Five hour sea search (From Western Telegraph)

Five hour sea search

11:35am Friday 15th February 2008 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

A personal alarm sparked a five hour sea search when it was accidentally activated on Thursday.

Coastgaurds picked up a distress signal at 11am, but were initially unable to pinpoint its exact location.

The signal had been activated by an Emergency Position Indicating Beacon (EPIRB).

St David's RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched under the command of coxswain David John, and made a thorough search from Ramsey Island across St Brides Bay to Skomer and Grassholm Islands.

The lifeboat was then joined in the search by a helicopter from RAF Chivenor, which was able to trace the signal to a worker on the jetty in Milford Haven Waterway, who was unaware that his personnel distress beacon had been activated.

The incident was treated as a false alarm, and the lifeboat returned to its station at 4:55pm.