WARSHIP 110

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Dramatic rescue operation off Honolulu - yacht remained adrift with deceased on board

On Aug 28, 2024, the US Coast Guard and Navy completed the rescue of a distressed woman, child and their pets from the French 47-ft-sailboat 'Albroc', which had been beset by weather off Hawaii. Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders had received a distress alert from an EPIRB on Aug 24 at 12:33 p.m. from a position approximately 925 miles east of Honolulu, and ssued a SafetyNET broadcast, conducted a query of vessels via AMVER and the Maritime Intelligence Fusion Center, and launched an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point. After arriving on scene, the airplane crew sighted the 'Albroc' and heard a mayday call on VHF-FM channel 16 from a 47-year-old woman aboard the yacht, reporting that she and her 7-year-old daughter were beset by weather and in need of rescue. The woman reported there was a deceased man on board. The Hercules crew could not establish direct communication with the woman but saw her light two distress flares and observed the sailboat drifting and taking waves over the beam. On-scene weather conditions were 6-foot seas and 20 mph winds. The JRCC Honolulu requested assistance from the Navy’s U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. 3rd Fleet, which diverted the USS 'William P. Lawrence (DDG 110)' to the position. Additionally, they requested assistance from the master of the AMVER-registered LPG tanker 'Seri Emperor', that was approximately 290 miles south of the sailboat, an 18-hour transit. On Aug 25 at 9 a.m., a Hercules from Air Station Barbers Point arrived on scene and observed the woman and girl waving their arms before retreating inside the cabin. The aircrew unsuccessfully attempted to communicate with the two boaters by hailing them on the radio and dropping message blocks. At 5:20 p.m. the 'Seri Emperor'. arrived on scene but was unable to safely remove the woman and child from the yacht due to deteriorating weather conditions ahead of Hurricane Gilma approaching the area. The tanker remained on scene until Aug 26 at 5 a.m., when the 'William P. Lawrence' arrived. With a swell of more than 25 feet forecast within 12 hours of their position and the damaged condition of the 'Albroc', the 'William P. Lawrence' had a six-hour window to safely conduct small boat recovery operations. A crew from the ship launched and rescued the woman, girl, a cat and tortoise from the sailboat. Due to adverse on-scene weather conditions, the crew could not safely recover the deceased master from the sailing vessel. On-scene weather conditions at the time of the rescue were 8 to 10-foot seas and 15 mph winds. On Aug 28 at 5 p.m. the destroyer moored at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu. Representatives from the Coast Guard and the Honorary Consul of France in Hawaii received and provided care for the survivors. The sailboat remained adrift approximately 1,000 miles east of Honolulu.