Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) rescued a stranded mariner Dec. 9 while operating south of the Hawaiian Islands.
Paul Hamilton Sailors rendered assistance to Ron Ingraham after receiving a distress call from U.S. Coast Guard District 14’s Honolulu Sector.
Ingraham, stranded at sea since Nov. 27, was caught in a storm that blew his vessel approximately 200 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands, leaving him without food or water for 12 days. The Coast Guard ceased searching for Ingraham Dec. 1 after Coast Guard and Navy crews conducted an extensive search of the area, flying 59 sorties and covering approximately 12,000 square miles.
Paul Hamilton received the call while approximately 14 miles from the vessel’s last known position and arrived on scene about 30 minutes later. Once on scene, Sailors aboard Paul Hamilton launched a seven-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) to render assistance.
The RHIB crew of Paul Hamilton provided food, water and medical attention. Ingraham embarked Paul Hamilton while awaiting a Coast Guard cutter to take him and tow his vessel, Malia, back to port.
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Press release, Image: US Navy