I can still remember the look of shock and fear on the other sailors faces as we reached the safety of the passageway. The pinging of the continuous firing still haunts my dreams today. Knowing they would soon be boarding us and with no weapons to protect ourselves we made our way further into the skin of  the ship crossing the mess decks I could hear the 1mc telling everyone to report to the engine room, deciding to face my fate on my own I anxiously searched for my own hiding spot. I considered the dishwasher a large stainless machine we called the dragon, but decided it was to obvious. Instead I climbed in a cart that was used to ferry the mess decks trash to the fantail. Burying myself deep in the trash I formed a air hole in the bags to help me breath.

I can still remember the smell,and the weight of the food that would have made a lot of fish happy had there been a chance to empty it before the attack. Making myself as comfortable as I could I settled in to await my fate. It wasn’t long until I heard the first gunshots fired within the ship. Feeling helpless to help my fellow shipmates I could do nothing but wait. It wasn’t long until I could hear them on the mess decks, someone with authority seemed to be giving orders to the others in a language I couldn’t understand. For what seemed like hours I laid in my haven hearing voices come and go, occasionally hearing scattered gunfire. With the only weapon I had I prayed over and over. As if my prayers were answered I suddenly heard voices I recognized. My fellow shipmates were herded onto the mess decks. I could distinctly hear our Captains voice as they questioned him for the combination to the ships safe. With the Captain giving the combination freely more than likely to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, I found myself wondering if we had been able to send a S.O.S. and if there was even anyone close enough or willing to respond.

I remained in the trash for five hours, until the pirates departed. I guess once they recovered the money from the safe and took a look at our ships manifest,they decided the cargo wasn’t worth the risk and had departed. Amazingly no one was seriously hurt and we were still able to deliver our cargo on time,but its a day i’ll never forget and consider ourselves lucky that all we carried were tampons.