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3. The Lifeboat Pirate “Crisis”

On April 9, 2009, for the first time in 180 years, an American ship – the Maersk Alabama – was seized by pirates. The four Somalian gunmen robbed the passengers and boarded a life boat with a hostage. They have previously attacked six other ships and received millions in ransom money,though none of their hostages were American citizens. But, even when the USS Bainbridge – a 900-foot Navy warship – caught up to the pirates’ 28-ft. lifeboat, they still refused to surrender.

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U.S. Navy SEAL snipers received permission to use deadly force on April 12. Less then an hour later, they took out three of the pirates while a team of divers restrained the fourth one for questioning. The hostage, Captain Richard Phillips, volunteered to be the one taken off the Maersk Alabama.

Landing three head-shots moments after the dive team disarmed one of the pirates was quite a feat. But critics argue that saving the Captain should have been top priority, questioning why all four culprits weren’t taken out without risking a hostage.