Never let it be said that the U.S. Coast Guard can't muster very quickly and save lives in the nick of time:
The Coast Guard and Navy completed the rescue of a distressed woman, child and their pets from a sailboat beset by weather offshore Hawaii Wednesday.
The Guard said it detected a distress beacon "originating from a position approximately 925 miles east of Honolulu." A Lockheed HC-130 crew was dispatched to the location, at which they found "a 47-foot sailboat, the French-flagged vessel Albroc."
Something had plainly gone quite wrong on board:
[There was] a 47-year-old woman aboard the vessel 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 Guard flagged the nearby Singapore vessel Seri Emperor to come assist; the ship arrived but was unable to rescue the stricken sailors "due to deteriorating weather conditions ahead of Hurricane Gilma approaching the area."
Needless to say, the one thing you don't want bearing down on your little ship in distress is a hurricane! A Navy destroyer ultimately arrived at the scene, the USS William P. Lawrence:
But time was running out:
With seas greater 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.
Thankfully they were able to get the ladies to safety:
A small boat crew from the Navy ship launched and rescued the woman, girl, a cat and tortoise from the sailboat.
Alas, the weather conditions did not permit a full recovery:
Due to adverse on-scene weather conditions, the crew could not safely recover the deceased individual from the sailing vessel. On-scene weather conditions at the time of the rescue were 8 to 10-foot seas and 15 mph winds. ... The sailboat remains adrift approximately 1,000 miles east of Honolulu.
Still: Dynamite job from some low-key American heroes.
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