U.S. Navy Supply Ship Starts 2026 by Rescuing Adrift Filipino Fishermen
The crew of a U.S. Navy supply ship started 2026 on a high note as they rescued three Filipino fishermen who had been adrift at sea for five days. They earned the tanks of the Philippine government, which highlighted the value of close cooperation.
On January 1, 2026, the crew aboard the dry cargo ship USNS Cesar Chavez, a Lewis and Clark-class provision ship supporting the U.S. Navy, located the fishermen clinging to the wreckage of their boat in the South China Sea. U.S. commanders reported that the three fishermen had been surviving on rationed food and water since December 28, when their fishing vessel flooded and started to drift.
The Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement that upon spotting the distressed vessel, watch standers immediately notified the bridge, prompting the ship to launch a rigid-hulled inflatable boat that went on to recover the fishermen.
The three individuals, later identified as Philippines citizens, were brought aboard Cesar Chavez and evaluated by the ship’s medical staff. Philippine authorities were notified, and they arranged to transfer the three men to a Philippine Coast Guard vessel to be returned home.
The Philippine Coast Guard reports its investigation revealed that while returning from a fishing venture, the three men encountered engine trouble and were struck by strong waves, causing their motorbanca to submerge. It said the fisherfolk were sighted clinging to their submerged motorbanca, which was tied to a payao (a float used for fishing).
The rescue occurred while Cesar Chavez was conducting routine logistics and resupply missions in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet.
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Launched in 2021 and named after the famous American civil rights leader and Navy veteran Cesar Chavez, the 210-meter ship has a cargo capacity of more than 10,000 tonnes with its primary mission being the delivery of food, ammunition, fuel, and other provisions to combat ships at sea.
In August last year, the ship made headlines following revelations that the U.S. federal government was considering removing the name of the activist from the ship. Cesar Chavez served in the Navy from 1946 to 1948 and was an American farmworker and labor leader who co-founded what today is the United Farm Workers labor union. Protests and lobbying succeeded in getting the government to abandon the plans, stating that Cesar Chavez will keep her name in order to keep honoring the name and legacy of the famed activist. The protests came as the U.S. Navy ordered the remaining of one of her sister ships, the USNS Harvey Milk, now known as the USNS Oscar V. Peterson.