While the facts surrounding the kidnapping and rescue of the Maersk Alabama Captain Richard Phillips have been widely reported, less well-known is that ship which saved him was commanded by a black woman, Rear Admiral Michelle Howard.
Howard received the assignment of leading the U.S. Navys counter-piracy task force just three days before the Maersk Alabama was attacked by Somalia pirates.
Its probably one of the most exciting missions the Navy has been on in for a long while, Howard told the Navy Times.