PHARSALIA – It is not uncommon for actual events to influence Hollywood filmmakers. Once a factual event is transformed into a motion picture, there becomes an opportunity for those interested in the story to watch it unfold on the big screen.

For Pharsalia resident Eric Brown, watching a film wasn't where his adventure began.

Said Brown, “I was on board the ship that saved Captain Phillips.”

Brown enlisted in the US Navy and deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in 2009.

Brown was an active duty member of the Navy and served as a SONAR operator on board the USS Bainbridge, a military vessel instrumental in rescuing Captain Richard Phillips – the man in charge of the Merchant Vessel Maersk Alabama. The Maersk Alabama was hijacked by Somali pirates in April of 2009 and the incident garnered global attention.

It was on April 7, 2009 when the US Maritime Administration released a Somalia Gulf of Aden advisory to all seafarers, recommending ships to remain distant from the coast of Somalia. The following day, four Somali pirates made their way on board the Maersk Alabama as it was en route to Kenya and was approximately 280 miles from a Somalian port.