RNZAF Orion
- finds Cook Islands’ castaways
The crew of a Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion aircraft found four men marooned on Manuae Island (near Aitutaki) in the Cook Islands after they had been reported missing for five days. The 12 m longline fishing vessel “Gypsy Trader” left Rarotonga on the 5 May and was due back 9 May.
Rescued
The alarm was raised when a crew member’s wife contacted Cook Island authorities when they did not return or make contact. Cook Islands authorities found no trace of the vessel. The authorities then contacted the Rescue Coordination Centre in New Zealand and an RNZAF P-3K Orion aircraft from No 5 Squadron was dispatched during the early hours of Saturday 15 May 2010.
The RNZAF Orion crew found the four men (two of whom hold New Zealand passports) on Manuae Island when they spotted a dinghy and a blue tarpaulin set up as shelter on the beach. An emergency pack was dropped to the men, which included a radio and confirmed that they were from the Gypsy Trader.
Commanding Officer No. 5 SQN, Wing Commander Nick Olney said, “It was a great result for our Orion crew who are trained to think of all possibilities when a vessel goes missing, including the possibility that the people on board may be at a remote land location, rather than being at sea.”