ANDERSEN AIR BASE, Guam -- Sailors assigned to the Guam-based "Island Knights" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 rescued five hunters stranded on the remote island of Aguijan about 85 miles north of Guam, Aug. 28.
The hunters ran out of food and were running low on water following a brief hunting trip to the uninhabited island. The boat scheduled to pick them up was unable to return due to rough seas.
HSC 25 received a request from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam at approximately 10:16 a.m. and were hovering over at Aguijan at 11:40 a.m. Soon after arrival, the hunters were located then and safely hoisted to the aircraft. The hunters were medically evaluated and no injuries were reported. The helicopter returned the hunters to the nearby island of Tinian by 12:24 p.m.
The incident was the 40th emergency call to HSC 25 by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam and marks 30 lives saved during Search and Rescue and Medical Evacuations in 2017.
HSC 25 Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Ed Weiler said, "Every life we save is a direct representation of the hard work and determination of our Sailors. They work in extreme conditions, round-the-clock, ensuring there are safe aircraft available to respond in a moment's notice."
HSC 25 serves forward to sustain security and security in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations and maintains a Guam-based 24-hour search and rescue and medical evacuation alert posture, directly supporting U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Region Marianas. HSC 25 is the Navy's only forward-deployed MH-60S expeditionary squadron.