For five lost hikers, salvation came in the form of a whirling MH-60S Sea Hawk on Monday.
The Sea Hawk spotted the hikers lost for two days in the vicinity of Tarzan Falls in Guam, after getting a call from Coast Guard Sector Guam while a storm was coming in. The Guam Fire Department and Police Department also aided in the search effort.
The Navy helicopter with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 launched at 10:17 p.m. from Andersen Air Force Base and located the hikers an hour later, picking them up and taking them to U.S. Naval Hospital Guam.
“The Independence Day SAR was an illustration of how beneficial it is to have a strong and willing relationship between multiple search units,” Lt. j.g. Walter “Wally” McGann, the co-pilot during the rescue, said in a Joint Region Marianas news release. “Knowing when and how to use each other’s resources can lead to conducting an effective search. Their ability to execute a coordinated effort in demanding conditions was vital to mission accomplishment.”
At the time, Tropical Storm Chan-Hom was moving near the island, bringing winds and heavy rain.
