A SEMINAR was held in New York from the I2th to i4th May, 1965, under the auspices of the United States Coast Guard to discuss the search and rescue organization in the North Atlantic basin. The delegates were not official government representatives, and it was understood from the outset that they would not be expected to commit their governments to any new actions or agreements.

They were for the most part technical officers who, it was felt, would benefit from practical discussions which might lead to better co-ordination of search and rescue efforts.

Rear-Admiral I. C. Stevens, U.S.C.G., the Atlantic Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordinator, was the host and the Assistant Commandant, United States Coast Guard, Vice-Admiral W. J. Shields, represented the Commandant.

Admiral Shields was the principal speaker at the Annual General Meeting of the Institution held in London in 1963.

The various sessions of the seminar were held in the hall of the United States Mission to the United Nations. In addition to the United States the countries represented were: Canada, France, the German Federal Republic, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Spain and Sweden. Representatives of five international organizations connected with air/sea rescue operations took part in the discussions.

I was appointed to represent the Royal National Life-boat Institution and on the outward journey had a very valuable opportunity of learning something of the difficulties of airmen in search and rescue operations. By courtesy of the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard (Admiral E. J. Rolands), I was flown out in a VC 1308 aircraft piloted by Lieutenant E. P. Bosomworth of the United States Coast Guard. The VC 1306 is the military designation for the Lockheed Hercules, the largest aircraft used by the United States Coast Guard for search and rescue purposes. It is a four-engined turbine-powered machine capable of a wide variety of uses ranging from landing on skis to delivering cement for controlling damage to a ship 1,000 miles from shore. It is air conditioned so that it can operate from sea level to 40,000 feet in temperatures ranging from —70 to +i25°F. It has a comprehensive pressurized system which enables the crew to fly at high altitudes without oxygen masks.

On search and rescue operations the VC 1306 flies to the area of the casualty on four engines at high speed and altitude. It then descends to a search altitude of 1,500 feet, when only two engines are used for this stage of the mission. The aircraft has flown on one engine with complete success suffering only a loss of speed.

At 1,500 feet and cruising at 300 knots the aircraft uses 600 gallons of fuel per hour. At 4,000 feet and the same speed the fuel consumption increases to 1,260 gallons per hour. There is a comprehensive installation of high frequency, medium frequency, very high frequency and ultra high frequency radio as well as direction finding apparatus and radar.

The United States Coast Guard crew of the aircraft numbered nine. The passage from London via the Azores and Bermuda to Washington was made at 25,000 feet. During the flight contact was made with two ocean weatherships.

At the seminar some 15 papers were discussed, and the agenda covered a wide range of subjects connected with the various aspects of search and rescue both from the air and from the sea. It was apparent that certain loose ends needed tying up before complete co-ordination could be achieved, and there is no doubt that the conception of such a seminar was intrinsically sound, and all who attended must have benefited from the discussions. Many useful personal contacts were made and there were valuable exchanges of ideas.

On the third day of the conference the delegates were divided into four groups and given the choice of one of four field trips. These were to a U.S. Coast Guard air station to see a demonstration of airborne search and rescue equipment; a visit to the Rescue Co-ordination Centre and AMVER Centre where position reports from merchant ships are dealt with; a trip aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Vigilant which carries a helicopter on board, and a trip aboard the U.S.

Coast Guard cutter Rockaway for an air/sea rescue demonstration in which the Vigilant and her helicopter also took part..