Crew from the guided-missile destroyer Frank E. Peterson Jr. rescued a 75-year-old American mariner stranded in the Pacific Ocean.
The mariner, who went without sail and power for 12 days while traveling from New Zealand, was found approximately 300 miles off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Crew from the destroyer provided the mariner medical attention, along with food and water before returning to the Peterson’s homeport, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, on July 6.
The destroyer teamed up with the Joint Rescue Coordination Center and the U.S. Coast Guard’s 14th District, who also provided a HC-130J long-range search and rescue aircraft to assist in locating and contacting the sailboat while it was stranded.
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“This search and rescue operation speaks to the capability of the U.S. Navy to respond quickly, aggressively and safely across a lot of ocean to save a life and have positive mission impact,” Cmdr. Daniel Hancock, the on-scene commander of the rescue effort and commanding officer of the destroyer, said in a Navy news release.
“The safe rescue of this mariner reflects their character and tenacity, and emulates the daring, toughness, and mission success of our namesake, Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen Jr.,” Hancock said. “This is a capable warship but her real strength is without a doubt her determined crew.”
The destroyer was commissioned in May. The ship is named after the first Black aviator in the Marine Corps, and the first Black Marine to become a lieutenant general.
