Three men stranded on an uninhabited Pacific island survived for more than a week and used palm fronds to spell out HELP on the beach – leading to rescue by Navy and Coast Guard aviators who spotted the sign from several thousand feet in the air.
They had embarked March 31 in a 20-foot boat with an outboard motor from Pulawat Atoll, a small island with about an estimated 1,000 inhabitants in the Federated States of Micronesia about 1,800 miles (3,000 kilometers) east of the Philippines.
The men were fishing when they hit a coral reef, putting a hole in the boat’s bottom and causing it to take on water, Lt. Keith Arnold said in a Coast Guard video.
A Coast Guard ship, the Oliver Henry, picked up the men Tuesday and took them back to the atoll where they had set out nine days earlier and 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, according to the statement.
They were “obviously very excited” to be reunited with their families, Coast Guard L. Cmdr. Christine Igisomar, a coordinator of the search and rescue mission, said in a Coast Guard video.
When their boat was damaged, “they knew they weren’t going to be able to make their return home and would need to beach their vessel,” said Arnold.
On April 6, a relative reported them missing to a Coast Guard facility in Guam, saying the men in their 40s had not returned from Pikelot Atoll. A search initially covering 78,000 square miles (200,000 square kilometers) began.
The crew of a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon plane from Kadena Air Force Base in Japan spotted the three on Pikelot and dropped survival packages. The next day, a Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules plane from Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii dropped a radio the men used to report they were thirsty but all right, Arnold said.
“The help sign was pretty visible. We could see it from a couple thousand feet in the air,” Arnold said.
A similar rescue of three men from Pulawat Atoll happened on Pikelot Atoll in 2020. Those men spelled out “SOS” on the beach.
An Australian military helicopter crew landed and gave them food and water before a Micronesian patrol vessel could pick them up.
Three men spent several days marooned on an uninhabited Pacific island after a boating mishap. (AP Graphic)
This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, the crew of USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140), rescues three mariners that were stranded on Pikelot Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, on April 9, 2024. The stranded mariners spelled out “HELP” with palm fronds on a beach that were spotted by Coast Guard and Navy aviators, the sign pinpointed them in a search area spanning thousands of square miles. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
This photo provided by U.S. Coast Guard shows HELP" spelled out with palm fronds by three stranded mariners on Pikelot Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, Monday, April 8, 2024. The three mariners are safe after the coordination of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam and the U.S. Navy, after being stranded for more than a week. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
Igor Shesterkin has stopped 94 of the 101 shots he has faced so far this postseason and his play in net is a big reason the New York Rangers rolled through the first round and look like a Stanley Cup contender.
Says Shesterkin: “I could play better.”
“I can do less rebounds, play more confident with the puck and in the net, too,” Shesterkin added.
Up next for the Rangers are the Carolina Hurricanes in the secound round.
The humbling assessment from the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goaltender was no surprise to teammates who have seen him make one improbable save after another. Just from the opening series against Washington there was a post-to-post robbery of Max Pacioretty, a lunging stop to prevent Alex Ovechkin from scoring and countless others that allowed the Rangers to sweep.
“He can steal any game, really, (that) he wants to,” captain Jacob Trouba said. "We know what we have back there. We don’t want to rely on him. But when we do have breakdowns and mistakes, I think we have complete trust that he’s there to have our backs.”
Minutes later, forward Vincent Trocheck, who was the best skater on the ice in the series, echoed a similar sentiment: "Whenever we do have a little bit of a letdown, he’s back there to save our butts.”
Even when Shesterkin himself had a letdown, giving up a weird goal in Game 3 on hockey's equivalent of a diving curve ball, he was perfect the rest of the way.
“Not surprised,” Trocheck said. “We need him to be the backbone of this team. He’s been doing it for years now.”
Coach Peter Laviolette sees a goalie who “seems to be tracking everything really well,” seeing the whole rink from side to side and having good awareness of what's going on around him beyond the puck. Backup Jonathan Quick, the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP in his first of two Cup runs with Los Angeles, appreciates the work Shesterkin has put in to be in the right position so frequently.
“Everyone sees the saves and how great he is athletically and stuff like that,” Quick said. “But I think the part that stands out to me always is his ability to read plays, read what’s going to happen.”
Trouba often finds himself looking up at arena video screens to watch replays of saves by Shesterkin that make him go, “Wow, he got over there.”
Fellow defenseman K'Andre Miller is still surprised by the 28-year-old Russian's spectacular stops and consistent play.
“He’s done a great job of just proving why he’s been the best at what he does,” Miller said. “He makes himself better every day, but he also pushes us to be the best we can.”
Asked how good the Rangers can be and how deep they could go, Shesterkin said only, “We will see.” The real answer is almost certainly how far he can carry them.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save during the first period against the Wahington Capitals in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) reacts after Washington Capitals' Connor McMichael scored a goal during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) is embraced by teammate Barclay Goodrow (21) after defeating the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save as Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) shoots during the first period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin makes a save during the second period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
