Washington  - Nineteen members of the US-flagged cargo ship Maersk Alabama returned to the United States early Thursday after their ordeal at the hands of Somali pirates.

They were reunited with their families after a charter flight from Kenya brought them to Andrews Air Force Base in the US state of Maryland.

Somali pirates took control of the Maersk Alabama last week. The ship's American crew fought off the pirates, but not before the captain, Richard Phillips, was taken by the perpetrators onto a life boat.

After a standoff lasting several days, three US Navy SEAL snipers unleashed three shots from the nearby USS Bainbridge, killing the three pirates and rescuing Phillips.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that the United States will seek an immediate international meeting to broaden efforts against piracy off the coast of Somalia.