'SOS' message in the sand saves sailors from the Pacific islands

Hong Kong (CNN) - An "SOS" message written on the beach of a small Pacific island showed rescuers where three missing sailors were, US and Australian authorities said on Tuesday.

The three men had left in a 7-meter boat last Thursday to make a 42-kilometer trip from Pulawat to the Pulap Atolls in the Federated States of Micronesia.

They left the road and ran out of fuel, reaching the small and uninhabited Pikelot Island, 190 kilometers from their intended destination, according to the American and Australian authorities.

The islands are about 800 kilometers south of Guam, and when the men did not reach Pulap, a search was requested through the United States Coast Guard Joint Rescue Center in Guam, which was assisted by units in the region.

The three Micronesian men were first seen by a U.S. Air Force KC-135 tanker operating from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam after searching for three hours, according to a post on the page for Base Facebook.

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"We were near the end of our search pattern," KC-135 pilot Lt. Col. Jason Palmeira-Yen said in the publication. “We came back to avoid some rain and that's when we looked down and saw an island, so we decided to check it out and that's when we saw an SOS and a boat right next to it on the beach. From there we called the Australian Navy because they had two helicopters nearby that could help and land on the island.

A helicopter from Australian amphibious assault ship HMAS Canberra landed on the beach leaving food and water for the stranded trio, while Australian forces confirmed the men's identities and found they were not seriously injured.

Meanwhile, a C-130 from the Hawaii US Coast Guard dropped a radio on the stranded men so they could communicate with a Micronesian patrol dispatched from Yap.

A statement from the United States Coast Guard said rescuers and sailors kept their distance due to the coronavirus.

"After discussions between responding allies, it was decided that the safest course of action for both response agency crews and sailors was to limit exposure between them due to the covid-19 pandemic," said one Coast Guard release.

The patrol reached the men around 8 p.m. local time Monday night, according to Andersen AFB's Facebook post.

"Alliances," said United States Coast Guard Captain Christopher Chase, commander of the Guam Sector of the United States Coast Guard. “This is what made this search and rescue case successful. By coordinating with multiple response organizations, we were able to save three members of our community and take them back home with their families. ”

Captain Terry Morrison, commander of Canberra, praised his crew.

"I am proud of the response and professionalism of everyone on board as we fulfill our obligation to contribute to the safety of life at sea anywhere in the world," he said.

Rescue