US military rescued mariners stranded in the Pacific after they used palm leaves to spell 'HELP' on the beach

• The US military this week rescued three men who had been stranded on a Pacific island for days.
• The men were spotted by a Navy aircraft after they used leaves to write "HELP" in the sand.
• An American officer hailed it as a crucial "act of ingenuity." 

In an unusual scene seemingly out of a movie, the US military this week rescued three individuals who were stranded on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after they used palm leaves to write "HELP" in big letters on the beach.

The lost mariners spent more than a week stuck alongside their damaged boat at Pikelot Atoll, a tiny island that's part of the Federated States of Micronesia, before an American military vessel recovered them on Tuesday, US Coast Guard Forces Micronesia, Sector Guam said in a Wednesday statement.

A US Navy reconnaissance aircraft spotted the men from above on Sunday, leading to a breakthrough moment in the rescue operation.

"In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out 'HELP' on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery," Lt. Chelsea Garcia, the search and rescue mission coordinator, said in Tuesday's Coast Guard's statement.

"This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location," Garcia added.

The three mariners initially set off on a March 31 voyage from Polowat Atoll, which is around 100 nautical miles southeast of Pikelot. Nearly a week later, on Saturday, a relative of the men reported them missing to the US military, which quickly mobilized the search and rescue operation, according to the Coast Guard.

A Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft, which is used for patrol and reconnaissance missions, first identified the men, whose small motorboat had suffered damage and couldn't function anymore, at Pikelot on Sunday and airdropped them survival packages.

The following day, on Monday, a Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules recovery aircraft airdropped a radio on the island so that the US could communicate with the mariners, who said they were in good health and still had access to food and water, but needed help leaving the island.

By Tuesday morning, the Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Henry had arrived at Pikelot to physically rescue the men and bring them back to Polowat.

"This successful operation underscores the effective coordination and partnership between the US Coast Guard, the US Navy, and regional partners," Garcia said. "We extend our gratitude to everyone involved." 

The Coast Guard in its statement suggested that mariners should equip boats with an emergency position-indicating radio beacon, which is a battery-powered radio transmitter, to "enhance safety on the water." It's unclear if the three mariners had one when they set out on their journey on March 31.

Search and rescue operations are a significant part of the Coast Guard's responsibilities. This important service branch, for example, led the charge during last June's hunt for a submersible that went missing while traveling to visit the wreckage of the Titanic. The Coast Guard has also carried out more recent searches for individuals who went missing while on cruise ships.

The Coast Guard has long operated in the Pacific — its ships used to patrol American territories and other nearby countries for decades. But the service has increasingly played a more hands-on role in the region amid rising tensions between the US and China.

Such activity in the Pacific includes conducting training and exercises together with allies and partners and helping island countries police their coastal waters.