Tag Archives: search and rescue
All the lives lost in shipwrecks off Cornwall since the end of WWII
The history of shipwrecks around our coast is long and tragic but is also a story of immense selfless courage exemplified in none other than the Penlee Lifeboat tragedy. Very few incidents have shaken Cornwall to its core as much as the loss of the lifeboat Solomon Browne on that fateful night on December 19, 1981. With winds at hurricane force 12 gusting to 90 knots, the eight-strong crew of the Solomon Browne put to sea that night in an attempt to rescue the eight people on board the coaster Union Star, which had lost power between Tater-du Lighthouse and Boscawen Point. All lives were lost. A permanent memorial stone to all 16 people who lost their lives that day now stands on the cliff above where the tragedy happened. Below is a list of incidents during which crews or passengers were lost at sea off Cornwall’s coast since the end of the Second World War. More than 130 people died in that period. photos, more, >>click to read<< 10:45
Body recovered by navy divers in search for fisherman off Louth coast
Navy divers recovered the body of the fisherman, who was aboard the ‘Ben Thomas’, a small fishing boat which got into difficulty and began to sink on Tuesday. Around 8.45am Tuesday, a mayday call was received by the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Dublin from the vessel and its two crewmembers in the North Irish Sea. Search and rescue teams were able to retrieve one of the fishermen his crewmate in Tuesday’s search of the Dunany Point to Dundalk Bay area, but the multi-agency operation had to stand down as light faded that evening. more, >>click to read<< 08:23
David Proud honoured for 30 years with Falmouth RNLI
A coastguard turned lifeboat crew member who has helped save many lives over 30 years has been honoured for his long service. Falmouth RNLI volunteer David Proud was recently presented with an RNLI long service medal in recognition of his three decades of service at the station. The medal was presented to him by Falmouth RNLI coxswain Jonathon Blakeston. David’s involvement with search and rescue actually goes back even further, as he joined the Coastguard service in Falmouth in January 1977. This was when it was located in the old lookout, a small square building at Pendennis Point, before the current Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was built. >click to read< 08:40
N.L. asks federal government for ‘immediate’ improvements to Labrador search and rescue
Labrador Affairs Minister Lisa Dempster said Friday the statement was about following up on the 17 recommendations made by the provincial public inquiry into ground search and rescue operations, in its report released in November 2021. “This statement is applying pressure for the federal government to come forward and address some of the gaps that were identified in the inquiry that was just finished,” Dempster said. “We have around 9,000 kilometres of coastline on the island, for example, and we have more than 17,000 kilometres of coastline around Labrador and we have no resources based in Labrador.” >click to read< 14:09
SEA-NL renews call for improved search and rescue for Labrador, federal inquiry into fishing vessel safety
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) joins in the renewed call for more search and rescue resources for Labrador and a federal inquiry into fishing vessel safety — encouraging other stakeholders like the FFAW-Unifor to do the same. “Safety at sea is a life-and-death issue that demands all hands on deck,” says Merv Wiseman, a member of SEA-NL’s board of directors, and an outspoken advocate for search and rescue/fishing vessel safety. “The lives of mariners off Labrador are as important as the lives of mariners off Newfoundland, and search and rescue resources must reflect that.” >click to read< 21:03
From injury to impact: a timeline of the eight critical moments that led up to R116 crash
Shortly after 9.15pm on March 13, 2017, the F/V King’s Cross trawler was on the northern edge of Porcupine Bank when Captain William Buchan told his crew to haul in the net. It was a perfectly normal request of his crew. However, it set off a chain of events so tragic and inconceivable that it still haunts all those involved in the R116 tragedy more than five years later. Fisherman James John Strachan was assigned to one side of the vessel. While attempting to clear a section of netting that had become trapped, his right hand became entangled. Capt Buchan contacted Ian Scott, the Coast Guard radio operator at Malin Head Marine Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC). Mr Scott listened with concern as Capt Buchan detailed his crewman’s condition. Immediately after establishing the vessel’s position, Mr Scott said, “It is within range of our helicopter, and he will come and get your man off the boat.” >click to read< 15:39
Sister of tragic R116 captain Dara Fitzpatrick’s incredible gesture after ‘tough week’ as inquest ends – THE sister of tragic Rescue 116 captain Dara Fitzpatrick has told how she would love to “host a documentary on loss and grief”. Dr Niamh Fitzpatrick said a number of people have contacted her to thank her for talking about loss after the inquest into the horror Rescue 116 crash finished this week. >click to read< 17:53
EPIRBs: Emergency radio beacons coming for small fishing vessels in southern Labrador
The Labrador Fishermen’s Union Shrimp Company is outfitting dozens of vessels between Cartwright and L’Anse au Clair that are under 40 feet and harvesting for them. The move comes less than a year after two fishermen died near Mary’s Harbour and shortly following a Transportation Safety Board report into the loss of the FV Sarah Anne in Placentia Bay. The devices transmit signals to a satellite, which alerts search and rescue services in case of an emergency at sea and allows them to pinpoint the beacon’s location. Linstead said the company’s board brought the idea forward after the fishermen were concerned about recent accidents. > click to read < 13:48
SEA-NL calls for public inquiry into fishing vessel safety, search and rescue
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador is calling for a joint, federal/provincial commission of inquiry into fishing vessel safety, and search and rescue response in this province to investigate why incidents and deaths at sea are on the rise. “There is no greater indictment of serious, systemic problems with fishing vessel safety and search and rescue than the rise in mariner deaths,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s Executive Director. “Fishing is already one of the most dangerous occupations in the world without lax government oversight increasing those risks.” > click to read < 13:30
These guys are having an exceptional New Year after being rescued by a Fishing Trawler
Three Orange Valley fishermen who went missing four days ago have been reunited with their families. On the morning of December 27, Luis Manuel Yirvin, his cousin Gilbert Jesus Milan Mendoza and their captain Ender Emil, left Orange Valley aboard the F/V Simon Peter owned by Richard Mendoza, 2021 to fish in the Grand Boca. When they did not return, relatives informed the authorities, who then began search and rescue efforts. Fellow fishermen aboard a fishing trawler from Orange Valley discovered the three fishermen around 1:30pm yesterday. >click to read< 10:27
Rescue 116: ‘Anger doesn’t get you anywhere’ Father of pilot Dara Fitzpatrick shares frustration
The father of tragic pilot Dara Fitzpatrick has shared his frustration following the final report on the fatal Rescue 116 crash. The report outlined the series of failures which caused an Irish Coast Guard helicopter to smash into a Co Mayo island before plunging into the sea in March 2017. Captain Dara Fitpzatrick and three other crew members, Captain Mark Duffy, operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciarán Smith died in the early hours of 14 March 2017 when on a rescue mission. Captain Fitzpatrick and Captain Duffy’s bodies were recovered but Ormsby and Smith remain lost at sea. >click to read< – Rescue 116: From responding to a call about a minor fishing accident to utter devastation – >click to read< 09:01
Samaritans, U.S.C.G. rescue fishing boat captain from ‘communications dead zone’ near Sitka
A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka medevaced a man in cardiac distress from a fishing vessel in West Crawfish Inlet on Aug. 19. Watchstanders in Sitka received a call around 1:30 p.m. from the F/V Minke. Crew from the Minke relayed that the 68-year-old captain of another boat, the F/V Lady Cyprus, was experiencing a possible heart attack. West Crawfish Inlet is around 16 miles south of Sitka. Due to the surrounding high terrain, the inlet is considered a “communication dead zone,” and crew from the Lady Cyprus were unable to contact the Coast Guard themselves. >click to read< 14:50
F/V Blue Wave: Investigation continues into overboard New Bedford scalloper
A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said there are no additional updates since the agency announced last week it was suspending its search for a 36-year-old man who went overboard a commercial fishing vessel off the coast of Nantucket. The Coast Guard suspended its search and rescue operations on Aug. 17 for a crew member of Blue Wave, a scalloping vessel out of New Bedford owned by Blue Harvest Fisheries. Coast Guard Petty Officer Emma Fliszar said while the agency is normally allowed to release the names of people who are missing, injured or killed, the family of the crew member requested the agency not release the name. >click to read< 08:01
U.S. Coast Guard searching for fisherman missing from F/V Blue Wave off Nantucket
A 36-year-old fisherman went missing from a fishing boat about 70 miles off the coast of Nantucket late Sunday night, and a search effort is ongoing, officials said. Crewmen on the fishing boat Blue Wave called the Coast Guard at around 11:20 p.m. Sunday to report the fisherman missing, Petty Officer Ryan Noel said. The fishermen said the man was woken up for his nighttime watch, but never reported for duty. >Click to read< 14:20, to be updated as we get more information.
Retiring rescue helicopter paramedic Doug Flett recalls life on the frontline
The call came at midnight. An emergency beacon had been activated. That was all intensive care paramedic Doug Flett, pilot Graeme Gale, co-pilot Mike Reed and Search And Rescue’s Brian Benn knew as their helicopter ascended into the darkness at Taieri Airfield. Who, why, where – they did not have a clue. “We picked up the beacon not long after lifting off and tracked it heading north towards the coast,” Flett recalls of that May, 2003, night. Back then, the National Rescue Co-ordination Centre was a Monday to Friday, daytime operation. After-hours jobs were run from the on-duty staffer’s home using a briefcase and a cellphone. On this occasion, things did not go well. >click to read< 08:59
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter forced to abandon a maritime rescue mission is back in operation
The Sikorsky S-92 aircraft was evacuating an injured fisherman from a trawler off the coast of Kerry when a warning light appeared in the cockpit. It was forced to reroute immediately to the closest landing spot, at Valentia coast guard station, leaving its winchman and the fisherman aboard the boat. They were later picked up by another coastguard helicopter from Waterford. The incident started early on Sunday morning when the coastguard was responding to a distress call,,, >click to read< 11:55
Ireland has a helicopter problem. Coast Guard leaves winch operator with injured fisherman at sea
An Irish Coast Guard helicopter was forced to leave a crew member and an injured fisherman on a trawler off the coast of Kerry on Sunday after encountering mechanical trouble. The Air Corps put its aircraft on standby amid fears Rescue 115, a Sikorsky S92 helicopter, would have to ditch in the sea on its way back to base. The S92 was the same helicopter model involved in the Rescue 116 disaster in 2017, which resulted in the deaths of the four crew members aboard. >click to read< 08:38
A fundraiser is established for a memorial to remember fishermen who died off Newhaven coast
The family of a fisherman who tragically died when his ship sank off the coast of Newhaven are raising funds for a new memorial to remember those lost at sea. Robert Morley and Adam Harper lost their lives after their boat, the F/V Joanna C, sank in November last year. Captain Dave Bickerstaff was pulled from the water by lifeboat crews, after he was found holding on to a lifebuoy almost four hours after the tragedy. Now, months after Robert Morley was laid to rest, his family are fundraising for a memorial to placed in the harbour to remember those who have lost their lives at sea. photos, >click to read< Memorial for our lost fisherman – Thanks to everyone for donating and sharing, we are receiving amazing support this is obviously close to our hearts as it is to Adams and Darren’s families , this memorial will also stand as a tribute to all fishermen and women a memorial for Newhaven is long overdue, >click to read, and please donate if you can< 07:49
Wife of St. Lawrence fisherman killed at sea in May says recovery system ‘badly broken’
A lobby group demanding improved search and rescue oversight in Newfoundland and Labrador wants a say in the newly-launched provincial inquiry on the matter,,, Concerned Citizens for Search and Rescue, led by Merv Wiseman and founded in August, wants to shape the terms of reference for the inquiry into ground search and rescue services, launched Jan. 14 nine years after the death of its catalyst, Burton Winters. “There’s no oversight for search and rescue,” said Wiseman at a press conference Monday. The group also wants official standing at that inquiry, Melissa Mayo-Norman lost her husband, Scott, last year when a four-man crew was lost on a fishing vessel off St. Lawrence. She sat beside Wiseman and voiced her support for the group’s efforts. >click to read< 08:42
F/V Joanna C: Search for two missing Brixham fishermen is called off
HM Coastguard has confirmed that the search operation was called off this afternoon, November 22, at 2.30pm. The search began at 6am on November 21, when HM Coastguard received an EPIRB alert located three nautical miles off the coast at Seaford near Newhaven, from the EPIRB (emergency beacon) from the vessel. No further official information has been provided about the missing men who were on a 45 foot scalloping vessel, Joanna C sank when it sank off Newhaven in East Sussex yesterday. >click to read< 07:27 Former fisherman Tony Rowe, 40, of Brixham, was shocked to not only hear of the news but to discover the boat was one has previously owned, and has started a gofundme page, >click to donate< Prayers and wishes pour in for Brixham fishermen – >click to read<, Two day search for two fisherman missing at sea is called off after their ‘scallop wars’ boat sank off the Sussex coast – >click to read<
Distraught mum of missing ‘scallop wars’ fisherman desperate ‘for sea to give him back’ after ‘freak wave’ sank boat
HM Coastguard vessels, helicopters and RNLI lifeboats were scrambled around 6am after the F/V Joanna C sent an EPIRB alert,,, Huge searches have launched again today in a bid to find Mr. Morley and Adam Harper, 26. It’s claimed that Mr. Harper stayed with the stricken boat because he can’t swim. A third man, skipper Dave Bickerstaff, 34, was rescued from the water off East Sussex after the 45ft scallop vessel overturned. He was found holding onto a lifebuoy almost four hours after the tragedy off the coast of Seaford, near Newhaven. Mr Morley’s devastated mum Jackie Woolford says her son is believed to have lost hold of a safety ring he’d been clinging to with his friend.,,, The Joanna C was previously involved in the scallop wars, a long-standing dispute between Brit and French fishermen. >photos, video, Click to read< 15:45
Search for missing fishermen off Sussex coast resumes
A major rescue effort began off Seaford, near Newhaven, on Saturday when the coastguard received an emergency alert at about 06:00 GMT. One crew member was found clinging to a buoy and taken to hospital. Two crew members from the boat, the Joanna C, remain missing. The search for them was suspended at 23:00 and resumed at first light this morning. The emergency signal put the 45ft scalloping vessel, registered in Brixham, about three nautical miles off the coast. Throughout Saturday a number of vessels, including local fishing boats, took part in the search. >click to read< 06:45
EPIRB Alert: One fisherman rescued as frantic search for two fishermen is underway after boat sinks off Newhaven
Fishing boat Joanna C sank at about 6am this morning off Newhaven in East Sussex with three crew members on board. One man was rescued from the water by Newhaven lifeboat after he was found clinging to a lifebuoy. He has been transferred to hospital for treatment. However the search continues across the south coast for the two other missing fishermen. The search began at 6am this morning, when HM Coastguard received an EPIRB alert located three nautical miles off the coast at Seaford near Newhaven, from the vessel’s emergency beacon. The>fishing vessel Joanna C is a 45 foot scalloping vessel< registered in Brixham and three people were on board at the time of the sinking. >click to read< 07:08
Fisherman suffering a heart attack refused to be airlifted from trawler twice! They got him.
An Irish Coast Guard helicopter was sent to meet a fishing trawler three times before they could eventually airlift a seriously ill crew member to hospital. The fisherman suffered a heart attack on board a French fishing vessel off the Clare coast but refused twice to be airlifted to hospital. The drama began at around 4.30pm yesterday when the Irish Coast Guard was requested to assist the captain of a 98-foot French fishing vessel who had reported that a crew member had suffered a heart attack. >click to read<16:10
SAR resources will be in place for lobster season opening in southwest Nova Scotia
A full complement of Search and Rescue (SAR) resources will be on the water and standing by when the commercial lobster fishery in LFAs 33 and 34 opens. “We’re in the business of planning for the worst and hoping for the best,” said Marc Ouellette, Canadian Coast Guard Regional Supervisor for Maritime Search and Rescue at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Halifax.,, Ouellette said there’s a strategy in place for the opening of the LFA 33 and 34 fishery, which is repeated every year without too much modification and is based on the amount of marine traffic and the risk identified through studies of what is high risk for SAR coverage. >click to read<10:21
3 crew members rescued as Search and Rescue mission underway for fishing boat captain off Canso
A search and rescue mission is underway about four kilometres southeast of Canso, N.S., to find the captain of a fishing vessel that ran aground on rocks. The military’s Joint Task Force Atlantic said it received a distress call from the vessel at 11 p.m. Tuesday. Three of the four crew members were rescued when another fishing boat came to help, but the fourth person — the captain — stayed on the stranded vessel. There has been no communication with the captain since. >click to read< 23:32
FISH-NL commends Ottawa on new lifeboat stations, but search-and-rescue helicopters still work banker’s hours
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) says Ottawa’s commitment to new lifeboat stations in this province is commendable, but it’s not the No. 1 search-and-rescue issue facing mariners “The Canadian military’s Gander-based, search-and-rescue Cormorant helicopters are the fastest form of rescue and they still operate on banker’s hours,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “A lifeboat won’t cut it when the survival time in the North Atlantic — in the absence of a survival suit — is measured in minutes.” click to read the press release 18:28
Coast Guard: Russia and U.S. Working Well Together in the Bering Sea, Arctic
Unlike other parts of the world, the U.S. and Russia work well together in the Bering Sea and the Arctic. The pair is enforcing fishing regulations and other laws, conducting search and rescue operations. Moscow and Washington are sending the International Maritime Organization a joint recommendation for safe shipping routes through northern waters, the head of the U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska said on Wednesday. “We see the relationship with Russia [in the Arctic] as a bright spot,” said Rear Adm. Michael McAllister,,, click here to read the story 16:10
Optimism heading into the 2017 lobster season off southwestern Nova Scotia – Search and Rescue is Ready!
While many factors can come into play before an opening shore price is determined in the commercial lobster fishery, there is reason for optimism going into this season. In the Upper Bay of Fundy in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 35, where the season opened on Oct. 14, there are reports of strong landings and a solid shore price of $6.50. The Canadian dollar was trading at less than 80 cents with its American counterpart in October, which is always good news for Canadian exporters. click here to read the story 08:35
SAR assets lined up for lobster dumping day off southwestern Nova Scotia-Inshore and offshore Search and Rescue (SAR) platforms will already be on the fishing grounds and in position when lobster fishermen in LFAs 33 and 34 head out to set their traps on dumping day. click here to read the story
A Sad Update: Fishermen found clinging to capsized boat after major search and rescue operation
Fishermen have been found clinging to the hull of an upturned boat after a major search and rescue operation was launched last night. Three lifeboats and a rescue helicopter were launched on Tuesday evening in a search for an overdue commercial fishing vessel. The RNLI lifeboats from Plymouth, Salcombe and Looe were joined by the coastguard rescue helicopter from Newquay in the search which began at about 10pm.,,, Fishing boat FV Solstice was reported missing having sailed from Plymouth. click here to read the story 11:46
Man dies as fishing boat capsizes off Devon coast – A fisherman who went missing after his boat capsized off the Devon coast has died, investigators have confirmed. His body was recovered from the Solstice after two men clinging to the hull were rescued, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said. sadly, click here to read the story 20:13
Flying Wild Alaska – Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak
Air Station Kodiak, Alaska is a place that many may have seen on television and in movies. Air Station Kodiak has featured regularly in the Weather Channel show Coast Guard Alaska over the last several years, and was also a central focus for the movie “The Guardian” starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher. But to those assigned Air Station Kodiak, it is much more. The true beauty of Alaska, or Kodiak island specifically, is hard to explain. Yet to some, the Coast Guard Air Station, it’s aircraft, rescue swimmers and pilots, are often the last bastion of hope for many that call the Kodiak area, the Aleusian islands that head southwest in a chain that stretches towards Russia or many of the other isolated Alaskan wilderness inside the massive service area covered by Coast Guard Air Station Alaska home. continue reading the story here 09:04
