WASHINGTON (USTCNS) --- March 29 was a day like any other for USNS Indomitable. She was steady on her course, surveying the ocean bottom off the coast of northern South America. Little did the crew know that they would be called
upon to rescue more than 100 people.
Early in the evening Indomitable received a distress report from Coast Guard District Eleven, Alameda,Calif. The Coast Guard received the initial report for a vessel in distress and conducted calls on emergency frequencies to determine the name, position and type of emergency, but received no response.
The Coast Guard then placed a call to their representative in Ecuador and received a report that a vessel named Joselito was disabled and had been adrift for 14 days in the vicinity of Isla del Coco off the western coast of Colombia.
The Coast Guard had tasked a U.S. P-3 Orion - a surveillance plane - early in the morning to try and
locate Joselito. The Coast Guard now tasked Indomitable to join in the search and to proceed to Joselito's estimated position based on her drift. The Coast Guard named Indomitable the command ship for the search and rescue mission with MSC's USNS Stalwart and the P-3 as assets to help conduct the search.
As the P-3 searched its area, the plane spotted a vessel matching Joselito's description. The vessel was adrift with four personnel visible, but the P-3 was unable to see the ship's name. Indomitable left her search area and proceeded to the position of the vessel. Stalwart searched her assigned area and continued to finish sweeping the area that Indomitable had been searching.
The P-3 had to return to her base in Belize to re-fuel. While en route to her base, the P-3 passed the distressed vessel's latest position on to Indomitable. Indomitable arrived that night, nine hours after receiving the coordinates from the P-3. In order to make out the vessel's name, Indomitable had to shine a spotlight on her. To their surprise, the name Fortuna was painted on to both the bow and the stern, along with the homeport of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
"When we spotted the ship, Indomitable was only able to see one person on board," said Chief Petty Officer Joe Lantzy. "The top and front of the vessel were covered with tarps."
Indomitable reported to Coast Guard District Eleven what the ship's crew had seen and said that the crew would have to wait until daylight to relate further details.
As daylight approached, the picture became clearer.
"The tarps aboard Fortuna had been pulled back, and Indomitable was able to see at least 130 people aboard the 60 foot vessel." said Lantzy.
Stalwart immediately departed her search area and was en route to render assistance.
Indomitable approached Fortuna and tried contacting her via radio with no luck. The acoustic research ship then came within shouting distance of Fortuna. Engine Utilityman Manuel Hernandez served as an interpreter between Indomitable's crew and the stranded passengers.
"We were able to ascertain that Fortuna left Manta, Ecuador, 20 days earlier and that her engines quit working five days before," said Lantzy. "The passengers had been without food and water for three days. It was also learned that there were a total of 149 passengers, of which eight were female and three teenage boys, en route to Guatemala from Ecuador. Once in Guatemala they were supposed to be taken by bus to Mexico and then on to the United States."
After speaking with the people on board Fortuna, Indomitable also learned that the captain and the crew
of the distressed ship had left on a small boat two days before and had not returned, leaving the passengers
to fend for themselves.
"They received us with open arms," said Lantzy. "They were extremely happy to see us. When we asked if they needed help, I think everybody on that boat yelled, 'Si'."
Navy frigate USS Halyburton was then called upon to assist. She departed Panama with a legal detachment from the U.S. Coast Guard on board and headed to the scene. The frigate was expected to arrive two days later.
Meanwhile, Indomitable made numerous trips to Fortuna with food and water. Fortuna's passenger were elated to see the rescue boat crew, Chief Mate Matt Hayball, Bosun Robert Taylor, Chief Steward James Sivells, and Marine Corporal Brett Masek, who also served as an interpreter.
Stalwart arrived later that day and provided the same type of relief to Fortuna. Both MSC ships continued providing food and water to the people aboard Fortuna through the day and into the next with Indomitable making morning runs and Stalwart making afternoon runs.
USS Halyburton arrived in the morning of April. After a briefing with the USCG legal detachment, held aboard Indomitable, USS Halyburton took the lead.
The 149 passengers stranded aboard Fortuna were transferred onto the Halyburton's flight deck. With the lifeless Fortuna in tow, they arrived in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, two days later -- safe from the perils of the sea.
The fate of Joselito, however, is unknown.
USNS Indomitable is now returning home from its four-and-a-half month deployment while USNS Stalwart continues on with her mission.
Military Sealift Command is the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense. The command, part of the U.S. Navy, operates more than 110 active ships around the world. Ship missions vary from the transport and afloat prepositioning of defense cargo; to underway replenishment and other direct support to Navy ships at sea; to at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies. (FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
