Navy Helicopter Flies Around 125 Miles to Rescue Sailor Stranded in Indian Ocean
A Canadian sailor found himself completely alone in the Indian Ocean when his catamaran—a watercraft with two parallel hulls—began taking on water. Soon, he had no choice but to hop into a tender, which refers to a smaller boat the vessel had been carrying. All the while, he hoped for aid to come for him amidst all that perilous water.
Hundreds of miles away, his family knew something was wrong for a simple reason: he had missed two scheduled calls home.
The sailor was traveling alone from Darwin to Christmas Island when his brother alerted Australia’s Rescue Coordination Centre on Sunday, Sept. 6, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). Christmas Island itself is an Australian territory far into the Indian Ocean, about 1,615 miles northwest of Perth and roughly 305 miles southwest of Jakarta, Indonesia, according to Australia’s Department of Infrastructure.
AMSA dispatched a search-and-rescue jet to the remote stretch of the Indian Ocean.
The crew eventually found the sailor about 1,000 kilometers, or 620 miles, from Christmas Island. The vessel was already partially submerged, even as the sailor waited nearby in the small auxiliary boat. As the aircraft approached, he raised both hands to the sky.
First Came the Plane, Then Supplies
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AMSA used satellite position information to narrow the search before its Perth-based Challenger jet located the vessel. ABC News Australia reports that the aircraft used radar during the final search.
Rescuers concluded that reaching the sailor would take time, so the aircraft ended up making two supply drops. AMSA says crews sent down a life raft, emergency beacon, communication equipment, food and water for the stranded man. AMSA rescue coordinator Dan Gillis also told ABC that severe weather had passed through the area over the weekend.
The sailor activated the beacon so that rescuers could continue tracking him as his vessel drifted.
The Royal Australian Navy took over the next leg of the rescue operation. HMAS Supply, which was already operating in the region, changed course and launched an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter toward the stranded sailor.
The Helicopter Had To Travel Quite The Distance
The helicopter flew nearly 125 miles from HMAS Supply to reach him, according to ABC News Australia. Its crew then winched the sailor out of the tender and flew him back to the Navy ship.
Despite the sinking catamaran and hours spent stranded in open water, the unidentified sailor escaped without serious injury. Gillis said he was in good condition after the rescue and was being taken back toward Darwin.
Earlier preparations were crucial in making this ambitious rescue feasible.
“Having reliable communications and a trusted person ashore who knows when to raise the alarm can make all the difference,” AMSA Executive Director Alex Barrell said in the agency’s Sept. 7 announcement.
