Rescue off Mayo Coast.

[Silver]

Rescue

Well done to the Coast Guard crew involved in what was, by all accounts, a difficult rescue in atrocious conditions.


It's a pity that TV3 or RTE (in conjunction with the CG and AC) don't have small cameras mounted on our SAR helis, which would show such dramatic rescues (perhaps live) on tv.
It would make people appreciate the difficult, and brave, work involved in such rescues.

[Thorpe]

This incident proves that the Aer Corps along with the Coast Guard Should have the resources it needs to provide the SAR services this country needs. Ireland has an obligation to provide this as we are a sea bourn country. A ML Heli based in Sligo is what is required operated by the AC.
A very good job by the coast guard in such difficult conditions. It proves how good those people really are.

[Goldie fish]

Coastguard SAR Heli from Shannon were tonight involved in a dramatic rescue from a tanker off the coast..
From RTE Website..

Two crewmen killed as tanker caught in storm

January 28, 2003

(20:12) Two senior ship's officers have been killed and a third was seriously injured on an Argentinian-owned oil tanker which ran into a violent storm off the West coast earlier today.

The tanker, the 65,000 ton Princess Eva, which has a crew of 24, was en route from Denmark to Houston in Texas when it was hit by storm force 10 winds about 200km off the Mayo coast.

It believed the three crewmen were attempting to secure a life-raft on the deck of the vessel when they were struck by a gigantic wave.

The Bosun was was killed instantly; the Chief Officer, who sustained serious head injuries, died just before 5.00pm.

Weather conditions in the area were said to be 'appalling' with wind gusting to more than 60 miles an hour, and waves of over 30 feet.

The Shannon based coastguard helicopter successfully lifted the seriously injured crewman off the tanker to bring him to University College Hospital in Galway.

The tanker is to put into Killybegs in the early hours of the morning, when the bodies will be taken ashore.

I heard earlier that they requested the Tanker to head for Blacksod bay to shorten the Journey for the heli. Its a pity that something like this doesn't make the Teeshirt realise that a Proper total,24 hour all weather SAR service is Vital all around the coast. Token short term measures,which the Coastguard Heli is,will not be sufficient,or practical in the long term. Keep the Coastguard service..but double it up with More modern Air Corps aircraft...If the air corps loose the Long range SAR service..who will train the Coastguard crews? Most of them are ex AC!
Click here to see the Report. :confused: