A woman and her 7-year-old daughter were rescued from a French-flagged sailboat 925 miles east of Honolulu last week after being stranded for several days in the Pacific Ocean after the ship's master died.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the woman and girl were caught in Hurricane Gilma. Officials said that after learning of a distress call on Aug. 24, a Coast Guard airplane spotted the sailboat. The crew of the Hercules aircraft could not establish direct communications with the woman but witnessed her light two distress flares as the sailboat took waves and wind from the hurricane.
RELATED STORY | Video shows Coast Guard rescuing pregnant woman from Disney cruise
The Coast Guard said it requested assistance from the Navy’s U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. 3rd Fleet, which diverted the crew of USS William P. Lawrence. The Seri Emperor, a Singapore-flagged, 754-foot liquid petroleum gas tanker, was also diverted after receiving a request from the Coast Guard.
On the morning of Aug. 25, the Hercules crew tried to make contact with the woman. Later that evening, the crew of the Seri Emperor arrived on the scene but was unable to safely remove the woman and child from the vessel due to deteriorating weather conditions, the Coast Guard said.
On the morning of Aug. 26, a crew on the Navy's William P. Lawrence ship arrived, and was able to use a small boat crew to rescue the woman and girl. The Coast Guard said there was a deceased man on board the sailboat, but his body could not be recovered.
“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 U.S. Navy Cmdr. Bobby Wayland, commanding officer of William P. Lawrence. “My boat crew – in particular the coxswain – demonstrated deft boat handling and good judgement in approaching the distressed vessel and transferring the survivors. I also appreciate the remarkable coordination and information provided by the USCG throughout the entire operation – very cool to see the Navy / Coast Guard team work together so smoothly.”
RELATED STORY | Coast Guard rescues 8 people, including a child, clinging to a cooler off the coast of Florida
The woman and girl made it to Honolulu "safe and sound" on Aug. 28. The Honorary Consul of France was providing assistance to the family.
