Navy Crew Plucks Woman, Child From Sailboat as Hurricane Nears

Small boat from guided missile destroyer picks up survivors 925 miles off Hawaii
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 30, 2024 4:45 PM CDT
Navy Crew Plucks Woman, Child From Sailboat as Hurricane Nears
The rescued girl hugs a sailor after being rescued.   (Coast Guard photo)

A small boat crew dispatched from a Navy guided missile destroyer rescued a woman and her 7-year-old daughter from a sailboat in rough seas this week, after a man had died on the craft and distress flares were launched. The rescue by the USS William P. Lawrence occurred about 925 miles off Hawaii, CBS News reports, as Hurricane Gilma neared the area. By the end of the operation, the 47-year-old woman, her child, and their cat and tortoise were safely delivered to Honolulu. The rescue unfolded this way, per CBS and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser:

  • 12:33pm Saturday: Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu receives a distress signal from the 47-foot Albroc. The Coast Guard reports the sailboat's position is about 925 miles east of Honolulu.

  • 9am Sunday: An airplane crew that had been launched from the Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point spots the sailboat, which the woman had said was "beset by weather" in a mayday call. The crew is unable to establish direct contact with the woman, who sets off flares before she and her daughter go back into the ship's cabin. The plane's crew sees the boat take waves over the beam.
  • 5:20pm Sunday: Seri Emperor, a Singapore-flagged tanker that had been asked to help, arrives at the French-flagged sailboat. With weather conditions worsening as the hurricane approached, the crew is unable to rescue the two. Nevertheless, the ship stays at the spot.
  • 5am Monday: The Lawrence arrives with a six-hour window to work with before swells would reach 25 feet, according to forecasts. Despite waves of 8 to 10 feet, a small boat crew eventually is able to launch from the Navy ship and rescue the stranded passengers. The crew is not able to recover the body of the man who died aboard the sailboat, whom the Coast Guard says was the "sailing vessel's master." Navy Cmdr. Bobby Wayland credits "deft handling" and "good judgment" for the rescue.
  • 5pm Wednesday: The William P. Lawrence arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The survivors are met by representatives of the Coast Guard and the Honorary Consul of France in Hawaii. In a statement, the Coast Guard pronounces the woman and her daughter "safe and sound." The sailboat remains adrift, about 1,000 miles east of Honolulu as of Thursday.

(More rescue stories.)

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