A Hawaiian fisherman who was given up for dead has said that the 12 days he spent eating raw fish and being battered by 20 foot waves were worth it, because it led to him being reunited with his long lost son. After an extensive four day search for Ron Ingraham, 67, Coastguard officials called off the hunt and notified his estranged 43-year-old son Zakary, that his father was unlikely to be found alive. But the resourceful fisherman defied the odds to be rescued after 12 days at sea and now the pair are planning an emotional reunion after more than 15 years apart. Scroll down for video . Ron Ingraham was given up for dead by coastguard officials but the 67-year-old managed to survive for 12 days at sea after his boat lost power in a storm near his home on Hawaii's Molokai island. After he was rescued he said the ordeal was worthwhile because it had reunited him with his long lost son . Ingraham, pictured in the beige shirt, managed to survive by catching and eating raw tuna and mahi mahi. He put out a mayday alert after his 25-foot vessel was pummeled by a storm and lost power . After four fruitless days, the Hawaiian coastguard called off the search and notified Ron Ingraham's son Zakary that his father was likely lost to the sea. Zakary who lives hundreds of miles away in Missouri had not spoken to his father since the mid 1990s . 'I got a hold of my son, so that's really huge,' Ron tearfully told reporters. 'That's a beautiful, beautiful part to this whole thing. It's all I can do to stop from crying, thinking about the whole thing.' Sailing from his home on the island of Molokai to the Lanai, where he often goes fishing, Ingraham was pummeled by a huge storm which knocked out the engine on his boat. After receiving his November 27 mayday saying he was in danger of sinking, the Hawaiian Coast Guard began hunting for his 25-foot vessel. Finding no sign of the craft they told Zakary, who lived hundreds of miles away in St Joseph, Missouri, that his father was likely lost to the sea. The news hit him hard as the pair had lost contact around 15 years earlier, but he didn't want to believe his father was gone. Meanwhile, his fisherman father was fighting to stay alive, by eating raw tuna and mahi mahi fish he caught in the ocean. In a last gasp attempt to get rescued Ingraham put a wire coat hanger into his radio. His antennae had been damaged by the storm. Amazingly he managed to get a signal, which led to him being rescued by a US Navy destroyer . After he was rescued, Ingraham spoke to his son for the first time in more than 15-years. The pair are now planning a reunion . He too, was thinking about the broken relationship with his son, who had moved away from Molokai with his mother, aged seven. Both had since tried and failed to make contact. 'I lived off the moisture off the fish I caught,' Ingraham said. 'Mentally, physically and spiritually, I got my butt kicked.' Eventually he got weak and assumed he would die. 'I thought this was it,' he said, adding that friends had planned his funeral. But in a last gasp attempt to make contact, a weakened Ingraham stuck a wire coat hanger into his radio, which had lost its antenna to the storm. Amazingly he managed to get off a garbled transmission that led to him being found a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, the USS Paul Hamilton. 'I look out the door, and there's a battleship doing 38 knots coming right at me,' he recalled. After bringing him aboard crew members wanted to let his battered boat go, but Ingraham who lives on the vessel begged them not to. Eventually they coordinated with the Coast Guard to have the boat towed to Molokai. 'I want to put out a special thanks to that captain and that crew,' Ron Ingraham said. 'These guys were so professional. They saved my life.' After arriving on dry land he spoke to his son for the first time since the mid 1990s. He did not say when they plan to meet.
Ron Ingraham's 25-foot boat lost power after it was pummeled by a storm .
He put out a mayday and the Hawaiian Coastguard searched for four days .
After failing to find him they notified his estranged son Zakary .
The pair had not spoken for around 15 years .
Amazingly Ron survived by eating raw fish .
Using a wire coathanger in his radio he managed to get a signal .
He was rescued by a US Navy destroyer .
A Hawaiian fisherman who was given up for dead has said that the 12 days he spent eating raw fish and being battered by 20 foot waves were worth it, because it led to him being reunited with his long lost son. After an extensive four day search for Ron Ingraham, 67, Coastguard officials called off the hunt and notified his estranged 43-year-old son Zakary, that his father was unlikely to be found alive. But the resourceful fisherman defied the odds to be rescued after 12 days at sea and now the pair are planning an emotional reunion after more than 15 years apart. Scroll down for video . Ron Ingraham was given up for dead by coastguard officials but the 67-year-old managed to survive for 12 days at sea after his boat lost power in a storm near his home on Hawaii's Molokai island. After he was rescued he said the ordeal was worthwhile because it had reunited him with his long lost son . Ingraham, pictured in the beige shirt, managed to survive by catching and eating raw tuna and mahi mahi. He put out a mayday alert after his 25-foot vessel was pummeled by a storm and lost power . After four fruitless days, the Hawaiian coastguard called off the search and notified Ron Ingraham's son Zakary that his father was likely lost to the sea. Zakary who lives hundreds of miles away in Missouri had not spoken to his father since the mid 1990s . 'I got a hold of my son, so that's really huge,' Ron tearfully told reporters. 'That's a beautiful, beautiful part to this whole thing. It's all I can do to stop from crying, thinking about the whole thing.' Sailing from his home on the island of Molokai to the Lanai, where he often goes fishing, Ingraham was pummeled by a huge storm which knocked out the engine on his boat. After receiving his November 27 mayday saying he was in danger of sinking, the Hawaiian Coast Guard began hunting for his 25-foot vessel. Finding no sign of the craft they told Zakary, who lived hundreds of miles away in St Joseph, Missouri, that his father was likely lost to the sea. The news hit him hard as the pair had lost contact around 15 years earlier, but he didn't want to believe his father was gone. Meanwhile, his fisherman father was fighting to stay alive, by eating raw tuna and mahi mahi fish he caught in the ocean. In a last gasp attempt to get rescued Ingraham put a wire coat hanger into his radio. His antennae had been damaged by the storm. Amazingly he managed to get a signal, which led to him being rescued by a US Navy destroyer . After he was rescued, Ingraham spoke to his son for the first time in more than 15-years. The pair are now planning a reunion . He too, was thinking about the broken relationship with his son, who had moved away from Molokai with his mother, aged seven. Both had since tried and failed to make contact. 'I lived off the moisture off the fish I caught,' Ingraham said. 'Mentally, physically and spiritually, I got my butt kicked.' Eventually he got weak and assumed he would die. 'I thought this was it,' he said, adding that friends had planned his funeral. But in a last gasp attempt to make contact, a weakened Ingraham stuck a wire coat hanger into his radio, which had lost its antenna to the storm. Amazingly he managed to get off a garbled transmission that led to him being found a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, the USS Paul Hamilton. 'I look out the door, and there's a battleship doing 38 knots coming right at me,' he recalled. After bringing him aboard crew members wanted to let his battered boat go, but Ingraham who lives on the vessel begged them not to. Eventually they coordinated with the Coast Guard to have the boat towed to Molokai. 'I want to put out a special thanks to that captain and that crew,' Ron Ingraham said. 'These guys were so professional. They saved my life.' After arriving on dry land he spoke to his son for the first time since the mid 1990s. He did not say when they plan to meet.
said that the 12 days he spent eating raw fish off the hunt and notified his estranged after his boat lost power in a storm near his mahi. He put out a mayday alert after his 25-foot vessel was pummeled by a storm and lost power . After four fruitless days, the Hawaiian Ingraham's son Zakary that his father was likely miles away in Missouri had not spoken to his him hard as the pair had lost contact around 15 by a US Navy destroyer . After he was rescued, antenna to the storm. Amazingly he managed to get