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Missing yacht: MoD sends aircraft to help with search Missing yacht: MoD sends aircraft to help with search
(about 1 hour later)
The Ministry of Defence has sent a plane to help search for four British sailors missing in the Atlantic.The Ministry of Defence has sent a plane to help search for four British sailors missing in the Atlantic.
The military aircraft took off early on Wednesday morning and is expected to reach the search area in the afternoon. The C-130 Hercules aircraft set off on Wednesday morning and is expected to reach the search area in the afternoon.
The 40ft Cheeki Rafiki was sailing back to the UK from a regatta in Antigua when it got into difficulties. The 40ft Cheeki Rafiki was sailing back to the UK from an Antigua regatta when it started taking on water on Thursday.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he hoped the "extensive resources" at hand would enable the yachtsmen to be found "as soon as possible". Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he hoped the yachtsmen would be found "as soon as possible".
The US Coast Guard has resumed the search, which was called off on Sunday, following an official request from the UK government. It said it had searched a total of 2,878 sq miles so far. The US Coast Guard has resumed the search, which was called off on Sunday, following an official request from the UK government. The coastguard said it had searched a total of 2,878 sq miles so far.
The coastguard said it was currently battling against six-foot seas with wind speeds of less than 18.5km per hour. But it warned it was battling against six-foot seas with wind speeds of less than 18.5km per hour.
The MoD confirmed a C-130 aircraft was deployed from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 05:00 BST. It flew to Lajes in Portugal to refuel, before heading to the search area over the Atlantic. The MoD confirmed the military aircraft was deployed from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 05:00 BST. It flew to Lajes in Portugal to refuel, before heading to the search area over the Atlantic.
The plane is expected to join the international search effort at around 14:00 BST.The plane is expected to join the international search effort at around 14:00 BST.
"The RAF's contribution to the search operation for the four missing British sailors will provide additional capability and resilience to the resumed search led by US and Canadian forces," the defence secretary said."The RAF's contribution to the search operation for the four missing British sailors will provide additional capability and resilience to the resumed search led by US and Canadian forces," the defence secretary said.
"We all hope that the extensive resources being provided by our allies and the further support from the UK can help locate the missing yachtsmen as soon as possible.""We all hope that the extensive resources being provided by our allies and the further support from the UK can help locate the missing yachtsmen as soon as possible."
'Difficult task''Difficult task'
The four missing crew members are Paul Goslin, 56, from West Camel, Somerset; Andrew Bridge, 22, from Farnham, Surrey, the yacht's skipper; Steve Warren, 52, also from Somerset; and 23-year-old James Male, from Southampton.The four missing crew members are Paul Goslin, 56, from West Camel, Somerset; Andrew Bridge, 22, from Farnham, Surrey, the yacht's skipper; Steve Warren, 52, also from Somerset; and 23-year-old James Male, from Southampton.
Three planes and six ships had already been deployed to search the area where the sailors are thought to have disappeared - approximately 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Three planes and six ships have already been deployed to search the area where the sailors are thought to have disappeared - approximately 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Admiral Richard G Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, told the BBC the search from the planes and boats was an "extremely difficult task".Admiral Richard G Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, told the BBC the search from the planes and boats was an "extremely difficult task".
"The weather is nasty, rarely is it calm and flat," he said."The weather is nasty, rarely is it calm and flat," he said.
"And when you have four or five people staring out windows for four hours at a time looking for what is about the size of basketballs in the ocean, it's extremely difficult. It's tiring, so this is not an easy task.""And when you have four or five people staring out windows for four hours at a time looking for what is about the size of basketballs in the ocean, it's extremely difficult. It's tiring, so this is not an easy task."
Adm Gurnon, who has flown search planes himself, defended the coastguard's original decision to call off the operation, describing the organisation as "an extremely small outfit" faced with the huge costs. Adm Gurnon defended the coastguard's original decision to call off the operation, describing the organisation as "an extremely small outfit" faced with huge costs.
The wife of one of the men said it had been an "emotional rollercoaster" since all contact with the crew was lost on Friday.
Cressida Goslin - wife of one of the crew - and other members of the men's families met with Foreign Office Minister Hugh Robertson on Tuesday afternoon before leaving for the US Embassy.
He said the FCO had been pushing for the search to be continued since the weekend.
'Very positive''Very positive'
The US rescuers issued a video of a Coast Guard aircraft leaving North Carolina for Boston on Tuesday. They thanked the UK, Canadian and US authorities and urged people to continue signing an online petition, which has attracted more than 200,000 signatures, to keep the search going.
Speaking outside the Foreign Office after what he described as a "very positive meeting", Graham Male - father of missing James - thanked the UK, Canadian and US authorities and urged people to continue signing an online petition which has attracted more than 200,000 signatures. The Cheeki Rafiki began taking on water 620 miles (1,000km) east of Cape Cod in Massachusetts and diverted to the Azores on Thursday. Contact was lost with the crew on Friday.
"Let's bring our loved ones home," he told waiting reporters. The Americans called off the operation, saying the estimated survival time past the time of distress was approximately 20 hours and that their crews had searched for 53 hours.
The racing yacht began taking on water 620 miles (1,000km) east of Cape Cod in Massachusetts and diverted to the Azores on Thursday. But the decision to resume the operation came after family members insisted they could still be alive in the yacht's 12-man life raft.
The Americans had said the estimated survival time past the time of distress was approximately 20 hours and that their crews had searched for 53 hours.
But the decision to resume searching came after family members insisted they could still be alive in the yacht's 12-man life raft.
Twelve-person life raftTwelve-person life raft
A raft, such as that on board the Cheeki Rafiki, is required to meet the international standard ISO 9650, which stipulates how the craft must be constructed and what it must have on board. The rafts are highly visible and buoyant and can be boarded quickly in an emergency.A raft, such as that on board the Cheeki Rafiki, is required to meet the international standard ISO 9650, which stipulates how the craft must be constructed and what it must have on board. The rafts are highly visible and buoyant and can be boarded quickly in an emergency.
Skipper Mr Bridge's grandmother, Valerie, said: "We are delighted. It is at least something and that is all we were asking for, all we wanted was another search. Patrick Michel, skipper of The Malisi, one of around 30 private yachts helping with the search and the first on the scene, said he had a "gut feeling" the search would end well.
"It might not come to anything but people want them to do it and they are trying. It seemed too quick, just two days and we were saying, 'if only they could do it for a bit longer'. You never know what could happen." "It's the first day yesterday that we saw dolphins and they seemed to indicate a certain direction to turn the boat, and that is what we did going south instead of going north which was my intention," he told BBC Radio Solent.
Mr Goslin's daughter Claire, who on Monday made an emotional plea to the Americans, said she was "over the moon". 'Great comfort'
"I just hope and pray with all my heart that now they find them." "This is a positive note from the mammals in the sea."
'Saturated area' The father of James Male, one of the youngest yachtsmen, said the skipper's assurance was "absolutely excellent".
Tracy Edwards, who skippered the first all-women crew around the world, said the men had been failed by the coastguard, but that she was "absolutely delighted" the search had been resumed. Graham Male said: "It's really nice to have somebody like that who has a lateral thinking on things - that certainly gives me great comfort that you have people out there like that captain thinking like that and seeing those dolphins and saying this is an omen, we'd like to thank him for that."
The US Coast Guard said locator beacons activated by the crew indicated they were in a position 1,000 miles east of Massachusetts on Friday morning.
The yacht was facing 15ft waves, 50mph winds and sea and air temperatures of 15C (60F), the US Coast Guard added.
A spokesman said over the weekend it had "saturated the area" in a two-day search of 4,146 square miles, involving three US and Canadian aircraft and three merchant vessels and "we would have found them" if it had been possible.
On Saturday, a cargo vessel which was helping with the search spotted and photographed an overturned hull which matched the description of the Cheeki Rafiki.