Date: Feb. 23, 2009
Contact: Lt. Elizabeth Buendia 671-355-4818 or
671-688-4529

HAGATNA, Guam — The U.S. Coast Guard last night suspended its search for two Chuuk teenage boys who had been missing for more than a week at sea. The active search was suspended Monday night (Guam Standard Time).

The boys were last seen Sunday, Feb. 15, paddling an outrigger canoe between north and south islands of Pulap Atoll, in a lagoon approximately 150 miles west of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. 

The boys were reported missing to Coast Guard Sector Guam at 4:40 p.m. Feb. 18 after Chuuk islanders had already been searching for three days. After notification, Coast Guard Sector Guam immediately coordinated what wound up being an extensive five-day search for the boys and their canoe.

In total, seven aerial searches were flown by a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion long-range aircraft from Kadena Air Base in Japan and a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 long-range aircraft based out of Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Honolulu.

In addition, two "Good Samaritan" vessels, which happened to be in the general vicinity, assisted with the search. They were the 820-foot bulk carrier Brilliant Century and the 420-foot container ship Sasanqua.  These vessels were joined by the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Washington, home-ported in Guam, after it transited nearly 450 miles to reach the search area. 

In total, these rescue assets covered more than 5,900 square nautical miles of ocean, an area 30 times the size of Guam. 

At dusk Friday, the crew aboard the C-130 spotted the boys in a location 128 nautical miles west of their starting point. The C-130 crew dropped a survival kit containing a radio, food, water, and signaling devices, but had to depart the area because the plane was low on fuel.

After the C-130 crew reported the boys' location, Coast Guard Sector Guam diverted the Brilliant Century to the scene. Once there, the crew of the bulk carrier found the canoe with one boy in the water swimming. T

he Brilliant Century's crew tossed a life ring to the boy in the water, but heavy seas and current prevented the boy from reaching it. In the dark, the ship's crew later found the canoe without the boys but filled with water and a strobe light from the survival crew dropped by the C-130's crew.

On-scene weather conditions Friday night were rough, with winds gusting to 20 knots and seas of eight feet or greater. Continued searches by aircraft and vessels on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday did not result in any further sightings of the boys.

"This was quite a difficult and sad case - it was in a remote area with no search and rescue resources nearby and sea conditions were extreme," said Capt. Thomas Sparks, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Guam. "While the Coast Guard C-130 aircraft was able to locate the boys and their canoe Friday night, unfortunately, darkness and deteriorating weather conditions prevented their rescue. Regrettably, they have not been seen again, despite our best efforts over the last three days. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the boys' families and friends."

The Coast Guard reminds mariners in the Marianas and Caroline islands to immediately report overdue mariners to Sector Guam's 24-hour Rescue Sub Center in Guam at 671-564-USCG or via VHF marine band channel 16.

Note:  No imagery is available.  For more information about this news release, please contact Lt. Elizabeth Buendia at Coast Guard Sector Guam at 671-355-4818 or 671-688-4529.

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