21 MINUTE RESCUE HIGHLIGHTS RESCUE 21 ADVANTAGES

WASHINGTON- The United States Coast Guard rescued three people Sunday afternoon at Ocean City Inlet in Ocean City, Md.

Just after 1 p.m., Sector Field Office Eastern Shore received a "Mayday" call on Channel 16 VHF, stating a fishing vessel was taking on water at the "green can buoy". There were no further transmissions or responses to calls from Coast Guard watch standers at Sector Field Office Eastern Shore. Two Coast Guard vessel crews were dispatched to search the inlet and a helicopter crew prepared to launch and assist in the search. The boaters could not be located.

After an unsuccessful 10-minute search, watch standers tapped into the enhanced direction-finding capabilities of the Rescue 21 system and were able to obtain accurate longitude and latitude readings from the last Mayday call. The data was then relayed to Coast Guard crews. Updated information actually placed the overturned vessel at the Little Gull Bank Buoy, 1.5 miles inside the inlet. A Coast Guard vessel responding to that location found three men on the keel of a capsized 20-foot, gray boat. Despite initial concerns about hypothermia, all three men were found to be in good condition after emerging from 60-degree water.

Within 21 minutes of the distress call, the victims were located, rescued and safely aboard a Coast Guard vessel. This marked improvement in search and rescue technology underscores the increased accuracy and decreased search time offered by the direction-finding capabilities of the Rescue 21 system.

"If it weren’t for Rescue 21, this case could have taken much longer and had a terrible outcome," said Petty Officer 2nd class Jeremy Moore, a watch stander at Sector Eastern Shore. On Sunday, the air temperature was 59 degrees, winds were south-southwest at 17.5 knots and there were four-foot seas at the time of rescue. "The direction finding equipment was accurate and we got the men out of the water quickly," said Moore, who used Rescue 21 equipment for the first time ever. "This is good stuff!"

The successful rescue of three mariners in a greatly reduced search time underscores the benefits of leading edge technology. The Rescue 21 system also provides: