As Hurricane Gilma neared Hawaii, a mother and her daughter found themselves in serious danger while sailing in the Pacific Ocean.

Their sailboat, flying a French flag, was battered by strong winds and heavy waves. Unfortunately, the boat’s captain was discovered dead on board.

As the situation escalated, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy executed a bold rescue amidst the storm, which seemed straight out of an action film.

After a challenging, multi-day operation, the Coast Guard confirmed that both the woman and her daughter were saved along with their pet cat and tortoise.

Stranded Sailboat Sends Out SOS to Hawaiian Coast Guard

Approximately 925 miles from Honolulu, the sailboat sent a distress signal on Saturday, August 24, which reached the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu around 12:33 p.m. local time.

An aircraft from the Coast Guard’s Barbers Point air station quickly launched to find the 47-foot sailboat, Albroc. In a mayday call, the 47-year-old mother reported that she and her 7-year-old daughter needed help due to severe weather conditions.

She also mentioned that there was a deceased man on the vessel.

The aircrew couldn’t reach the woman directly but saw her firing flares for help. At that moment, winds were reported at 20 miles per hour with waves up to 6 feet high, according to the Coast Guard.

Due to the rough sea conditions caused by Hurricane Gilma, a rescue mission was complex, leading the Coast Guard to request additional support from the Navy.

Navy Steps In for the Brave Rescue

By 5:20 p.m. that day, a Singapore-flagged tanker arrived from 290 miles south, responding to the Coast Guard’s call for assistance. However, due to worsening weather, the tanker’s crew couldn’t get close enough to perform a rescue.

It was only on Monday morning, August 26, that the USS William P. Lawrence, a guided-missile destroyer from the Navy, arrived to attempt a rescue of those stranded.

However, time was running out as the deteriorating conditions and the approaching storm allowed just about six hours for a safe rescue operation.

Mother, Daughter, and Pets Rescued Safely

Shortly after the Navy’s arrival, a small boat crew set off from the destroyer to reach the stranded sailboat, successfully rescuing the woman, her daughter, and their pets.

The Navy ship later docked on Wednesday evening at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, where the mother and daughter received assistance.

The body of the man, identified as the boat’s captain, could not be retrieved due to the perilous conditions. The Coast Guard stated that his body remains aboard the Albroc, which is currently adrift approximately 1,000 miles east of Honolulu.

The circumstances surrounding his death and why the sailboat was caught in the storm remain unclear.

“I am incredibly proud of the crew’s expertise in planning and executing the safe recovery of two individuals from a disabled vessel in increasingly hazardous conditions,” stated U.S. Navy Cmdr. Bobby Wayland, commanding officer of the William P. Lawrence. “It was impressive to see the collaboration between the Navy and Coast Guard.”