US sea captain and former hostage Richard Phillips has thanked the military for rescuing him from pirates, saying his rescuers were "superheroes".

美国船长、被绑架的人质理查德飞利浦发言感谢海军从海盗那里把他解救出来，称解救他的人是“超级英雄”。

Capt Phillips, whose container ship the Maersk Alabama was attacked off the Somali coast, was greeted by family and friends on his return to the US.

His hometown of Underhill, Vermont, is preparing to give him a hero's welcome.

During the attack, he offered himself as a prisoner to the pirates in return for them letting his crew go free.

He was rescued after US Navy seals shot dead three of the pirates that were holding him captive（俘虏，迷惑着） on a lifeboat.

'Bit part'

Capt Phillips said the snipers（狙击兵） "did the impossible" by saving him, adding that he was "not a hero".

"They're the superheroes," he said. "They're the titans（泰坦神，太阳神）.

"I am just a bit part in this story: I'm a small part, a seaman¹（海员，水手） doing the best he can like all the other seamen² out there."

He added that he was proud of his crew.

"We do the best with what we've got, and my crew did an excellent job," he said.

Capt Phillips is returning to Underhill, where streets are decked（装饰的，分层的） out in the yellow ribbons which came to symbolise his captivity³ and some homes and businesses are displaying "Welcome home" signs.

No parades or celebrations have been planned in the town.

The 19-man crew arrived back in the US on Thursday. They have not yet been reunited with the captain.

Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have intensified⁴（增强） attacks on shipping⁵ in recent weeks in one of the world's busiest sea lanes, despite patrols by the US and other navies.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled a plan on Wednesday to tackle（处理，抓住） piracy⁶ in the Gulf⁷ of Aden and the Indian Ocean off Somalia.