Rescued Sailors Return to Land After Five-Month Ordeal

Two American sailors who spent five months adrift in the Pacific Ocean returned to land in Okinawa, Japan, abroad the US Navy’s USS Ashland on Monday, October 30.Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba of Honolulu and their two dogs were rescued by the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland on October 25. Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba, both from Honolulu, had set sail from Hawaii to Tahiti this spring and experienced engine problems on May 30 during bad weather. They continued, though, believing they could make it to their destination by sail.Two months into their journey and long past when they originally estimated they would reach Tahiti, they began issuing distress calls daily. However, they were not close enough to other vessels or shore stations to receive the calls.A Taiwanese fishing vessel discovered the sailboat 900 miles southeast of Japan on October 24, and the fishing vessel crew contacted the US Coast Guard in Guam, which coordinated the rescue.These videos show Appel and Fuiaba returning to land in Okinawa and sailors from the USS Ashland caring for the dogs. “They have had the opportunity to get petted and loved and played with by all the different crew members while we’ve been busy trying to take care of other important business,” Appel said. “It’s been fantastic to know that other people who love dogs are getting the chance to give them love and attention and let them run and play.” Credit: USS Ashland, 7th Fleet, US Navy via Storyful