911 on the high seas: The Coast guard’s rescue 21 system

The Coast Guard's Rescue 21 system was in the early development stages in 1997 when the Morning Dew, a 34-foot sailboat crewed by the owner and his two teenage sons and a nephew, crashed into a jetty at the harbor mouth in Charleston. It was 2:00 am when the accident happened, a mayday call went out, but due to the Coast Guards 1970's era monitoring system and the vessel's radio equipment, the call was never received. All four passengers drowned waiting for help that wasn't coming. This incident brought the urgent need for a new system painfully into focus.

General Dynamics in Scottsdale, AZ. was awarded the $611 million contract for the production, deployment and support of Rescue 21, a modern version of the National Distress and Response System. Rescue 21 will be the nation's maritime "911" system for coastal waters of the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and navigable rivers and lakes within the United States.

Rescue 21 gets its name because it is bringing the Coast Guards monitoring system into the 21st century, a task that is long over due considering the vast amount of vessels, people and square miles of water the Coast Guard is responsible for keeping safe. More than 80 million boaters on 13 million vessels use our waters, the greatest number in our history. Americans are using the waterways for recreation, business and tourism, resulting in more waterways traffic, just like on our roadways, the more traffic, the higher risk of accidents. Annually the Coast Guard conducts 40,000 search and rescue cases and saves 4,000 lives.

If you've seen a new VHF/DSC radio recently, you may have noticed there's a little red button. This button can save your life. If you lift the cover, press the button and hold it for five seconds your radio will tell the Coast Guard's Rescue 21 VHF communication system and every vessel in radio range that's equipped with a digital selective calling (DSC) radio that you need assistance.

This system will also inform the Coast Guard who you are, where you are, and the reason for your distress call. Your radio will automatically repeat the Mayday until it receives a DSC response from the Coast Guard. You will then hear the Coast Guard calling your yacht on channel 16. Since every local DSC radio will be aware of your distress call and your precise position, it's very possible that another vessel may come to your assistance before the Coast Guard even arrives. The rescue 21 system is considered the first 911 service for the seas and is the most substantial improvement in coastal search and rescue since two way radios where invented.

Rescue 21 covers all continental U.S. coastlines (all 95,000 miles of it) up to 20 miles from shore, the Great Lakes and Western rivers as well as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Guam and Alaska.

Nationwide, about $18 million is wasted annually on hoax calls, because the Rescue 21 system identifies the vessel and location of the Mayday it will greatly reduce the number of prank mayday calls.

The deployment for the coastal waters of the continental U.S. was completed in September 2005 with all regions up and running by September 2006. The first life was saved using Rescue 21 system in November 2005.

Having a VHF/DSC radio on your yacht will give you peace of mind that should an emergency arise help is only a little red button away. To read more about the advancement in maritime security that the Rescue 21 systems offer, visit the Coast Guards website: <a TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.uscg.mil/">www.uscg.mil</a>.