The ARRL is reporting that three of the four American sailors killed by Somali Pirates in the Indian Ocean were hams. It identifies the three as Scott Adam, K9ESO; his wife Jean, KF6RVB; and Bob Riggle, KE7IIV. The fourth person on board the S/V Quest was identified as Phylis Macay, who was not a ham. The Adams were from the Los Angeles area while Riggle and Macay lived in Seattle.
The following additional details are from the ARRL website:
According to the US Central Command, the boat was in the Indian Ocean, headed toward the Somali coast when on Friday, the 58 foot yacht sent a distress signal. The boat was being trailed by US Navy forces; it was about a two day sail from the Somali coast. They had begun tracking the yacht after being alerted that a Danish naval helicopter had seen the Quest off Oman under the pirates’ control. The Central Command oversees US anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean.
Officials were in the process of negotiating for the Americans’ release when gunfire was heard around 1 AM (EST) on Tuesday, February 22. “As (US forces) responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors,” a statement from US Central Command said. “Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds.”
News and information of interest to ham radio operators from CQ Amateur Radio magazine, the world's leading independent ham radio magazine.
