Navy, Coast Guard Rescue Stranded Mariners

The Guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, along with the Coast Guard, saved four stranded mariners during routine Navy training exercises off San Clemente.

"The United States Navy always stands ready to provide assistance," Cmdr. David Oden, the U.S.S. Benfold's commanding officer, told the Navy News. "It was our privilege to help these seamen."

The article on Military.com reports:

Benfold initially detected the small fishing craft using the ship's state-of-the-art optical sight system. The ship deployed a rigid-hull inflatable boat with engineers and medical personnel aboard to assess the condition of the vessel and crew, as well as render assistance. A helicopter assigned to the "Wildcards" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 provided aerial support during the assistance operation.

Read the rest of the article here.