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The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy were able to successfully rescue three sailors who were stranded on a small Pacific island for over a week, after they spelled "help" in the sand with palm tree leaves.
The three men, all in their 40s, left Easter Sunday on a 20-foot skiff from Polowat to Pikelot (both places are two small Pacific islands that make up the Micronesia archipelago), the Coast Guard said.
Six days later, on Saturday, a woman called the Coast Guard to report that her uncles had not returned from Pikelot, which is about 100 nautical miles from where they began. A Coast Guard rescue center in Guam began a search, but had challenges due to weather and the availability of resources. A Navy aircraft stationed in Japan and the Coast Guard ship, Oliver Henry, then joined the mission.
Crews searched an area of more than 78,000 square nautical miles, and the Navy aircraft spotted the trio's palm leaf message the following day.
The three men, all in their 40s, left Easter Sunday on a 20-foot skiff from Polowat to Pikelot (both places are two small Pacific islands that make up the Micronesia archipelago), the Coast Guard said.
Six days later, on Saturday, a woman called the Coast Guard to report that her uncles had not returned from Pikelot, which is about 100 nautical miles from where they began. A Coast Guard rescue center in Guam began a search, but had challenges due to weather and the availability of resources. A Navy aircraft stationed in Japan and the Coast Guard ship, Oliver Henry, then joined the mission.
Crews searched an area of more than 78,000 square nautical miles, and the Navy aircraft spotted the trio's palm leaf message the following day.
