Navy Seaman David W. Phelps, II, son of Neta K. Williams of Van Buren, Ark., and David W. Phelps of Muldrow, and his fellow shipmates on board USS Hue City, homeported in Mayport, Fla., recently rescued five mariners in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia.
The guided-missile cruiser began the search and rescue mission after being directed by the Commander U.S. 5th Fleet to investigate the disappearance of MV Global Island.
The five mariners, including four Kenyans and one Tanzanian, were located in a life raft 45 nautical miles off Somalia's coast, after Global Island sank while enroute to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The cruiser is currently on a routine scheduled deployment in support of the global war on terrorism.
Phelps is a 2002 graduate of Muldrow High School and
joined the Navy in August 2002.