Coast Guard rescues woman, child, and pets from sailboat off course near Honolulu

The U.S. Coast Guard said a 47-year-old woman, her 7-year-old daughter, a pet cat, and a tortoise had to be rescued from a sailboat that went off course due to weather near the shore of Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 26.

Officials said they received a distress alert from the French-flagged vessel Albroch on Saturday, while it was positioned 925 miles east of Honolulu.

They then dispatched a HC-130 Hercules airplane and its crew to the location. They found the woman and her young daughter onboard the vessel. 

A deceased male was also on the ship. 

Also dispatched to the location was the USS William P. Lawrence and a nearby liquid petroleum gas tanker, and the Seri Emperor.

The Seri Emperor reached the location first but wasn't able to rescue the two sailors because of bad weather, the Coast Guard said. 

The USS William P. Lawrence then on Monday morning and managed to rescue the woman, her daughter, a cat, and a tortoise.

The deceased male was not recovered due to bad weather. 

The sailboat remains adrift approximately 1,000 miles east of Honolulu, the USCG said.