This Photo provided by the U.S Coast guard.
Three men found themselves stranded on an uninhabited Pacific island for over a week but managed to survive by crafting a 'HELP' sign out of palm fronds on the beach. Their distress signal was spotted by Navy and Coast Guard aviators flying overhead, leading to their rescue.
The ordeal began on March 31 when the men set out on a 20-foot boat with an outboard motor from Pulawat Atoll, a small island in the Federated States of Micronesia. Pulawat Atoll is home to approximately 1,000 inhabitants and is situated about 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) east of the Philippines.
While fishing, their boat struck a coral reef, causing a hole in its bottom and causing it to take on water, according to Lt. Keith Arnold, as reported in a Coast Guard video.
Fortunately, a Coast Guard ship named the Oliver Henry spotted the men on Tuesday and transported them back to Pulawat Atoll, where they had departed from nine days earlier and about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, according to a statement.
The men were visibly relieved to be reunited with their families, as expressed by Coast Guard L. Cmdr. Christine Igisomar, who coordinated the search and rescue mission. Arnold explained that when their boat sustained damage, the men realized they couldn't make the return journey home and decided to beach their vessel.
Their plight was reported by a relative on April 6 to a Coast Guard facility in Guam. The men, all in their 40s, had failed to return from Pikelot Atoll. Consequently, a search operation covering an area of 78,000 square miles (200,000 square kilometers) was initiated.
A U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon plane from Kadena Air Force Base in Japan spotted the men on Pikelot and air-dropped survival packages to them. Subsequently, a Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules plane from Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii dropped a radio, which the men used to convey that they were thirsty but otherwise fine, Arnold revealed.
Arnold described how the 'HELP' sign crafted by the men was easily visible from several thousand feet in the air, aiding the rescuers in locating them.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time that such a rescue has taken place on Pikelot Atoll. In 2020, three men from Pulawat Atoll found themselves stranded on the same island and spelled out "SOS" on the beach. An Australian military helicopter crew provided them with food and water before a Micronesian patrol vessel arrived to rescue them.
Overall, the resilience and resourcefulness of the stranded men, coupled with the swift response and coordination of the Navy and Coast Guard, ensured a successful rescue operation and a happy reunion with their families.
