Looe RNLI Volunteer Crew Launch to Investigate Man Overboard Alert

At 6pm on Thursday 18th September 2025, pagers sounded for Looe RNLI’s volunteer crew after duty launch authority Brian received a tasking request from Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).

The alert was triggered by an AIS Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) Man Overboard (MOB) signal giving a position 9 miles southeast of Looe. Given the urgency, the crew launched the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Sheila and Dennis Tongue II within eight minutes of the request.

Search at Sea

Making best speed, the crew reached the reported position within 20 minutes. With visibility of around 5 miles and only a slight sea state, nothing was spotted and no other boats were in sight.

Reporting back to Falmouth MRCC, helm David along with crew members Nathaniel, Victoria and Clive began an expanding square search. After 20 minutes and now 2.5 miles out from the initial position, the team requested air support from HM Coastguard helicopter Rescue 924.

As the helicopter arrived, the lifeboat had just completed the first leg of a planned six-leg parallel search. At 7.16pm, both search and rescue assets were stood down when it was confirmed the beacon had malfunctioned.

Cause Revealed

It later transpired that a German warship had been exercising in the area earlier in the day, and the AIS SART beacon on a lifejacket had triggered the false alarm.

The Atlantic 85 returned to station where it was recovered by head launcher Simon and tractor driver Mitch, assisted by shore crew Paul, Mat, Alex, Adam, Goron and Will.

Crew Praised

Commenting afterwards, volunteer helm Dave Jackman and Lifeboat Operations Manager Clive Palfrey both praised crew members Nathaniel and Victoria for the professional way they managed the search patterns.

“AIS SART beacons operate in a different way to Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) and with the good visibility and precise search patterns Clive and David were both confident that if there was a casualty in the water, they would have been spotted and rescued very quickly.”

📷Stock image of the nighttime recovery of the charity’s Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat