Three Hour Tour

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard rescued three mariners from a remote, uninhabited Pacific island Thursday after a Navy plane spotted palm fronds spelling the word "help" on the sand.

The castaways who constructed the makeshift S.O.S. had been stranded on Fanadik Island for three days, according to the Coast Guard. This island lies about 2,600 miles southwest of Honolulu.

Their small vessel had been swamped by a large wave and the sailors were forced to swim two miles to shore at night, Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooer, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard, told CNN.