US Navy Rescue Two Women And Their Dogs After Five Months Lost At Sea

Two women and their dogs have been rescued by the US Navy after being lost at sea for five months following an attempt to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti.

Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba, both from Honolulu, were picked up by the USS Ashland after a Taiwanese fishing vessel spotted them 900 miles off course and alerted the US coast guard.

The women, along with their dogs, set sail from Hawaii in the spring but lost their engine in bad weather in late May, so had been using their sails to reach Tahiti.

Two months into their journey, and long past when they originally estimated they would reach Tahiti, they began to issue distress calls.

They continued the calls daily but were not close enough to other vessels or shore stations to receive them. 

US Navy video of the rescue 

On Tuesday they were discovered 900 miles southeast of Japan by a Taiwanese fishing vessel.

Operating near the area on a routine deployment, Ashland made best speed to their location and arrived on Wednesday morning. 

Appel said: 

"I'm grateful for their service to our country. They saved our lives. The pride and smiles we had when we saw [U.S. Navy] on the horizon was pure relief,"

Appel said they survived the situation by bringing water purifiers and over a year's worth of food on board, primarily in the form of dry goods such as oatmeal, pasta and rice. 

Once on Ashland, the mariners were provided with medical assessments, food and berthing arrangements.

They are due to remain on board until Ashland's next port of call.