SEATTLE – Aircraft, boats and cutters conducted an exhaustive search last weekend for a 24-foot recreational boat lost and disoriented in the fog near LaPush, Wash., that cost the Coast Guard more than $100,000.
On Saturday, the master of a 24-foot boat contacted a Clallam County 911 dispatcher via cell phone reporting he was disoriented in the fog and was in need of assistance. The 911 dispatcher contacted the Coast Guard. Due to the rugged and remote terrain of the coastline the cellular phone company was unable to locate the caller’s position.
Although the recreational boat did have a VHF marine radio, and could hear the Coast Guard's urgent marine information broadcast, the radio was not functioning properly -- they could not transmit. A transmitted radio signal could have greatly assisted the Coast Guard in locating the boat's position.
The lack of two-way communications, afforded by working VHF radio, triggered a two-day search that covered 1,366 square miles of ocean. Three 47-foot motor lifeboats, an 87-foot patrol boat, an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, a C-130 Hercules airplane and a Navy P-3 Orion aircraft were all involved in the search.
The extensive search with multiple assets might have been prevented if the boat was equipped with recommended navigational aids and communications gear: a working VHF radio, handheld global positioning device and a nautical chart. It is not normally the policy of the Coast Guard to seek restitution for rescues, but this case illustrates the need for mariners to be fully prepared to operate safely and effectively in any sea or atmospheric condition. Mariners can do their part by carrying more than just the minimum federally required safety gear. Mariners are also encouraged to complete advanced boating skills courses provided by the Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadron.
The Coast Guard is currently in the process of implementing a new communications system called Rescue 21. This advanced system will help the Coast Guard more effectively locate and assist boaters in distress. Once fully implemented, Rescue 21 will help Coast Guard Search and Rescue Coordination Centers receive VHF signals from current maritime radios with better accuracy, helping to take the ‘search’ out of search and rescue.
To learn more about the Coast Guard’s Rescue 21 communication system visit:
http://www.uscg.mil/rescue21/http://....mil/rescue21/
To view a Coast Guard press release about boating safety, click on the following link:
https://www.piersystem.com/logon/ind...cumentID=80119
Extensive search probably preventable
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