US Coast Guard Rescues Family of 3 Missing Off Micronesia

The family was traveling from Fananu Island to nearby Murillo Island. They departed on March 30 on a 23-foot, single-engine outboard skiff, and then, at some point, the skiff's engine failed and the family was left stranded.

John Rigolizzo

Published: 4/7/2026, 11:26:46 PM EDT

US Coast Guard Rescues Family of 3 Missing Off Micronesia — A U.S. Coast Guard ship in a file photo. (Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)

The United States Coast Guard rescued a family of three that had had been missing for more than one week in the waters off Micronesia on Easter Sunday.

The cutter USCGC Midgett encountered a small boat off the coast of Fananu Island in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The family of three had been stranded at sea for a week when their boat engine failed.

“Our U.S. Coast Guard colleagues’ swift and courageous actions in this successful search and rescue mission not only reflect the highest standards of professionalism and humanity but also reinforce the deep and enduring partnership between the United States and the Federated States of Micronesia,” Jennifer Johnson, U.S. Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, said in a statement on the Coast Guard website.

“This mission exemplifies the spirit of cooperation and mutual support at the heart of the Compact of Free Association, underscoring how our close relations translate into real, life-saving outcomes for our people.”

The Midgett is on a regional patrol in the Indo-Pacific under the auspices of Navy Destroyer Squadron 15 and the U.S. 7th fleet.

Authorities from the FSM and the U.S. Embassy reported the family missing to the crew on April 6. The ship was diverted after two law enforcement officials from the FSM boarded the ship approximately 200 nautical miles south of Fananu Island.

Coordinated Search and Rescue

Watchstanders from the U.S. Coast Guard Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam at U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam developed search-and-rescue patterns, in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard District Oceania and Naval Air Station Barbers Point.

An HC-130 Hercules search-and-rescue aircraft was dispatched to provide air support, along with a second cutter, USCGC Frederick Hatch, from Guam. The search area encompassed an area of more than 14,000 square nautical miles in rough seas, with waves reaching 10 feet high.

At night, the Midgett sighted a small boat carrying the missing family. The Coast Guard posted pictures of the rescue to X, showing a ship's spotlight shining on the skiff the family was sailing in. They recovered two men and one woman, all alive and uninjured. The family was returned to the city of Weno to be transported back to Fananu Island.

"National Security Cutter crews spend most of their time executing maritime law enforcement missions, often with our international partners,” said USCGC Midgett commanding officer Capt. Brian Whisler. “SAR cases like this one are not routine for our platform. Our bridge watchstanders spotted the small skiff in rough seas just after midnight, and that kind of situational awareness does not happen by accident. It is what this crew trains for, and I could not be prouder of how they performed."

Micronesia is a small island nation roughly 1,200 miles north of Papua New Guinea, and 1,000 miles southeast of the U.S. territory of Guam.

The USCGC Midgett was named after Chief Warrant Officer John Allen Midgett Jr., a hero of World War I who led a rescue mission that saved 42 crew members of a British tanker torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of North Carolina.