New pirate exhibits to open at Nauticus

NORFOLK, Va. - The lifeboat that rogue pirates commandeered from the Maersk Alabama to hold Captain Richard Phillips hostage is scheduled arrived at the Nauticus National Maritime Center Wednesday.

The lifeboat, on loan from the National SEALs Museum in Florida, will serve as the centerpiece of a Hampton Roads Naval Museum exhibit on "Piracy Today: Modern Terror on the High Seas," which is scheduled to open on November 21. "Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship," will also open on November 21.

The ship, which sank nearly 300 years ago off the coast of Cape Cod, was discovered by undersea explorer Barry Clifford in 1984.

Captain Phillips is scheduled to visit Norfolk on November 19 to publicly thank the crew of the USS Bainbridge for rescuing him on Easter Sunday, April 12 during a dramatic confrontation at sea between NAVY SEALs and the rogue pirates. The ceremony will take place on the fantail of the guided missile destroyer at 2 p.m.

During a gala ceremony at 7 p.m. on November 19 in the Nauticus Theater, Captain Phillips will receive the inaugural National Maritime Medal of Valor from the Board of Directors of the Nauticus National Maritime Center.