Three mariners who were left stranded on a small uninhabited island in the Pacific were rescued after utilizing palm fronds to spell out “HELP” on the beach. The trio, experienced mariners in their 40s, had ventured out for a fishing trip near Pikelot atoll in a skiff with a damaged outboard motor, leaving them stranded for over a week surviving on coconuts and well water.
After a relative reported the mariners missing, a U.S. Navy aircraft spotted the help sign drawn with palm fronds on the beach, leading to a successful rescue mission. The crew dropped survival packages for the castaways and provided them with a radio to communicate with the outside world. The Coast Guard praised the mariners for their ingenuity in guiding the rescue efforts directly to their location, emphasizing the importance of the distress signal they created on the island.
The mariners were eventually transported back to Polowat atoll, about 100 miles away, by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry. This incident echoes a similar rescue in 2020 when three other men were saved after writing an “SOS” sign in the sand on the same archipelago. Both instances highlight the significance of distress signals in maritime rescue operations and the resourcefulness of individuals in dire situations.
