Three men stranded on an uninhabited Pacific island survived for more than a week and used palm fronds to spell out HELP on the beach – leading to rescue by Navy and Coast Guard aviators who spotted the sign from several thousand feet in the air.
They had embarked March 31 in a 20-foot boat with an outboard motor from Pulawat Atoll, a small island with about an estimated 1,000 inhabitants in the Federated States of Micronesia about 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) east of the Philippines.
The men were fishing when they hit a coral reef, putting a hole in the boat’s bottom and causing it to take on water, Lt. Keith Arnold said in a Coast Guard video.
A Coast Guard ship, the Oliver Henry, picked up the men Tuesday and took them back to the atoll where they had set out nine days earlier and 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, according to the statement.
They were “obviously very excited” to be reunited with their families, Coast Guard L. Cmdr. Christine Igisomar, a coordinator of the search and rescue mission, said in a Coast Guard video.
When their boat was damaged, “they knew they weren’t going to be able to make their return home and would need to beach their vessel,” said Arnold.
On April 6, a relative reported them missing to a Coast Guard facility in Guam, saying the men in their 40s had not returned from Pikelot Atoll. A search initially covering 78,000 square miles (200,000 square kilometers) began.
The crew of a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon plane from Kadena Air Force Base in Japan spotted the three on Pikelot and dropped survival packages. The next day, a Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules plane from Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii dropped a radio the men used to report they were thirsty but all right, Arnold said.
“The help sign was pretty visible. We could see it from a couple thousand feet in the air,” Arnold said.
This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, the crew of USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140), rescues three mariners that were stranded on Pikelot Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, on April 9, 2024. The stranded mariners spelled out âHELPâ with palm fronds on a beach that were spotted by Coast Guard and Navy aviators, the sign pinpointed them in a search area spanning thousands of square miles. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
via AP
A similar rescue of three men from Pulawat Atoll happened on Pikelot Atoll in 2020. Those men spelled out “SOS” on the beach.
An Australian military helicopter crew landed and gave them food and water before a Micronesian patrol vessel could pick them up.
Support HuffPostOur 2024 Coverage Needs YouYour Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can’t afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That’s why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we’ll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can’t find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can’t afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : The Huffington Post – https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stranded-men-uninhabited-pacific-island-help-sign_n_6619fc92e4b08dfbe5a7530a
![Forest ecology cannot be reduced to arithmetic, says M.I. Varghese [Interview] – Mongabay-India](https://earth-news.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/328946-forest-ecology-cannot-be-reduced-to-arithmetic-says-mi-varghese-interview-mongabay-india-350x250.jpg)
![Forest ecology cannot be reduced to arithmetic, says M.I. Varghese [Interview] – Mongabay-India](https://earth-news.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/328946-forest-ecology-cannot-be-reduced-to-arithmetic-says-mi-varghese-interview-mongabay-india-120x86.jpg)
