Ron Ingraham, 67, was found dehydrated and hungry aboard his 25-foot vessel, which bad been blown 200 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands after a storm Nov. 27, the release said.
"I thought I was going to die today," he told the crew of destroyer Paul Hamilton, which rescued him. "You guys are heroes."
The Coast Guard responded to an initial distress signal Nov. 27 launching a joint search effort of over 12,000 square miles and 59 flights with the Navy. The search was called off Dec. 1, but was restarted after a second distress call was picked up. During this time, Ingraham's estranged son told the Associated Press he hadn't given up hope.
"I thought, well at least dad died doing what he loved," Zakary Ingraham said. "I was trying to emotionally quell myself. But at the same time, I kind of had that feeling he wasn't gone yet."
The two hadn't spoken in 15 years, Zakary said, but they are now planning a reunion.
Ingraham sent out a second distress call Dec. 9 ,Nov.Dec. 19, after almost two weeks at sea with no food or water. The Coast Guard located him at 64 miles south of Honolulu, then radioed the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii-based destroyer Paul Hamilton, which was 14 miles away at the time.
The ship arrived 30 minutes later, launching a rigid-hull inflatable boat manned by Ensignign John Crow and Petty Officers Majelle Medrano-Pangasinan, Jeffery Hansen, Darren Purvis and Michael Farbridge-Curry.
They found Ingraham dehydrated but uninjured, the release said, providing him with food, water and medical attention.
After a short stay on the Paul Hamilton and the Coast Guard cutter Rush, Ingraham boarded the cutter Kiska, which brought him and his boat, Malia, back to the island of Molokai the same day.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
