A U.S. Coast Guard crew from Hawaiʻi played a pivotal role rescuing stranded mariners in Micronesia.
Three men in their 40s reportedly left Polowat Atoll in Chuuk on Easter Sunday, March 31. The experienced sailors left on a 20-foot skiff equipped with an outboard motor.
Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam received a distress call from a relative on April 6. She reported that her three uncles had not returned from Pikelot Atoll, approximately 100 miles northwest of Polowat Atoll.
A U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft from Kadena Air Force Base in Japan found the three mariners last Sunday on Pikelot Atoll in Yap.
The men had used palm leaves to spell out “HELP” on the beach. The crew dropped survival packages for the stranded men.
The next day, a U.S. Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules aircraft from Air Station Barbers Point overflew the area. The crew dropped a radio for the stranded mariners, who said they were in good health and had access to food and water.
They reported damage to their skiff and requested help to return them to Polowat.
The U.S. Coast Guard ship Oliver Henry rendezvoused with them on Tuesday and returned them home.
