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Office of Public Affairs |
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| Feature Release |
Date: July 9, 2009 |
Path to Mayday
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 In this video released by the Coast Guard, six men are rescued off their capsized vessel by a 47-motor lifeboat crew from Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., and an MH-60J rescue helicopter crew from Group/Air Station Astoria, Ore., two miles from the mouth of the In this graphic released by the Coast Guard, Rescue 21 provided direction-finding capability and Digital Selective Calling for more timely response to mariners in distress and allows protected communications for law enforcement and homeland security operations. (Coast Guard graphic/Rescue 21) By Petty Officer 3rd Class Kelly Parker In less than a second an electric current containing a three-second message traveled approximately two miles, across the cold waters of the The signal began its journey from a marine radio tuned to emergency channel-16 in Peacock Spit, an ocean bar just off the southernmost tip of The signal’s journey ended on the monitors of Coast Guard watchrooms along the “Coast Guard, Coast Guard, mayday, mayday!” A crewmember had only enough time to shout those six quick words before the 32-foot vessel he was on, along with five other souls, capsized approximately two miles offshore. The tower watchstander at Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., was briefed on the data contained in the signal. “The only information known was the approximate bearing of the distress call, 266-degrees True off the At that same time an MH-60 rescue helicopter crew from Group/Air Station Astoria, Ore., was inbound to “As our surface and air assets were moving,” said Cmdr. Jeffrey Kotson, Group/Air Station Astoria operations officer, “we plotted that 266, which takes you right over the mouth of the Columbia River and specifically just a little bit north of that. We had the watchstander peer through the big eyes at the tower at Cape Disappointment and told him to look in Clatsop Spit and look in Peacock Spit for any signs of distress.” “It was at this time that I spotted a person standing on a vessel, waving bright orange objects in what appeared to be a signaling motion approximately one nautical mile offshore from Benson Beach,” said Moran. “It was apparent that the vessel was partially capsized at the time and the persons were waving in distress.” All assets involved in the search were immediately diverted to this location to rescue the six Oregon Air National Guardsmen who were clinging to the top of their overturned vessel. "In this case, an uncorrelated mayday, where the radio transmission does not include a position and nature of distress, the Rescue 21 communication system proved extremely valuable." said Kotson. With the new technology of Rescue 21 working alongside the old methods of a lookout, these men were found within minutes in a vast ocean. The six men were brought safely aboard the 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Cape Disappointment with the help of the rescue swimmer from the MH-60 helicopter. A message traveling across marine radio frequency Channel-16 VHF for even a few seconds, will contain more than just a voice message. It will contain lifesaving information that will be passed along to the Guardians who are on their way to help. |
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