A distraught mother and her seven-year-old daughter have been brought to safety after being stranded nearly 1,000 miles off the coast of Hawaii when Hurricane Gilma made landfall.
Authorities received a distress signal from the 47-foot sailboat shortly after noon on Aug. 24, notifying them that the family was stranded.
The U.S. Coast Guard broadcast the alert to all ships in the area and sent a plane to search for the family. The plane found the boat, a French-flagged vessel called the Albroc, around 9 a.m. on Aug. 25.
The mother, who in her distress call said the boat had been “beset by bad weather”, was seen lighting distress flares on the drifting vessel as water covered the ship’s frame. She and her daughter waved their arms before returning to the cabin.
At first, crews were unable to reach the family because of the harsh conditions. But the 47-year-old woman, her young daughter and her cat and turtle were eventually rescued and brought to Honolulu around 5 a.m. the next day.
The ship’s captain, whose relationship to the couple is unclear, died on board. Coast Guard he said. His body could not be recovered due to weather conditions.
A woman and her daughter, who were stranded nearly 1,000 miles off the coast of Hawaii when Hurricane Gilma made landfall, embrace on the deck of the USS William P. Lawrence as the ship approaches Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu on August 28, 2024.
The French-flagged sailing vessel Albroc is pictured during rescue operations in the Pacific Ocean on August 26, 2024. Authorities received a distress signal from the 47-foot sailing vessel shortly after noon on August 24, notifying them that the family was stranded.
Authorities at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu received the distress signal from the Albroc at 12:33 p.m. on Saturday, August 24.
The mother said she and her daughter needed help because they were stranded in bad weather. She also revealed that there was a dead man on board.
The Coast Guard launched an aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point that found the Albroc stranded about 925 miles east of Honolulu around 9 a.m. Sunday.
But Hurricane Gilma was approaching the region and conditions were too harsh for rescuers to reach the ship. Authorities reported waves up to 6 feet high and winds of 20 mph.
The Coast Guard requested additional assistance from the Navy, including a 754-foot liquefied petroleum gas tanker that arrived at the scene at 5:20 p.m., more than eight hours after the aircraft had first spotted the ship.
However, the tanker was unable to reach the ship due to weather conditions.
A small Navy crew was finally able to carry out the rescue mission around 5 a.m. on Monday, August 26. Authorities say that due to the condition of the boat, they only had a six-hour window to get the family to safety.
A 7-year-old girl hugs a Navy sailor at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu on Aug. 28, 2024. The Navy ship launched a small crew to rescue the girl, her mother, her cat and her turtle after their sailboat became beset by weather in the path of an approaching hurricane.
A small boat crew pulls away from the French-flagged sailing vessel Albroc after recovering the mother and daughter during rescue operations in the Pacific Ocean on August 26, 2024.
The mother, who in her distress call said the Albroc (pictured) had been “beset by bad weather”, was seen lighting distress flares on the drifting boat as water covered the ship’s frame. She and her daughter waved their arms before re-entering the cabin.
The woman, child and their pets were rescued and arrived safely at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu on Wednesday night. Representatives of the Coast Guard and the Honorary Consul of France In Hawaii, survivors were provided with care.
The captain’s body was left aboard the vessel, which remains adrift in the ocean. Authorities have not revealed whether there are plans to recover the vessel.
The cause of his death and the circumstances surrounding the family who were on the boat in the path of a hurricane remain under investigation.
“Through tireless planning, coordination and teamwork, our rangers assembled the key elements needed for such a dynamic search and rescue case,” said Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Kevin Cooper.
‘We are grateful that Emperor Seri and William P. Lawrence were able to reach the mother and daughter, who were caught in the path of Hurricane Gilma.’
At the time of rescue operations, Gilma was located approximately 480 miles east of the ships and had experienced a maximum wind speed of 110 mph.
“I am extremely proud of the crew’s professionalism in planning and executing the safe recovery of two people at sea aboard a disabled vessel whose conditions were deteriorating,” said U.S. Navy Commander Bobby Wayland.
USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii, approaches the pier at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam after completing the rescue of a woman, child and their pets Aug. 28, 2024.
“My boat’s crew, particularly the helmsman, demonstrated skillful boat handling and good judgment in approaching the distressed vessel and transporting survivors. I am also grateful for the remarkable coordination and information provided by the U.S. Coast Guard throughout the operation. It was very interesting to see the Navy and Coast Guard team work together so seamlessly.”
Vice Adm. John Wade, commander of the U.S. Third Fleet, added: While I am saddened by the loss of the sailing vessel’s captain, I could not be more proud of the combined efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy that saved the lives of two other passengers.
“I am especially grateful for the professionalism demonstrated by the crew of the USS William P. Lawrence, who executed the rescue flawlessly under extremely dangerous conditions.”