Coast Guard and Navy rescues a woman, child and pets 925 miles off Honolulu

By Jeremiah Estrada

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — A woman, child and their pets were rescued from a sailboat by Coast Guard and Navy offshore of Hawaii on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.

Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders received a distress call 925 miles offshore of Honolulu on Saturday, Aug. 24. They launched an airplane crew from U.S. the Coast Guard Airsta Barbers Point and found a French-flagged sailboat being battered by the seas and winds. The sailboat was directly in the path of the impending Hurricane Gilma. The woman aboard reported that a man was dead on board and that she and her daughter needed help.

During those five days, the Coast Guard with the help from other teams, put in their efforts to rescue the woman, her 7-year-old daughter, a cat and tortoise from the boat. The Seri Emperor traveled for 18 hours, arrived on scene, then stayed with the sailboat for 12 more hours until a Navy ship arrived. The ship launched a small boat which maneuvered through the seas and 15 mph winds to safely disembark everyone on board.

On Wednesday, the family safely arrived on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Representatives from the Coast Guard and Honotary Consul of France in Hawaii assisted the survivors with any needs.

“Through tireless planning, coordination and teamwork, our watchstanders pieced together the key elements needed for such a dynamic search and rescue case. The use of an EPIRB was also crucial and allowed our aircrews and partners to pinpoint the sailboat’s location. We are grateful the crews of the Seri Emperor and William P. Lawrence were able to reach the mother and daughter, who were caught right in the path of Hurricane Gilma,” said Kevin Cooper, search and rescue coordinator for the case.

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