938/2023 Missing Vessel
09/08/2023
The crew were alerted by Guernsey Coastguard at 1054hrs on 9 August 2023 to search for a vessel.
A 10m fishing vessel with a grey hull and white superstructure had left St Peter Port at 0345hrs that day.
A search area comprising Manche Grid boxes 391 down to 301 was provided by Guernsey Coastguard, and the search was to utilise east / west search legs, with a mean line of advance of 180 degrees.
Visibility on departure was poor, and the aircraft departed runway 27 at 1150hrs in IFR conditions.
Arriving on scene at 1200hrs, the aircraft was subject to an ATC imposed minimum altitude of 1,700ft and the crew were unable to see the surface, other than sporadic small clear patches. The Wescam is unable to penetrate cloud.
Landing in Guernsey at 1225hrs, Coastguard advised that civet had been made with the vessel, which was returning to St Peter Port and the aircraft was stood down.