U.S. Coast Guard Commissions New Rescue 21 System for Locating and Saving Distressed Boaters
18th January 2006
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.,/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The U.S. Coast Guard
has accepted and activated Rescue 21, a new command, control and
communications system produced by General Dynamics C4 Systems that brings 21st
century technology to its search and rescue mission. Through an advanced
system of integrated wireless communications and location finding features,
Rescue 21 enables the Coast Guard to quickly locate boaters in emergency
situations, even if their “mayday” call is only seconds in length. Rescue 21
is currently installed in regions along the Eastern seaboard (from Manasquan,
N.J., to Belle Haven, Va.). Once fully implemented, it will be the Coast
Guard’s primary system along the 95,000 miles of coastline for which it is
responsible. General Dynamics C4 Systems is a business unit of General
Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
“It’s not only a life-saving maritime safety system to transform the Coast
Guard’s ability to protect boaters and save lives at sea, it’s also a vital
tool to enhance our day-to-day operations,” said U.S. Coast Guard Commandant
Admiral Thomas Collins, who also pointed out that the new system moves the
Coast Guard “a quantum leap forward” in command and control capability.
Rescue 21 improves the Coast Guard’s ability to locate and assist
distressed boaters by integrating digital technology for better direction
finding capability, which improves response time and reliability. It uses
towers along the coastline to increase communications coverage in coastal
areas and improves interoperability with other federal, state and local law
enforcement agencies and with first responders.
“Rescue 21 is a major component the US Coast Guard has needed for a very
long time and is an absolute key aspect of search and rescue as it was
originally intended. As the Coast Guard undertakes a greater role in
protecting our waters and borders, Rescue 21 will significantly contribute to
the success of their homeland security mission,” said Chairman Frank LoBiondo
(NR-2nd/N.J.) of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation.
Rescue 21 will replace the Coast Guard’s aging National Distress and
Response System (NDRS) built during the 1970s. Rescue 21 was officially
commissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard on December 20 at a ceremony at the Coast
Guard Air Station in Atlantic City, N.J. The nationwide rollout to 44
additional regions is slated for completion by 2011.
First Rescue
Maryland resident George Strawn credits the Coast Guard and the new system
for his rescue. The boat in which he and two friends were fishing capsized off
the coast of Ocean City, Md., in November. The boaters were able to send a
mayday call before the boat overturned but Strawn was left clinging to the
side of the boat about three miles outside Ocean City Inlet. Unknown to the
boaters at the time, the Coast Guard was tapping into the advanced direction
finding capability of the Rescue 21 system to access the location coordinates
captured from the mayday call.
“We could see them circling north of us. Then all of a sudden instead of
continuing north, they came directly toward us. They had contacted
Chincoteague (Va.) using Rescue 21 coordinates that sent them straight to us.
So Rescue 21 and some good Coast Guard personnel got me out of the water,”
Strawn said.
About General Dynamics
General Dynamics C4 Systems is a leading integrator of secure
communication and information systems and technology. With more than 11,000
employees worldwide, the company specializes in command and control,
communications networking, space systems, computing and information assurance
for defense, government and select commercial customers in the United States
and abroad.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs
approximately 71,900 people worldwide and had 2004 revenue of $19.2 billion.
The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and
technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions;
shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation. More information
about the company can be found at http://www.generaldynamics.com.