Hawaii – About 925 miles off the coast of Hawaii, a frightened mother, her daughter, and their pets—a cat and a tortoise—were saved by the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy from a sailboat that had been damaged by bad weather.
A press release from the Coast Guard stated that on August 24, just after 12:30 p.m., watchstanders at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Honolulu received a distress signal from an emergency radio beacon around 925 miles east of Hawaii.
The watchstanders dispatched an HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew to look for the stranded individuals in the sailboat, conducted a query of vessels, and issued a SafetyNet broadcast that distributed maritime safety information to all ships in the vicinity.
When the aircraft crew noticed the 47-foot French-flagged boat, Albroc, they responded with a mayday call. The mother, who was 47 years old, said that she, her 7-year-old daughter, and their pets needed to be rescued.
In addition, the woman mentioned that there was a dead man on the boat.
The Coast Guard reported that although the Hercules crew could not get in touch with the woman directly, they did witness her setting off two distress flares and the sailboat drifting and catching waves over the beam.
When watchstanders called for help, the USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer stationed in Pearl Harbour, and her crew were diverted to the sailboat’s location by the Navy’s Pacific Fleet and 3rd Fleet. Additionally, they requested aid from the Seri Emperor’s captain, a 754-foot liquid petroleum gas tanker flying the Singapore flag some 290 miles south of the sailboat.
When a Hercules team came to the location on August 25 at 9 a.m., they saw a woman and a girl waving their arms before returning inside the cabin. The pilots tried radioing and dropping message blocks to the two watercraft, but they were not successful in communicating with them.
As Hurricane Gilma approached the area later that day at 5:20 p.m., the weather deteriorated and the Seri Emperor arrived on the scene, but it was too late to save the boats. Up until the William P. Lawrence arrived at 5 a.m. on August 26, the tanker crew stayed close to the abandoned sailboat.
The Coast Guard stated that the William P. Lawrence had a six-hour window within which to safely perform boat recovery efforts, taking into account the sailboat’s damaged state and the forecast of waves above 25 feet within 12 hours of their position.
“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 worsening conditions,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Bobby Wayland, commanding officer of William P. Lawrence. “My boat crew – in particular the coxswain – demonstrated deft boat handling and good judgement in approaching the distressed vessel and transferring the survivors. I also appreciate the remarkable coordination and information provided by the USCG throughout the entire operation – very cool to see the Navy / Coast Guard team work together so smoothly.”
The woman, girl, and their dogs were saved from the sailboat by a small boat crew from the Navy ship. However, the dead guy could not be securely removed due to the weather in the area, which included eight to ten-foot seas and gusts of fifteen miles per hour at the time of the rescue.
“While saddened by the loss of the sailing vessel’s master, I couldn’t be prouder of the combined efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy who saved the lives of two other passengers,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet. “I’m particularly grateful for the professionalism exhibited by the crew of USS William P. Lawrence who executed the rescue flawlessly under extremely dangerous conditions.”
On August 28, around 5 p.m., the William P. Lawrence came ashore at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu. Here, survivors were taken in and cared for by Coast Guard officials and the Honorary Consul of France in Hawaii.
“Through tireless planning, coordination and teamwork, our watchstanders pieced together the key elements needed for such a dynamic search and rescue case,” said Kevin Cooper, search and rescue mission coordinator, JRCC Honolulu. “The use of an EPIRB was also crucial and allowed our aircrews and partners to pinpoint the sailboat’s location. We are grateful the crews of the Seri Emperor and William P. Lawrence were able to reach the mother and daughter, who were caught right in the path of Hurricane Gilma.”
According to the Coast Guard, the sailboat is still at large around 1,000 miles east of Honolulu.
