also about the Administration’s policy on Food Aid and the Merchant Marine. He defended the program and noted that 4 ships are likely to be cut. It will be interesting to see how the mainstream media pick up on how few US flagged ships there are left and that the Maersk Alabama was delivering grain on a MSP supported ship. You may or may not like the man, but the film is a mighty PR opportunity to get the US Shipping business into everyday discussions, lobby Congress and show your friends and family what you do. Of course, the Washington Post covered it in their gossip column, Reliable Source. http://wapo.st/19FBHyh.
Richard Phillips: “We are the truckdrivers of the ocean,” he said of his seafaring brethren before teeing off on his celebvocacy talking points: As many as four U.S. Merchant Marine vessels that haul military cargo or food to needy foreign lands could be drydocked with the loss of $12 million in subsidies.But he fielded a lot of pirate questions. “It’s the second oldest profession we deal with,” he said dryly. “They’re not dumb, they are imaginative, and they are capable.” Should he have heeded advisories to steer clear of Somalia? Heck, those are just advisories. “We fight [piracy] all over the globe. Nigeria’s probably worse these days than Somalia ever was.”
And Maritime Executive covered it well. http://bit.ly/16VEHXi but who reads that other than the “choir?” How are you going to use “Captain Phillips” to promote your livelihood? Or allow media to feel sorry for the poor Somalians and just send money rather than US grain?
Richard Phillips is a fucking asshole who is profiteering off his failure to protect his ship by taking it directly through waters known to have an active pirate threat.
The man is NO HERO and I hope he reads this because he is instead a fraud and a master hated by his crews. I have sailed with more than one who have told me the stories.
[QUOTE=weski;122272]Yesterday, Captain Richard Phillips talked about the movie and merchant marine at the National Press Club in DC… Richard Phillips: “We are the truckdrivers of the ocean,” he said of his seafaring brethren [/QUOTE]
That might be a poor choice for an analogy to use on the day before a bunch of truckers were threatening to clog the beltway and bring DC traffic to standstill for the weekend…
[QUOTE=jdcavo;122283]… clog the beltway and bring DC traffic to standstill for the weekend…[/QUOTE]
Oh, … I missed the word traffic and was wondering how anyone could tell the difference … DC has been at a functional standstill for years except for lobbyists and their hirelings.
About a dozen truckers showed up, fewer than the number of ships cut by the cargo preference changes to the food aid program this year. So the US is unlikely to be sending grain to Somalia any time soon, assuming TheFeds open up again.
[QUOTE=c.captain;122282]Richard Phillips is a fucking asshole who is profiteering off his failure to protect his ship by taking it directly through waters known to have an active pirate threat.
The man is NO HERO and I hope he reads this because he is instead a fraud and a master hated by his crews. I have sailed with more than one who have told me the stories.
.[/QUOTE]
Having seen the movie last night - Phillips is not portrayed as a hero. Possible exception being when the pirates were threatening to execute the 1st mate and the Capt tells the bad guys ‘Don’t shoot him, shoot me’. In reality, the Capt knew he was the high value hostage and the pirates would not take him out that early in the game.
Other scenes reveal how Phillips can be a bit of a jerk in dealings with the crew.
well they’re talking about it again on FAUX news, maybe its a sign that despite any BS/misinformation/glorification this movie causes its still probably good PR for us to get remembered…
A US flagged ship owned by a Danish company. Not sure what message that the average American will be getting about the US merchant fleet. That said, I thought that the movie was probably one of the most accurate portrayals I have seen of life on a merchant ship. Agreed, too, that Phillips wasn’t really portrayed as any great hero, but rather as a person that went through an intense time as he did in the lifeboat. That freaking beeping radar just about drove me nuts, though. Oh, and if there was ample pressure to the hoses, why did they have to start the fire pumps? It DID look a bit more dramatic, though. I also thought that it showed the pirates as they probably are. Didn’t really demean them, but certainly didn’t elevate them to any form of dignity. Oh, there were a couple of scenes where Phillips seemed to be defending himself regarding the route he was taking through the waters. I thought that was a bit like his defense team writing that part of the script.
I do not know Phillips, and as far as what kind of guy or captain he is, other than comments here on the board. Bipolar and micromanaging? Hell,that describes half of the captains that I have sailed with; and I am also sure that a few of my old assistants and shipmates might describe me that way,too.
Go to the movie, buy some popcorn and enjoy. I was kind of surprised at how little I bitched about the details.
Jeepers! Imagine that, sailors bitching about their captain! Not exactly unprecedented behavior. I learned long time ago, don’t judge a fellow mariner by the comments of others. Second or third hand information is little more than scuttlebutt.
Say what you will about the man but Capt. Philips was the one who endured the kidnaping by pirates in that lifeboat. As for the very few minor technical glitches, they did not distract from the story line at all. Think about a movie produced and directed by a group of sailors, would anyone be surprised of technical glitches in such a production?
Go see the movie. It’s a compelling story. Relax and enjoy it. The simultaneous three-head shot accomplished by the Seal Team was amazing to say the least!
I’ve read the book and, as of yesterday, I’ve seen the movie. Phillips doesn’t portray himself as a hero in the book and the movie doesn’t portray him as a hero either. Just a guy trying to keep himself and his crew alive doing the best he could with little help from outside. If you hate him before, you’ll probably still hate him after. But, I suspect that the crew members who hated him before probably had a different view after.
I did notice one thing at the theater: from beginning to end, not one person left the theater; no one coughed or talked or was otherwise disengaged from what was happening on the screen. Pretty rare. Like him or not, the story is compelling and well told.
[QUOTE=“lymanlouis;125341”]I’ve read the book and, as of yesterday, I’ve seen the movie. Phillips doesn’t portray himself as a hero in the book and the movie doesn’t portray him as a hero either. Just a guy trying to keep himself and his crew alive doing the best he could with little help from outside. If you hate him before, you’ll probably still hate him after. But, I suspect that the crew members who hated him before probably had a different view after.
I did notice one thing at the theater: from beginning to end, not one person left the theater; no one coughed or talked or was otherwise disengaged from what was happening on the screen. Pretty rare. Like him or not, the story is compelling and well told.[/QUOTE]
Good write up. Personally I think before anyone judges the man they would have to sail with him and endure what he went through. Walk in his shoes so to speak. It’s easy to be a critic and arm chair quarterback.
I too saw the movie. My take is that it did not made him out to be a hero at all. Until actal facts prove differently I’ll consider him a hero in that he lived, and lost none of his crew in the process. Something no one here knows they could do unless placed in the exact same situation.