Overview
- The USNS Cesar Chavez located the adrift fishing boat on January 1 at about 12:45 p.m. while transiting the South China Sea.
- Watch standers alerted the bridge, and the ship launched a rigid-hulled inflatable boat to bring the three aboard.
- The men were identified as Filipino citizens who left port on December 27 and became adrift on December 28 after heavy seas flooded their engine.
- Ship medical staff found all three in good health, and U.S. personnel notified Philippine authorities and coordinated their return.
- The 7th Fleet credited professional watchstanding for the swift rescue, and the 689-foot Lewis and Clark-class ship resumed routine logistics operations.