Watch any film about surviving on a deserted island, and they’ll probably draw the letters “SOS” in a big font on the sand. Many people believe the letters stand for “Save Our Souls” or “Save Our Ship,” but in reality, SOS is just a distinctive Morse code sequence that is not an abbreviation for anything.
Anyway, three sailors from Micronesia found themselves stranded on a remote Pacific island recently and did as anyone would do: write SOS in the sand. Fortunately, an Australian and US military aircraft found the three men on tiny Pikelot Island, nearly 200km west of where they’d set off.
Rescuers said they were “in good condition” with no significant injuries. Apparently, the men had been missing for three days after their ship ran out of fuel and strayed off course. Authorities in the US territory of Guam raised the alarm on Saturday after the men failed to complete a 42km trip from Poluwat to Pulap atolls.
On Sunday, a helicopter spotted the giant SOS, close to a small makeshift shelter on the beach, and it landed on the tiny island to give them food and water while checking on their condition, which, as we mentioned, was fine. What a story!
