Category: System Overview

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CMCC Activity Report – January 2025

Making noise, creating visible signals, and wearing bright clothing are among the tips in this handy article to read when you’re packing for a hiking trip.

Want to be really prepared?

Invest in a small 406 PLB transmitter device.

When you’re lost, it sends out a personalized emergency distress signal to a monitored satellite system, which in turn activates a rescue effort via an international network of search-and-rescue organizations, Cospas-Sarsat.

A 406 PLB can make all the difference in a life-and-death situation.

Read more here:
https://red.msudenver.edu/2025/how-to-get-found-if-youre-lost-or-injured-while-hiking/

The four were rescued by a fishing vessel, the US Coast Guard aircrew, and a container ship from waters north of the Dominican Republic.

The men were forced to abandon the sailing vessel after the it reportedly struck a submerged rock and was then overtaken by a wave which caused the vessel to roll on its port side. 

During initial search efforts, watchstanders used the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system which provided vessel profile information and various emergency contacts for the vessel.

This information significantly contributed to search planning efforts and was available due to the vessel Mariposa’s 406 MHz Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon being registered with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Read more here:

https://www.marinelink.com/news/four-rescued-life-raft-atlantic-ocean-521445

and

https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/four-u-s-citizens-rescued-after-sailing-vessel-sinks-in-atlantic-ocean/

During the 2024 Newport to Bermuda race, the sailing vessel Alliance, with nine crew aboard, experienced extensive damage to the hull. As the yacht sank, the crew abandoned ship into a life raft.

The 406 EPIRB carried by the well-equipped vessel and crew helped in the rescue effort.

See https://www.seasofsolutions.com/a-eulogy-for-alliance-the-newport-bermuda-race-incident/ for a great story, and a video from the Alliance’s owners describing the event.

Searchers used direction finding equipment to locate an unregistered ELT in approximately two hours.

For everyone’s safety, aircraft owners are encouraged to properly register their ELTs.

ELT registration provides RCCs with the aircraft owner’s emergency point-of-contact information that can be used to confirm a false alert and mitigate time spent on non-emergency tasks.

To further help prevent future false alerts, the Civil Air Patrol emphasized the importance for aircraft owners to regularly service their beacons and to check that they are turned off when not in use, especially after landing. AKRCC search and rescue personnel recommend that all Alaska aircraft owners register their ELTs at: https://beaconregistration.noaa.gov.

Read more here:

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/489228/aviation-distress-signal-draws-rapid-multi-agency-response-merrill-field-airport

A distress alert from the fishing vessel Tanusha’s 406 EPIRB was received at 9:48 a.m. on 15 January 2025.

The two fishermen onboard abandoned ship when their vessel began taking on water approximately 23 miles southeast of Kodiak.

The crew of the nearby fishing vessel Victory located the Tanusha capsized and two fishermen in a life raft. One crew member showed signs of hypothermia and a head injury.

“The use of a functioning and properly registered EPIRB means quite literally the difference between life and death. In this case, it was our only notification that the crew of Tanusha needed assistance. This highlights the importance of mariners maintaining safety gear aboard their vessels. This and our close partnerships with the Alaska State Troopers and the good Samaritans were invaluable to the success of this rescue.”

Read more and see video footage here:

https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4031830/coast-guard-others-rescue-2-fishermen-near-kodiak-alaska/

The same NOAA satellites that followed the moon’s shadow along the path of the Total Solar Eclipse and tracked Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, also helped rescue 411 people from life-threatening situations in the U.S. and its surrounding waters last year.

NOAA’s polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites are part of the global Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system, or Cospas-Sarsat.

Read more here:

https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-satellites-were-pivotal-in-rescue-of-411-lives-in-2024

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Summary of FMCC activity  – December 2024

After PLB assists in rescue of a tramper with a broken ankle, on Mt Thomas, he vows, “I’ll never tramp without an emergency beacon again, especially when I’m out alone.”

For more details see https://oceansignal.com/survivor-stories/saved-by-a-beacon-how-a-hikers-preparedness-on-mt-thomas-turned-a-crisis-around/

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CMCC Activity Report – December 2024