Pebbles PetePikelot Island SOS Rescue
#US #AUS #FederatedStatesOfMicronesia #FSM #Rescue #Pikelot #Mariners #Covid-19 #HMAS_Canberra
This is a great real life good news story.
The crew of the FSS Independence rescued the mariners, missing since July 29, and is transporting them back to their home on Pulap, Chuuk. There are no reports of injuries.
What to do when you find yourself stranded on an Attol. (no not the "Survivor" type islands)
At 3:09 p.m., August 1, one of the Air Force KC-135 crews was completing the final leg of their search pattern for the day when they located the stranded mariners on Pikelot Island.
“We were toward the end of our search pattern, we turned to avoid some rain showers and that’s when we looked down and saw an island, so we decide to check it out and that’s when we saw S.O.S and a boat right next to it on the beach,” said Lt. Col. Jason Palmeira-Yen, the KC-135 pilot. “From there we called in HMAS Canberra because they had two helicopters nearby that could assist and land on the island.”
After discussions between the responding partners it was decided the safest course of action for both the response agencies’ crews and the mariners was to limit exposure to one another due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A helicopter crew from HMAS Canberra delivered supplies to the stranded mariners while the Coast Guard Hercules crew airdropped a radio and message block informing them the FSS Independence was en-route to rescue and return them home.
At 12 a.m., August 3, the Independence arrived on scene, launched a small boat crew and rescued the mariners. -- https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-partners-rescue-mariners-from-island-in-federated-states-of-micronesia/2020/08/03/
The men were found on Sunday after they had been missing for three days and media reports say they are in good health.
Their call for help, written on the beach of Pikelot Island, 190 kilometres west of where they had set out, was seen by Australian and US aircraft.
The men were reportedly sailing between the atolls Poluwat and Pulap, a journey of 42 kilometres, when they veered off course and ran out of fuel. Pikelot Island, which is only 450 metres long, is part of the Caroline Islands, a scattered archipelago in the western Pacific.
