Coast Guard, Navy save mother, child, cat, tortoise stranded at sea

The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy rescued the passengers of a French-flagged vessel caught in bad weather off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, over the weekend, as well as a cat and tortoise that were along for the cruise.

Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a distress signal at 12:33 p.m. from a sailboat’s emergency position indicating radio beacon Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The endangered passengers were 925 miles east of Honolulu.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu responded by dispatching an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point to coordinate a rescue.

The crew arrived to find a 47-foot sailboat broadcasting mayday calls from a 47-year-old woman who said she and her 7-year-old daughter were on board and in dire need of rescue.

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The woman also said there was a dead man on board.

The rescue crew, unable to radio the woman back as her ship battled 20-mph winds and six-foot waves, requested help from the Navy’s U.S. 3rd Fleet and U.S. Pacific Fleet.

U.S. Pacific Fleet’s guided-missile destroyer William P. Lawrence, which is home-ported in Pearl Harbor, responded by heading towards to the distressed boat.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu also requested assistance from an automated mutual-assistance vessel rescue-registered gas tanker located 290 miles south of the sailboat.

Automated mutual-assistance vessel rescue is a computer reporting system operated by the U.S. Coast Guard that provides information about a distressed vessel to ships nearby and allows them to help with search-and-rescue attempts.

The Singapore-flagged gas tanker Seri Emperor arrived Sunday at 5:20 p.m., but poor weather from approaching Hurricane Gilma prevented the rescue.

The Seri Emperor remained near the distressed vessel until the Lawrence arrived.

Expecting 25-foot waves within 12 hours, a small boat crew from the Lawrence worked quickly to rescue the two passengers and their pets.

The deceased passenger, who the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed was the sailboat’s captain, could not be rescued as a result of the worsening weather.

“I am extremely proud of the crew’s professionalism in planning and executing the safe recovery of two persons at sea on a disabled vessel in worsening conditions,” said Navy Cmdr. Bobby Wayland, commanding officer of the Lawrence.

The Lawrence docked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

The Coast Guard and the Honorary Consul of France in Hawaii provided care to the two passengers once on shore.

“While saddened by the loss of the sailing vessel’s master, I couldn’t be prouder of the combined efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy who saved the lives of two other passengers,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet.

The sailboat remains adrift at sea.