On August 26, two stranded mariners were rescued after crews spotted their “SOS” in the sand on uninhabited island in Micronesia.
A U.S. Navy aircraft crew spotted the couple on the beach, and relayed their location to the Coast Guard in Guam. The two, who had limited supplies and no emergency equipment, were picked up and transferred to a patrol boat.
The two mariners left Weno Island en route for Tamatam Island in an 18-foot vessel over a week ago with “limited supplies and no emergency equipment.”
When the two men failed to arrive at their destination a day later, a search effort was launched in the western Pacific on August 19, according to a statement released by the U.S. Coast Guard in Guam.
On Wednesday, rescuers caught a break after a search vessel spotted flashing lights on an uninhabited island in Micronesia, the statement said. When a helicopter was sent to investigate, the pilots noticed “SOS” etched into the sand.
The castaways were spotted “on the beach near the makeshift sign.”
The men – identified by the U.S. Embassy in Kolonia, Micronesia, as Linus and Sabina Jack, both in their 50s – were picked up Friday and transferred to Nomwin atoll, the statement said.
“The Search and Rescue Operation for Linus and Sabina Jack has been successfully completed,” the embassy posted on Facebook Thursday. “They are found and are waiting for a ship to take them home.”
It is the second similar rescue in the region in recent months.
In April, three men were rescued from the uninhabited Micronesian island of Fanadik after a large wave capsized their 19-foot skiff two miles offshore.
Stranded several hundred miles north of Papua New Guinea, the men arranged palm fronds in the sand to spell out HELP.
It would take three days for a crew aboard a Navy plane to spot them waving life jackets next to their sign.
Once found, their families were notified and, in the end, they were put on a small local boat back to Pulap, from where they initially set out to sea. No injuries were reported.
Also visit earlier Mfame article on Stranded at Sea? Top 7 Survival Tips Until Rescue Arrives
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Reference: Stripe, Hawaii News Now
