Isle Coast Guard air crew finds missing Micronesian fishing boat
The motor vessel, Shourong Harmony conducts a rescue of five men from a 14-foot aluminum skiff 184 miles east northeast of Teraina Island, Kiribati, July 11, 2015. The men were rescued after being at sea since July 8, 2015, after an HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point spotted them while searching. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
Five fishermen stranded at sea for four days were rescued Saturday in a coordinated effort between the U.S. Coast Guard, a private bulk carrier vessel and a private cargo ship.
The men left Teraina Island, Kiritbati, on a 14-foot skiff on July 6 and were reported missing two days later. The men survived the next four days with no engines, few provisions and no lifesaving equipment while the Coast Guard conducted a search of the area.
On Friday, an HC-130 Hercules air crew from Barbers Point Air Station spotted the vessel about 184 miles northwest of Teraina Island. The air crew dropped food, water, two VHF radios, and other supplies to the stranded fishermen.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center then coordinated with two motor vessels in the area — the Shourong Harmony and the Moa Moa — to rescue the men.
The Shourong Harmony, a Panama-registered bulk carrier, picked up the men around 1:50 p.m. on Saturday and was scheduled to transfer them to the reefer Moa Moa for transport back to Kiribati.
