"HELP" sign on tiny Pacific island leads to Coast Guard and Navy rescue of 3 mariners stranded for over a week

Three mariners who were stranded on a tiny island in the Pacific were rescued after they spelled out "HELP" with palm leaves on the beach, the Coast Guard said Tuesday, marking the second time in four years that castaways were found on the same island. The sailors were found on Pikelot Atoll after being stuck in the Micronesian archipelago for over a week.

The men — all experienced sailors in their 40s — had embarked on a voyage from Polowat Atoll on Easter Sunday in their 20-foot open skiff, which was equipped with an outboard motor, officials said. But six days later on April 6, the Coast Guard in Guam received a distress call from a relative who reported her three uncles had not returned as expected to their home of Pikelot Atoll, which is about 100 nautical miles northwest of Polowat Atoll. 

A joint search and rescue operation by the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy was immediately launched. Despite poor weather conditions and limited assets in the area, a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft crew based in Japan was deployed and the USCGC Oliver Henry cutter was diverted to the search area, which spanned more than 78,000 square nautical miles.