Friday, October 18, 2013

USS SAN ANTONIO AIDS RESCUE OF 128 MEN AFTER CALL FOR HELP FROM MALTESE GOVERNMENT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
USS San Antonio Aids in Rescue of 128 From Raft
Navy News Service

NAPLES, Italy, Oct. 17, 2013 - The amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio transferred 128 men to a Maltese offshore patrol vessel today after responding yesterday to a call for help from the Maltese government.

A Maltese patrol aircraft spotted a raft being rocked by winds and seas yesterday in the Mediterranean Sea. The Maltese government contacted several ships in the area and the U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered here, and requested help in rescuing the 128 men aboard the raft.

The San Antonio was a little more than 60 nautical miles away when directed to assist, and the ship's sailors transferred the men from their raft, using two 11-man, rigid-hull inflatable boats. The crew then provided them with food, water, medical attention and shelter until they were transferred to the Maltese vessel.

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