A crew of a Micronesian ship stayed on a lonely island off the Pacific coast after running out of gas • Thanks to their resourcefulness, they were located and rescued safely.
The address on the island
Photo:
IPI
As in the movies: Three Micronesian sailors were rescued and spotted on the shores of a small island in the Atlantic Ocean after creating on the beach from stones the international mark SOS to be seen from the air for their rescue crews.
The crew sailed in a 7-foot boat for a 42-mile voyage but their fuel ran out midway and they had to stop at the small island that is half a mile long unmanned and surrounded by many trees. After the sailors did not reach their destination at the known time, the Micronesian government turned to the Australian authorities and the rescue forces of the US Navy that were based at the island of Micronesia Guam to set out in search of the three.
The search involved American planes and helicopters and an Australian Navy ship that was on its way to an exercise near the Hawi Islands. The first to spot the sailors was a large U.S. Navy KC-135 reconnaissance aircraft.
During the tour, the pilot noticed the huge SOS letters on the beach and the small cabin next to them. Following the report, a helicopter from the Australian battleship set out and landed on the island. Upon arrival, the staff checked the sailors' condition and left them food, medical equipment and a walkie-talkie.
Later, a Micronesian government ship arrived on the island to rescue the three. The reason the rescue was carried out by the Micronesian authorities is the outbreak of the corona in Australia and the fear that the rescue team could expose the sailors to the virus. This is also the reason why there was no meeting between the crew and the sailors, but only leaving the equipment and mapping the routes to the macaroni ship.