Posted by: rafowell
Concordia Sinks off Brazil: ~40 hrs in rafts - 02/22/10 03:05 AM
As has been said in many forums - even with an EPIRB/PLB, you may have to survive on your own for quite a while before help shows up.
The Concordia, a "tall ship" sailing ship [1] with 48 Canadian teenagers and 16 crew aboard, went from sailing upright in stormy seas to flat on its side in 15-20 seconds [1] and went under 15 minutes later when hit by a "microburst" 340 miles offshore from Brazil[7]. Half the lifeboats were underwater and 2 others were tangled in the rigging[2]. An EPIRB signal went out ca 2:30 PM Wednesday[3], though it seems it was manually rather than automatically activated[4][7]. It was many hours before the Brazilian Navy received the distress signal (reason under investigation) [5][7] at 10 PM local time. The Brazilians tried to radio contact the Concordia and nearby aircraft and ships. After 19 hours without response, 2 Brazilian search planes was dispatched. After another 3 hours, a plane spotted flares from a life raft (at 8 PM local time Thursday)[5],[6]. Merchant ships were vectored to the rafts.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concordia_%28ship%29
[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100220/lt-brazil-ship-capsizes/
[3] http://www.calgaryherald.com/Uncertainty...1963/story.html
[4] http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/artic...in-toronto?bn=1
[5] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022101773.html
[6] http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/19/ns-brazil-ship-sinks-students.html
[7] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/rescued-canadians-dock-in-rio/article1475527/
"They were somewhat cheered when a crew member saw floating in the sea a device that ships in distress use to send signals to satellite. The crew member jumped into the water, retrieved the device and activated it."
The Concordia, a "tall ship" sailing ship [1] with 48 Canadian teenagers and 16 crew aboard, went from sailing upright in stormy seas to flat on its side in 15-20 seconds [1] and went under 15 minutes later when hit by a "microburst" 340 miles offshore from Brazil[7]. Half the lifeboats were underwater and 2 others were tangled in the rigging[2]. An EPIRB signal went out ca 2:30 PM Wednesday[3], though it seems it was manually rather than automatically activated[4][7]. It was many hours before the Brazilian Navy received the distress signal (reason under investigation) [5][7] at 10 PM local time. The Brazilians tried to radio contact the Concordia and nearby aircraft and ships. After 19 hours without response, 2 Brazilian search planes was dispatched. After another 3 hours, a plane spotted flares from a life raft (at 8 PM local time Thursday)[5],[6]. Merchant ships were vectored to the rafts.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concordia_%28ship%29
[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100220/lt-brazil-ship-capsizes/
[3] http://www.calgaryherald.com/Uncertainty...1963/story.html
[4] http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/artic...in-toronto?bn=1
[5] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022101773.html
[6] http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/19/ns-brazil-ship-sinks-students.html
[7] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/rescued-canadians-dock-in-rio/article1475527/
"They were somewhat cheered when a crew member saw floating in the sea a device that ships in distress use to send signals to satellite. The crew member jumped into the water, retrieved the device and activated it."