Archive image: U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Ethan McKenzie and Senior Chief Petty Officer Ilima Maiava, two aviation survival technicians (AST) assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu, get hoisted into an MH-65E Dolphin helicopter during SAR training, September 2, 2025.
Coast guard rescue swimmers train vigorously to save lives in any and all types of weather and sea conditions.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Avery Tibbets.
Story by Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir. U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia / Sector Guam
Today, September 10, 2025, marks the first World Search and Rescue Day to commemorate SAR services and their life-saving mission.
In the vast expanse of the Pacific, where Coast Guard operations safeguard homeland security, ensure defense readiness, enforce border control, and uphold territorial integrity, the echoes of a groundbreaking 1982 rescue still guide our major Search and Rescue (SAR) missions.
Just 40 days after the launch of the first COSPAS satellite, a distress signal from a downed aircraft in northern Canada alerted Mission Control Center (MCC) operators, who coordinated Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) teams to save three survivors—the inaugural validation of the COSPAS-SARSAT system’s global lifesaving power.
«U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia personnel, responsible for a 1.9 million square nautical miles search and rescue zone, monitor and respond to emergent search and rescue to ensure the safety of life at sea for all,» said Lt. Cmdr. Derek Wallin, one of Forces Micronesia Sector Guam’s Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators. «This observance underscores the Coast Guard’s commitment to safeguarding maritime interests and security across the Blue Pacific, steadfast in serving our nation’s citizens and mariners.»
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jeadan Andre.
Today, COSPAS-SARSAT technology remains a cornerstone of our tools in the Pacific, where Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) drastically reduce search times, turning hours of uncertainty into swift responses that preserve lives and keep our crews gainfully employed on high-stakes operations. In 2024 alone, it aided in rescuing 411 people across 159 U.S. incidents, with 77 percent in the maritime domain, vital for mariners in distress amid remote waters.
Consider the May 2025 case of the 47-foot vessel Lucky Harvest, disabled by an electrical failure 125 nautical miles west of Guam’s Apra Harbor. At 6:30 a.m. on May 16, the two mariners activated their EPIRB, instantly pinpointing their location via COSPAS-SARSAT satellites after days of searches. U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders at Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam (JRSC Guam) enabled a rapid Coast Guard response: An HC-130J Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point (Hawaii) vectored a U.S. Navy MH-60S Knighthawk aircrew from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25) for the hoist of one mariner, while the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) crew rescued the second mariner and towed the vessel through challenging 15-knot winds and 6-foot seas, ensuring safe arrival at Hagåtña boat basin the following day. This operation not only saved lives but bolstered defense readiness and territorial integrity by showcasing seamless interagency coordination with the Navy, maintaining a robust U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific —a region critical to countering maritime threats and securing national interests— and ensuring operational assets remained mission-ready for homeland security and border control tasks.
Similarly, in July 2024, the Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) crew responded to an Inmarsat C distress alert—an EPIRB variant—from the yacht Black Pearl, stranded 200 nautical miles from the Republic of Palau. The precise signal enabled JRSC watchstanders to guide the Oliver Henry crew directly to the vessel, executing a rapid rescue in a strategically vital region. The Oliver Henry crew towed the 154-foot 497-ton motor yacht back to Palau. The 11-person yacht crew, who reported a locked rudder and flooding in the bilge, was assisted by Oliver Henry’s crew with dewatering and damage control as they headed toward Palau in 25 mph winds and 4 to 6-foot seas. This mission underscored the U.S. Coast Guard’s ability to project power and maintain security and safety in the Pacific through regional patrols, while highlighting the critical role of EPIRBs in shrinking vast search areas into pinpoint targets.
“An EPIRB turns the ocean’s chaos into a clearer path to safety and brings mariners home safely,” said Lt. Ray Cerrato, commanding officer of Cutter Oliver Henry. “In the Pacific’s immense search grid, beacons cut search time reducing risks to our crews and returning them to countering illegal activities and protecting territorial waters sooner.”
Properly registering EPIRBs and PLBs, now more affordable than ever, ensures MCC watchstanders can instantly verify distress signals and contact owners. Registration is free.
On Sept. 10, the anniversary of that first 1982 save, the International COSPAS-SARSAT Program inaugurates Global Search and Rescue Day, honoring MCC and RCC personnel who stand watch, transforming signals into safety and security. From Guam’s harbors to Micronesia’s atolls, their vigilance supports our core priorities, saving an average of 10 lives daily worldwide while fortifying the U.S. maritime borders and approaches.
–USCG–
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