Question: Does anyone know if ships actually have "rev limiters" as shown in the film? Phillips had to keep ringing down to the engine room whenever he wanted to throttle the engines up a notch. I was always under the impression that marine engines that are used on boats are designed to be at max revs all day long?
Answer: Ship engines are run at a maximum optimal speed. The engine could go faster, but by doing so, fuel consumption could increase unnecessarily and/or you may have too much cavitation as the water flow is greater than what the propeller is designed for. But in an emergency, the engineers could make it go a bit faster than the maximum setting allowed by bridge control.
Question: What happened to the 4th Somali pirate? When the Somalis take the ship, there are FOUR of them: Muse (captain), the young kid, the muscular psycho, and a 4th guy with a beard. He just disappears and doesn't make it into the lifeboat.
Answer: Actually there are four in the lifeboat, the guy with the beard is at the front in the driver's seat.
I realised after rewatching that he was there the whole time, he was driving the boat and just had a slightly smaller role than the other 3 did. Thanks for the reply.
Question: How did the pirates manage to recapture Phillips after he tried to escape by swimming?
Answer: They do it exactly as shown in the movie: Phillips, due to currents and his own physical condition, is unable to swim very far from the boat, so the pirates just follow him, trap him, and bring him back onboard. In addition, the Marines fire a flare, which lights up the scene...this was done so they could be certain the escapee was Phillips, but it also makes it easier for the pirates to spot him.
Question: Why did the U.S. Navy intend on killing the pirates? Why not just give the pirates their money in exchange for getting Phillips back, and let the pirates go back to Somalia?
Answer: If they pay the pirates, it encourages more to try the same thing. Shooting them would discourage anyone else from attempting to use a hostage to extort money.
Answer: They intended to sail the ship to Somalia, where they would hold the ship, cargo, and the crew for ransom. The crew managed to power down the ship, rendering it inoperative. This meant their only option was to use the lifeboat.