US forces rescue man found clinging to cooler lid ten miles out at sea

‘I’m pretty sure that lid is what kept him alive,’ Sergeant Seth Leonard said

US soldiers save a man stranded in the waters off Obi Island, Indonesia (Jam Press/US Marines)

A fisherman was saved by members of the US Army after being found clinging to a plastic cooler lid in the middle of the ocean.

The man was spotted 10 miles from land by a crew member of the 174ft-long USAV Palo Alto, which was heading from Australia to its home port in Japan when he was seen by Sergeant Seth Leonard, Jam Press reported.

Crewmembers pulled the fisherman from the water and gave him dry clothes, food and water.

The crew also used Google Translate to communicate with the man, who was found on 1 September off the western coast of Obi Island, Indonesia.

“I noticed what looked like someone waving their arms, which is the signal for distress in the water,” the sergeant told local news.

“I grabbed my binoculars to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me and that’s when I saw someone about 1.5 miles directly in front of us,” he added.

After being saved, the fisherman was given dry clothes, food, and water (Jam Press/US Marines)

The fisherman had been clinging to a plastic cooler lid for hours after his boat capsized. “It was about the size of a boogie board,” the sergeant added. “I’m pretty sure that lid is what kept him alive.”

An Indonesian navy ship was sent to collect the fisherman, who is now safe at home.