Use DSC radio to help us locate and rescue you even more quickly


The UK Coastguard was able to locate and send rescue resources to a fishing vessel, which was on fire with seven people on board, within just a few minutes this evening, thanks to a DSC alert. The vessel, which was about 13 miles south-east of the Isle of Man, broadcast a DSC distress alert, which allowed the UK Coastguard to locate the vessel within moments and send the Douglas RNLI Lifeboat and a Coastguard helicopter to assist. Other merchant vessels also in the area responded and offered to help. A mayday message was also broadcast following the DSC distress alert.

 

The crew of the fishing vessel were able to get the fire under control and the vessel is now making its way back into Douglas Harbour under escort by the Douglas Lifeboat.

 

Dawn Petrie, for the UK Coastguard said:

 

“Thanks to the swift and correct use of the DSC radio on board the vessel we were able to get rescue resources to the crew very quickly whilst they worked to tackle the fire. All seven crew are safe and well. This is the second incident this week where correct use of the DSC radio has helped us to locate and send resources to people in distress. Last Saturday a single-handed sailor broadcast a DSC distress alert as he had become exhausted and needed assistance whilst sailing off the west coast of Scotland. This time we requested the Campbeltown RNLI Lifeboat to assist along with the Campbeltown and Southend Coastguard Rescue Teams. The sailor was located very quickly and brought back to Campbeltown by lifeboat.

 

“Having a DSC radio on board and knowing how to use it could save your life. If you use it correctly we will be able to locate you within moments and get the right rescue resources on their way within minutes.”

Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua
Read more

A short history of HM Coastguard

Image
Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p
Read more

BOSCASTLE FLOODS: TEN YEARS ON

Image
Boscastle Flooding 16 th August 2004 The storms of Monday 16 August 2004 saw three weeks worth of rain fall in one day. The resulting water began to be funnelled down the valleys surrounding Boscastle and soon the steep roads became rivers. By the time that the water reached the picturesque village, it had picked up enough momentum to become a raging torrent, sweeping into buildings, washing cars away and felling huge trees. Graham King runs the Witches Museum in Boscastle and was also the station officer for the Boscastle Coastguard Rescue Team at the time of the floods: “ My museum is situated next to the harbour near the river ,” says Graham “ and I can see the coastguard equipment store from there. Initially I was concerned that the vehicle and equipment were going to become stranded but I soon began to realise how quickly the situation was deteriorating and called Falmouth Coastguard ” From that point on the villagers and tourists stranded in flood waters were he
Read more