The US Coast Guard and Navy rescued a distressed woman, her daughter, and their pets, a cat and a turtle, from a sailboat that was battered by weather about 925 miles away. The coast of Hawaii.
Lookouts at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Honolulu received a distress alert from an emergency radio beacon about 925 miles east of Hawaii just after 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 24, according to a Coast Guard news release.
Watchstanders issued a SafetyNET broadcast that relayed maritime safety information to all vessels in the area, conducted vessel queries, and launched HC-130 Hercules airplane crews to search for those stranded on sailboats.
Airplane crews spotted the 47-foot French-flagged vessel Albroc, and a 47-year-old woman on board issued a mayday call, explaining that she, her seven-year-old daughter, and their pets needed to be rescued.
The woman also said there was a dead man in the boat.
The Coast Guard said the Hercules crew was unable to establish direct communication with the woman but saw two distress flares and the sailboat drifting and swaying on the beam.
The Watchstanders requested assistance from the Navy’s Pacific Fleet and 3rd Fleet, which sent USS William P. The crew of Lawrence (DDG 110), an Arley Burke-class guided-missile destroyer homeported in Pearl Harbor, diverted to the sailboat position. They also asked for assistance from the master of the Seri Samrat, a 754-foot Singapore-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tanker that was about 290 miles south of the sailboat.
At 9 a.m. on August 25, a Hercules crew arrived at the scene and found a woman and girl shaking their hands before retreating inside the cabin. Aircood attempted to communicate with the two boaters and hailed them on the radio and left message blocks, but was unsuccessful.
Later that day, at 5:20 p.m., Seri Samrat arrived at the scene but was unable to rescue the boaters due to worsening weather conditions ahead of Hurricane Gilma approaching the area. Tanker crew William P. until 5 a.m. on August 26. Stayed close to the stranded sailboat until Lawrence arrived.
William P. Lawrence had a six-hour window to safely conduct a boat recovery operation, according to the Coast Guard, noting forecast seas of more than 25 feet and the damaged condition of the sailboat within 12 hours of their location.
The US “I am extremely proud of the crew’s professionalism in planning and executing the safe recovery of two persons at sea on a disabled vessel in deteriorating conditions,” said Navy Cmdr. Bobby Weiland, William P. Lawrence’s commanding officer. “My boat crew – especially the coxswain – demonstrated skillful boat handling and good judgment in approaching the distressed vessel and evacuating the survivors. I also appreciate the remarkable coordination and information provided by the USCG throughout the operation – Navy/Coast Guard It’s great to see the team working together so easily.”
A small boat crew from A naval vessel A woman, girl and their pets were rescued by launching from a sailboat. But weather conditions at the scene at the time of the rescue, eight to 10-foot seas and 15 mph winds, meant the deceased could not be safely extricated.
Vice Adm. “While saddened by the loss of the master of the Souhan, I could not be more proud of the combined efforts of the US Coast Guard and the US Navy, who saved the lives of the other two passengers,” said John Wade, commander of US Vice Adm. John Wade said. 3rd Fleet. “I am especially grateful for the professionalism displayed by the crew of the USS William P. Lawrence who executed the rescue flawlessly under extremely dangerous conditions.”
At 5 pm on August 28, William P. Lawrence moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, where Coast Guard And the Honorary Consul of France in Hawaii provided care for those who received and survived.
“Through tireless planning, coordination and teamwork, our watchstanders pulled together the key elements necessary for such a dynamic search and rescue case,” said Kevin Cooper, search and rescue mission coordinator, JRCC Honolulu. “The use of the EPIRB was also crucial and allowed our aircrew and partners to pinpoint the location of the sailboat. We are grateful that the crew of Seri Samrat and William P. Lawrence was able to reach a mother and daughter stranded in the path of Hurricane Gilma.”
The Coast Guard said the sailboat was drifting about 1,000 miles east of Honolulu.
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