103 Squadron responds to search for missing hunters

It was a busy weekend for 103 Search and Rescue (SAR) Squadron from 9 Wing Gander.

“We had a false emergency locator transmitter indicator on Friday night, followed by the sinking boat [the Seafaring Legend] on Saturday morning and then in the afternoon we were notified that there two overdue duck hunters from Fogo Island,” said Major Stephen Reid, Aircraft Commander on both missions and Commanding Officer of 103 Sqn.

The weather conditions were the same for both Saturday missions: winds were approximately 35 knots (65 km/h), with significant swells that left the sea choppy.

After searching for the hunters for most of the afternoon and evening, the first SAR crew involved in the mission returned to base while a second crew was put on standby to resume the search at first light the next morning.  Sunday morning, Maj Reid’s crew, rested from the day before’s rescue and retrieval of four fishermen from the Seafaring Legend, took over the mission and launched at 6 a.m.

Members of the local community on Fogo Island, the RCMP, the Coast Guard and Search and Rescue (SAR) contributed to the effort to find the two men.

“The community was quite concerned. In small costal communities, everyone knows everyone and their network was out assisting as best they could,” said Sergeant Kent Gulliford, a 103 Sqn search and rescue technician (SAR Tech).

The search effort included vessels on the water as well as 103 Sqn’s  CH-149 Cormorant helicopter. The hunters were located by searchers in small boats approximately two hours into the morning mission.

“We spent maybe two hours searching and then the search  concluded with an unfortunate outcome. We helped recover the bodies of the two gentlemen [hunters] as they were obviously in the water and we were obviously dressed to handle an in-water situation,” said Sgt Gulliford.

The hunters’ boat has not yet been recovered.

By Jill St. Marseille - Canadian Armed Force