The US Coast Guard and Navy rescued a woman, her daughter, and their pet cat and turtle from a yacht that was caught in bad weather about 925 miles off the coast of Hawaii.
According to a Coast Guard news release, watchers at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Honolulu received a distress alert from an emergency radio beacon about 925 miles east of Hawaii just after 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 24.
Observers issued a SafetyNET broadcast, which distributes maritime safety information to all vessels in the area, conducted vessel inquiries and dispatched an HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew to conduct a search for people stranded on the sailboat.
The plane's crew spotted the 47-foot French-flagged Albrock and a 47-year-old woman on board had sent out a distress signal, explaining that she, her 7-year-old daughter and her pets needed rescue.
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The US Coast Guard and Navy rescued a woman, her daughter and their pets from a yacht that was caught in bad weather about 925 miles off the coast of Hawaii. (U.S. Coast Guard 14th District Hawaii-Pacific)
The woman also said there was a dead man on board.
The Coast Guard said crew members of the Hercules were unable to make direct contact with the woman but observed her lighting two distress flares and seeing the sailboat drifting and being pounded by waves alongside the ship's bow.
Observers requested assistance from the Navy's Pacific and Third Fleets, and sent the crew of the Pearl Harbor-based Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) to the sailboat's location. Observers also requested assistance from the captain of the Seri Emperor, a 754-foot Singapore-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tanker that was about 290 miles south of the sailboat.
At 9:00 a.m. on August 25, a crew member from the Hercules arrived on the scene and observed the woman and girl waving and then returning inside the cabin. The crew attempted to contact the two boaters by radioing and dropping message blocks, but were unsuccessful.
The Coast Guard and Navy have completed the rescue of a woman, child, cat and turtle who were stranded off a sailboat caught in bad weather off the coast of Hawaii. (U.S. Coast Guard 14th District Hawaii-Pacific)
The Seri Emperor arrived on the scene at 5:20 pm that same day, but was unable to rescue the crew due to poor weather conditions ahead of the approach of Hurricane Girma. The tanker crew remained near the stranded sailing vessel until the arrival of the William P. Lawrence at 5 am on 26 August.
The Coast Guard said the William P. Lawrence had six hours to safely recover the boat, due to forecast waves of 25 feet or more within the next 12 hours based on the ship's location and the extent of the damage to the sailboat.
“I am extremely proud of the professionalism of my crew as they developed and executed a plan to safely rescue two crew members aboard the disabled vessel as conditions deteriorated,” said U.S. Navy Commander Bobby Weiland, commanding officer of the William P. Lawrence. “My crew, especially the captain, demonstrated skillful boat piloting and good judgment as they approached the wreck and removed the survivors. I also appreciate the excellent coordination and information provided by the USCG throughout the operation. It's truly wonderful to see Navy and Coast Guard teams working so smoothly together.”
A Navy boat crew rescued the woman, girl and their pets from the yacht, but weather conditions at the time of the rescue – waves 8-10 feet high and winds 15 mph – meant they were unable to safely extract the deceased man.
“While I am saddened by the death of the sailboat's captain, I could not be more proud of the joint efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy that saved the lives of the two other passengers,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander of the U.S. Third Fleet. “I am especially grateful for the professionalism displayed by the crew of the USS William P. Lawrence, who flawlessly executed the rescue under extremely dangerous conditions.”
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A small boat crew from a Navy ship rescued a woman, a girl and their pets from a sailing ship that was caught in bad weather off the coast of Hawaii. (U.S. Coast Guard 14th District Hawaii-Pacific)
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At 5:00 p.m. on August 28, the William P. Lawrence docked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, where representatives of the Coast Guard and the Honorary Consul of France in Hawaii welcomed and cared for the survivors.
“Through tireless planning, coordination and teamwork, our observers pulled together the critical elements necessary for such a dynamic search and rescue operation,” said Kevin Cooper, Honolulu JRCC search and rescue mission coordinator. “The use of the EPIRB was also critical, allowing our aircrew and partners to pinpoint the sailing vessel's location. We are grateful that the crews of the Seri Emperor and William P. Lawrence were able to reach the mother and daughter caught in the path of Hurricane Girma.”
The sailboat remains adrift in the ocean about 1,000 miles east of Honolulu, according to the Coast Guard.
