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| Missing yacht: MoD sends aircraft to help with search | Missing yacht: MoD sends aircraft to help with search |
| (about 3 hours 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 C-130 Hercules aircraft set off on Wednesday and is expected to join the search operation on Thursday morning. | |
| The 40ft Cheeki Rafiki was sailing back to the UK from an Antigua regatta when it started taking on water last week. | |
| Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said he hoped the yachtsmen would 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. | |
| The coastguard said it had searched a total of 2,972 sq miles so far. | |
| 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 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. |
| A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the plane would conduct its first full scan of the search area on Thursday morning. | |
| "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 22-year-old James Male, from Romsey. | 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 22-year-old James Male, from Romsey. |
| 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. | 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. |
| The World Cruising Club said more members of the yachting community were joining in the search. | |
| Five yachts are expected to enter the search zone within the next 24 to 48 hours in addition to the single yacht already there, they said. | |
| 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 defended the coastguard's original decision to call off the operation, describing the organisation as "an extremely small outfit" faced with 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 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. | 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Twelve-person life raft | Twelve-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. |
| Patrick Michel, skipper of The Malisi, the first private yacht to reach the search area, said he had a "gut feeling" the search would end well. | |
| "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. | "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. |
| "This is a positive note from the mammals in the sea." | "This is a positive note from the mammals in the sea." |
| The father of James Male, one of the youngest yachtsmen, said the skipper's assurance was "absolutely excellent". | The father of James Male, one of the youngest yachtsmen, said the skipper's assurance was "absolutely excellent". |
| 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'." | |
| Families of the sailors 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. | Families of the sailors 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. |