Harry Blodgett, an 86-year-old sailor, and his dog were stranded at sea for two months after embarking on a 5,000-mile journey from Oregon to Pago Pago.
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The Coast Guard commander who helped rescue the stranded sailor and canine explained that, had it not been for an item purchased by the previous boat owner, Blodgett would likely have died at sea.
U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Jason Nguyen, Southwest District command center chief, told PEOPLE that the emergency position-indicating radio beacon on his vessel helped save Blodgett's life.
"That was incredibly lucky on his part," Nguyen told the outlet, adding, "It was still working. For whatever reason, it went off and we got the alert. And were able to find him."
Nguyen, who coordinated the search and rescue, said that the rescue mission was especially challenging because of the breadth of Blodgett's planned journey.
"This one was particularly difficult for our team. Because you're talking about almost a 4,500-donut mile journey across half the Pacific Ocean," says Nguyen.
Nguyen said that the Coast Guard received a call from Blodgett's friend alerting them that he was bound for Pago Pago but had gone radio silent.
After the call, the Coast Guard sent a message to commercial mariners, the agency's district offices in Honolulu and Seattle, and rescue coordination centers in Fiji and New Zealand to be on the lookout for Blodgett's vessel, the outlet reported.
Coast Guard Rescues Veteran Sailor Stranded in Pacific Ocean
A few days later, on Oct. 27, the Coast Guard received 10 alerts from Blodgett's emergency position-indicating radio beacon.
The Coast Guard then sent aircrew to help locate the vessel, named the Willow Wind.
Nguyen said searchers discovered a vessel roughly 45 minutes into the operation. However, because it was so dark, it was difficult to confirm if it was the Willow Wind.
"We had them fly very low so that if anybody was on board, you would wake them up and they would come out on deck," Nguyen said. "They did that several times. Nobody came outside."
Nguyen said the aircrew ran low on fuel and had to contact a nearby vessel for assistance while it returned to Sacramento.
"The Grand Orion arrived on scene in the morning [of Oct. 28]," Nguyen told PEOPLE. "They ended up getting close and seeing a light. Once they got alongside, they found Harry and his dog alive on the deck of the ship."
"He looked like an 86-year-old man who had been out to sea for almost two months," Nguyen said of Blodgett's physical condition at the time. "I think he was a little banged up. But otherwise in pretty good health. All things considered."
Blodgett explained to the New York Times that he ran out of fuel early in his journey. Despite the bleak circumstances, the sailor said he never became discouraged while stranded at sea.
"I wasn't afraid at all," he told the outlet. "The boat was doing a great job."
