Trio Stranded in Pacific for Over a Week Rescued After US Navy Spots ‘HELP’ Sign: USCG

A USCG spokeswoman said the castaways were slightly dehydrated and lived off coconut meat on the island.

After dropping them a radio, the crew of a Hawaii-based HC-130J Hercules aircraft makes contact with three mariners stranded on Pikelot Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, on April 8, 2024. Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard

A group of sailors who had been stranded on a remote atoll in the Pacific Ocean for more than a week have been rescued after officials spotted a “HELP” sign the sailors spelled out with palm leaves on the beach.

In a statement issued on April 9, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said a family member of the three mariners, who have not been identified but are all men in their 40s, notified the Joint Rescue Sub-Center in Guam on April 6 to report that her uncles had not returned from their voyage from Polowat Atoll, which is approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Pikelot.