Teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy worked together this week to rescue three men who had been missing for more than a week on a remote Pacific island, federal officials said.
The fishermen, all in their 40s, were stranded on Paikelot Atoll, an uninhabited coral island about 665 miles southeast of Guam.
The rescue marks the second time in less than four years that crews have rescued a castaway found on the small island.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the men spelled out the word “HELP” using palm fronds placed on a white sand beach before being rescued on Tuesday.
Relatives of the three men, whose identities had not been released as of Thursday, were found in good condition and are expected to survive.
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How did people lost at sea end up stranded on an island?
Coast Guard officials said the fishermen left Porowat Atoll, part of Micronesia, on Easter Sunday in a small 20-foot-long open boat into the waters surrounding the island, where they were eventually rescued by crew members. Stated.
The men had experience navigating the waters around the island, and at one point their outboard motor got caught in a swell, damaging it, according to a news release.
The three landed on a deserted island, but authorities said their radio batteries died before they could call for help.
My niece reported her three uncles missing.
On April 6, the U.S. Coast Guard in Guam received a distress call from a woman who said her three uncles had not returned from a fishing trip.
The crew immediately teamed up with the Navy in a rescue operation that officials said covered more than 78,000 square nautical miles.
On Monday, the crew of a U.S. Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules aircraft flew over the island and spotted a marker on the white sand beach while searching for a missing boat crew from Hawaii's Barbers Point Air Base.
Lt. Chelsea Garcia of the U.S. Coast Guard said, “In a remarkable demonstration of their will to be found, the sailors used palm fronds to write 'Help Me' on the beach, which was a key factor in their discovery.” ” he said. “This ingenuity was crucial in directing rescue efforts directly to the scene.”
Officials said in a statement that the plane's crew dropped relief supplies to the crew until more help arrived.
On Tuesday morning, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry rescued the sailors and returned them to Porowat Atoll, about 100 nautical miles from the island, along with an outboard boat.
Previous castaways spelled out SOS on the same island beach in 2020
Almost four years ago, three other people on board the 23-foot boat, which left Porowat Atoll on July 30, 2020, also ran out of gas and ended up stranded on the same island.
The crew had written a giant “SOS” sign on the beach, which was discovered by the crew of a U.S. Air Force tanker operating from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
The men were missing for three days before being rescued by the US Coast Guard and Australian naval forces.
As a safety measure, the U.S. Coast Guard “strongly recommends that all boaters” equip their vessels with emergency locating radio beacons.
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.