US Navy rescues 5 Filipino fishermen in Philippine Sea

From Ang Malaya (Mar 27): US Navy rescues 5 Filipino fishermen in Philippine Sea

United States Navy sailors aboard the command ship of the US Seventh Fleet USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) assisted five Filipino fishermen who were in distress.

According to the official blog site of UN Navy, five Filipinos were fishing in Philippine Sea when their boat’s motor stalled out. Crew from USS Blue Ridge found them “adrift for three days with no food.”

“We thought it was strange to see something in the water, so we slowed down to get a better look. As we began looking for signs of distress, we noticed someone was waving a white t-shirt, while someone else was waving a flashlight,” officer of the deck on duty Ensign John Li said.

Blue Ridge then deployed a team on a rigid-hulled inflatable boat to rescue and safely brought the five men onboard the ship. While onboard, five Filipino nationals were given basic first aid. “The men were suffering from hypothermia and malnourishment among other ailments,” US Navy said.

“These are situations Navy medical professionals are trained for. Luckily, we were there at the right place and the right time to save a life,” USS Blue Ridge medical officer Lt. Cmdr. Omar Saeed said.

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2015/03/27/9810-us-navy-rescues-5-filipino-fishermen-in-philippine-sea