Earlier this month, four people with their lives hanging in the balance were hoisted to safety after finding refuge on a nearby NOAA weather buoy when their vessel took on too much water.
Earlier this month, four people with their lives hanging in the balance were hoisted to safety after finding refuge on a nearby NOAA weather buoy when their vessel took on too much water. The survivors used their vessel’s Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)—one of three types of emergency beacons used to transmit distress signals—to alert the Savannah Coast Guard that they were in need of immediate rescue.
“We were familiar with the weather buoy near the location broadcasted and found the overturned vessel in the immediate vicinity," said LT Eric Barnett, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Savannah. "We arrived on the scene less than 50 minutes after they hit the distress button on their EPIRB, which is definitely a testament to the system working as designed," he added.
This rescue was the result of three U.S. Government systems—a weather buoy operated and maintained by NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), EPIRB registration and the swift action taken by the Savannah Coast Guard—coming together seamlessly to save the lives of four people. While this is a remarkable story, these systems individually contribute to the preservation of life every single day.
Continue reading at NOAA.
Image via LTJG Nicholas Litchfield Coast Guard Air Station Savannah.
