The U.S. Navy’s guided missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) and its crew proved vital in a rescue mission of a Filipino mariner, who had fallen overboard from his vessel while transiting the Singapore Strait. A Malaysian-flagged motor vessel Pantagruel sent a distress call on January 18th, at around 7:25 am (local) requiring assistance in search for a crewmember that fell overboard.
Having received the message, USS Spruance launched its rigid-hull-inflatable boat (RHIB) into the water. Shortly, the crew managed to locate the mariner and bring him to safety.
The mariner was then transferred to a Singapore Police Coast Guard vessel.
San Diego-based Spruance is patrolling the 7th Fleet area of operations within her maiden deployment to the Western Pacific aimed at supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, January 20, 2014; Image: US Navy