A sperm whale struck a 52-foot yacht carrying four sailors in the remote South Pacific, badly damaging the vessel’s hull and steering system. 

The crew issued a distress call and spent hours trying to control the flooding before abandoning the yacht for a life raft.

The sailors later cut the raft’s connection to the yacht because they feared the sinking vessel could pull them underwater.

A New Zealand Air Force patrol aircraft helped coordinate the rescue, and a container ship picked up the four sailors about 18 hours after the collision, CBS News has reported.

All four survived, although their Pacific voyage ended when the damaged yacht sank beneath the waves.