SY Quest incident

The SY Quest incident occurred in February 2011 when Somali pirates seized the American yacht SY Quest (s/v Quest) and four United States citizens. In response the United States Navy, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and three other ships with orders to free the hostages. Though American forces were capable of neutralizing the threat, all of the hostages were killed. The SY Quest was the first American vessel to be captured by Somali pirates since the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009.

Incident

According to American reports, the SY Quest was captured on 18 February 2011 at 13.23 UTC by nineteen pirates in a mothership, 190 to 240 miles off the coast of Oman at approximately 18°00′N 61°02′E / 18.000°N 61.033°E / 18.000; 61.033 in the Indian Ocean. Pirates then tried sailing the SY Quest towards Puntland. Sometime thereafter the Enterprise, the guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and the guided missile destroyers USS Sterett and USS Bulkeley were sent to the area and arrived several days later on or about 21 February. Captain Dee Mewbourne, of the Enterprise, then proceeded with opening negotiations with the pirates, at which time two Somalis went aboard the Sterett. On the following morning, 22 February, while negotiations were still taking place, a pirate aboard the SY Quest fired a rocket propelled grenade at the Sterett from 600 yards away but it missed. Almost immediately afterward gunfire was heard aboard the yacht so a boarding party was sent in on a raft and they boarded the SY Quest. A brief skirmish occurred resulting in the deaths of two pirates, one by rifle fire and the other by a combat knife. Thirteen pirates surrendered in the process and were taken into custody. After boarding, the American navy personnel discovered Phyllis Macay and Robert Riggle, of Seattle, Washington and the SY Quest's owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, California.