Australian and United States military aircraft located three Micronesian sailors stranded on the tiny remote Pikelot Island after spotting their SOS message on a beach. The men were attempting to complete a 42 kilometre (26 miles) trip from the Puluwat atoll to the Pulap atoll, but strayed far off course after their 7 meter-long (23 feet) skiff ran out of fuel. According to American military sources, the three men had been missing for 3 days, and ended up nearly 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of where they set off.

After the SOS message was spotted from the air, an Australian helicopter from the HMAS Canberra landed on Pikelot Island to give the men food, water, and supplies. Australian officials say that the trio will soon be taken home by a Micronesian patrol vessel.

Note: Both photographs used in this article were retrieved from the Australian Department of Defense on August 5th, 2020, at 16:58 local Vancouver time. The first image shows the Australian helicopter landing at Pikelot Island near where the SOS message was built. The second image shows the three Micronesia sailors waving goodbye to Australian military personnel as they wait to be picked up by an incoming Micronesia patrol craft.