Bradenton man among crew of hijacked ship

Ken Quinn loved to regale family and friends with tales of his more than 25 years on the seas.

But as his latest adventure with pirates off the coast of Somalia unfolds, his family is awaiting his return.

The 54-year-old Lakewood Ranch man is third in command of the Maersk Alabama, the U.S.-flagged container ship that was hijacked Wednesday off the Horn of Africa by Somali pirates. The 20-member crew eventually regained control of the ship, but the pirates took the ship's captain, Richard Phillips, with them when they fled in a lifeboat.

Quinn's family members said they all worried when he was told he would be cruising the pirate's home waters.

"He knew he was going into all the pirates," Zoya Quinn, his wife said today. "He was worried, but he told me not to worry because those pirates never got an American ship."

The raid on the Alabama is first such attack on American sailors in about 200 years. Kevin Speers, a spokesman for Maersk, said the pirates have made no demands yet to the company.

The ship was on its way to Mombasa, Kenya with relief supplies.

Quinn said her husband has been updating her with intermittent e-mails and phone calls throughout the ordeal.

She said he emailed her about the hijacking, before the company passed on the news.

He told her the pirates had been tracking the ship for about three weeks. But the crew didn't know their ship had been boarded until Phillips radioed them.

"He told them to lock themselves in the (steering) room," Quinn said. That frustrated the pirates.

"He said the pirates were desperate," she said. "They were going all over the stairs, back and forth, trying to find them."

Quinn and the crew held one of the pirates hostage for about 12 hours. The crew arranged to swap their captive for the ship's captain, but the pirates reneged on the deal once they got their man.

Quinn said she was relieved when her husband assured her he was safe.

"He kept saying everything's fine," she said. "He was kind of calm because I have a kid and he can't make me a worry any more than I am already."

Judith Quinn, of Largo, has been following the unfolding drama and was relieved when her brother was interviewed on CNN Wednesday night.

"He sounded tired, but it was good to hear his voice," she said.

Quinn said her brother was considering making this his last voyage even before his ship was hijacked. The birth of his second son, Justin, in January made it hard to leave. The couple also has a 2-year-old boy, Jason.

"He always had boats until he became a father," she said. "Once he became a family man, he changed."

He had started replacing boats with motorcycles and family outings.

Quinn said her brother has a charisma that drew people to him.

"He is the life of the party, so outgoing and funny," she said. "He always had great stories to tell. He had so many that he never had to repeat them."

Quinn said her brother's employer has assured the family the crew is its top priority.

"They said the crew's safety came first," she said.

The crew followed protocol in battling the pirates: going farther out to sea when the pirates first started trailing the ship and using fire hoses to repel their first attempt to board, Judith Quinn said.

The U.S. Navy was a welcome sight to family members. The USS Bainbridge, a Navy destroyer, is in the area and monitoring the situation.

"Once the Navy showed up, I feel the danger decreased," Judith Quinn said.

Speers said the ship has already left the area and was on its way to its next port of call, where the crew would be returned to their homes.

Zoya Quinn said that couldn't be soon enough.

"I was really stressed and I still am," she said. "We have a newborn and I really want to have him home."

Judith Quinn said her brother loved his job.

"He loves the sea, but he is probably ready to retire now."