On Tuesday July 19, at a position northwest of the small town of Calvi, Corsica, France, a 50-foot vessel named OCCITAN suffered a water ingress and began to sink.
The crew sent a MAYDAY call via VHF radio, but no position indication and no clear reason for the distress was received by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Sub-Centre (MRSC) in Ajaccio.
Information from two coast stations receiving the VHF distress call initially allowed MRSC Ajaccio to triangulate the position and define a wide search area.
Two helicopters, DRAGON 2B of the French Civil Security and PUMA SAR of the French Air Force, as well as the rescue boat SNS 062 “MARIUS OLIVERI” of the French SNSM of Calvi were assigned to investigate.
Shortly after, the independent position sent by the EPIRB of the OCCITAN was received by the Cospas-Sarsat System, and transmitted to the SAR assets to facilitate the search operation.
Arriving on the scene, DRAGON 2B quickly winched the two people on board and their dog and transported them to Calvi Hospital. The life raft was then recovered by the rescue boat SNS 062, but the sailboat sank at a depth of 2,600 m.
The distress position information of the 406-MHz beacon was used as valuable supporting data, sending SAR units less than 1.2 NM from the actual position of the sinking vessel, enabling quick and efficient rescue of the crew and their dog.
