-RSB- , but 22 knots , 300 miles , it takes a while to get there . '' View a timeline of the attack and its aftermath '' He added , `` There 's about a 10-minute window from when the pirates are able to get onboard that we have time to act . '' Things are different on the north side of Somalia , in the Gulf of Aden , where many piracy incidents have taken place . That area is `` a little bit more concentrated , '' Gortney said , speaking from Bahrain . `` We 've had more successful attempts '' at breaking up piracy efforts in that region , he said . `` But out on the east coast of Somalia , such a vast area , we simply do not have enough resources in order to cover all those areas . '' Gortney spoke to reporters by telephone Sunday after Navy snipers shot and killed three pirates who had held Maersk Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips hostage since Wednesday . Phillips was freed by the U.S. Navy uninjured . Watch how U.S. forces believed Phillips was in danger '' Phillips graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime
MANAMA , Bahrain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Efforts to protect ships from pirates in the waters off Somalia 's east coast face a tremendous challenge : The vastness of the area makes it difficult to get to ships that are in danger . The crew of the Maersk Alabama talked with media after the ship docked in Mombasa , Kenya . `` To put it in perspective , draw a box from Houston to Chicago to New York City down to Jacksonville , Florida . It 's an immense body of water , '' U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney told reporters Sunday . When the Maersk Alabama , a U.S.-flagged cargo ship , reported an attempted attack by pirates the day before the pirates successful attempt on Wednesday , `` our closest vessel from all the navies that were out there -- we have 16 navies that are patrolling those waters -- and the closest one was the USS Bainbridge , and it was over 300 nautical miles , '' Gortney said . The next day , when the Maersk company reported pirates had boarded its ship , `` we were closing Bainbridge as quickly as we -LSB- could