May 17, 2007, 12:10 GMT
Britain's Queen Elizabeth has honoured two men who battled pirates to save a passenger cruise ship from attack.
The Seabourn Spirit, which was carrying 300 crew and passengers, came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns 100 miles off the coast of Somalia in 2005.
Michael Groves and Som Bahadur Gurung fought off the assault by turning a power hose on the pirates, forcing them to retreat.
The queen told them they were "very courageous" as she handed over their awards at a Buckingham Palace ceremony.
Groves, 41, collected the Queen's Gallantry Medal and Gurung received the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
Both men, who were working for Seabourn Cruise Lines at the time, were injured in the attack and are still recovering from the ordeal.
Groves said after the ceremony: "The queen asked me when it was and she recalled it. She said she had read the citation and was surprised we only had a hose and Long Range Acoustic Device on board. She said it was very courageous."
(C) BANG Media International
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