Two Topeka men worked aboard ship attacked by Somali pirates

A Topeka man working on a ship attacked by Somali pirates was able to call home Thursday for the first time since the assault Tuesday.

Caroline Waldmann said her husband, Bill Waldmann, 43, was tired after many restless days at sea. In two brief conversations, he assured her that he was OK and would share more details when he returned next week to Topeka. Waldmann’s husband and her brother, Ken Stearns, 48, who also lives in Topeka, were working on the Liberty Sun as apprentice merchant mariners when the pirates attacked the ship off the African coast.

The men had entered a seamanship school in August.

The crew was not injured during the ordeal. They successfully blockaded themselves in the engine room and warded off the attack with evasive maneuvers. The ship arrived early Thursday morning at Mombasa, Kenya, with its bridge damaged by rocket-propelled grenades and its windows shattered by gunfire.

Caroline Waldmann said she and her husband talked for a few minutes before he had to go. The call helped ease some of the anxiety she had felt since she learned of the attack on CNN. She had been keeping a close eye on the news after the first American-flagged cargo ship was attacked last week.

She has not seen her husband since February, when he was able to come home for a few days. He wasn’t expected back until mid-May.

The men’s latest trip was only their second voyage. The trip began in early March when they went to Sudan to drop goods.

They were headed to Kenya with food aid for Africans, including Somalis, when the pirates attacked.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. To reach Dawn Bormann, call 816-234-7704 or send e-mail to dbormann@kcstar.com.

Source: The Kansas City Star