The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy saved a trio of stranded mariners in the Federated States of Micronesia this week after seeing “HELP” spelled out on a beach with palm leaves.
Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam received a distress call Saturday from a woman who said that her three uncles had not returned to Polowat Atoll in Micronesia’s state of Chuuk, the Coast Guard said.
The three men, all in their 40s, had left Polowat on Easter Sunday in a 20-foot skiff, heading for Pikelot Atoll in the Micronesian state of Yap. The group had experience sailing in the area and set out to fish around the island before shoals and swells derailed their plans.
“Their initial goal was to fish around Pikelot, but the skiff was damaged when they approached the island due to the swells surging on the island and surrounding shoal,” Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir, public affairs officer for Coast Guard Forces Micronesia, Sector Guam, told the military newspaper Stars & Stripes.
A U.S. Navy aircraft spotted the stranded men Sunday on Pikelot thanks to a message on the beach. Survival packages were dropped to help sustain them until they could be retrieved.
“In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out ’HELP’ on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery. This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location,” Lt. Chelsea Garcia said in the release.
On Tuesday, a Coast Guard cutter ship rescued the three men and returned them home. Their retrieval came as their supplies were starting to run out.
“They were in good health other than being slightly dehydrated. Water was available through a well on the island. They ate meat from coconuts until the deliveries. … As far as food goes, they had enough to survive, but not for much longer,” CW Muir told Stars & Stripes.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the Federated States of Micronesia.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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