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Rescue 21 is an advanced maritime computing, command, control, and directional finding communications (C4) system designed to manage communications for the United States Coast Guardand to assist in the location of mariners in distress, to save life and property at sea and on navigable rivers.

Overview
Rescue 21 helps to ensure that the first 5 questions asked by any watch-stander initiating a distress cal can be answered. Introducing the advantages of technology to the answers the “big 5”

1. position

2. nature of distress

3. description of the vessel

4. number of people on board

5. are the passengers wearing life jackets

The rescue 21 system is able to adapt to the unexpected circumstances mariners will face and is ready for the challenge. Harnessing the advantages of our technological world and upgrading the previous outdated system. Rescue 21 offers numerous different assets not previously available. One example being a visual display so that mariners can see the call they are making as well as hear it. They are able to visually depict the specific towers they are calling and monitor the progress of their call. Chief Lawrence Beatty, an Operations Specialist notes that “The towers are strategically placed so multiple towers can pick up and triangulate to where that mariner is.”

The success of rescue 21 serves as a reassurance for small boat mariners and helps diminish their over-reliance on cell phones, which many small boaters consider comparable for their distress need. Unfortunately relying solely on cell phones leaves open the possibility of failure due to short battery life, out of range location, and no direct link with US coast guard. The induction of rescue 21 into all coastal range areas ensures that every mariner will be safe in the event of distress.

“For a mariner in a dire situation, reaching for a handheld radio and calling “Mayday” over marine radio channel 16 may be their only chance for getting help. Even with just that single call over the radio, Rescue 21 can help watch-standers piece together the information they need, specifically a position, to send response resources to the mariner’s aid.” ( Braesch)

The Rescue 21 system reached Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in December 2005. The project is continuing to install sites in order to maximize Rescue 21 coverage as well as sustain equipment at Coast Guard sites. When completed Rescue 21 will cover more than 95,000 miles (153,000 km) of coastline including those of the Continental United States, Hawaii and overseas territories. Additionally, the Coast Guard is deploying a Rescue 21 system that is tailored to the unique logistical and operational needs of sectors located in Alaska and the Western Rivers, scheduled to receive modified coverage by 2017. The scope of rescue 21's coverage compensates the United States need for sea area A1 and A2, such systems are used in various other parts of the world.

General Dynamics is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to modernize its outdated national distress communications system. This new system, called Rescue 21, is an advanced maritime communications system for coastal water ways, providing a command and control infrastructure for all U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) and homeland security missions. Rescue 21 will meet both the safety requirements needed for the expanding Marine Transportation System (MTS), as well as International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) standards. Rescue 21 also provides modernized command and control capabilities and improved MDA, both critical to the performance of Coast Guard missions. Rescue 21 is designed to be more robust, reliable, and capable than the legacy system. To address the limitations of the current communications system Rescue 21 has replaced the National Distress and Response System (NDRS),  by using a modern radio system coupled with a TCP/IP network, and digital communication using VoIP. Enabling the Coast Guard to execute its search and rescue missions with greater agility and efficiency.

Application
The system's expanded frequency capacity enables greater coordination and Identifies callers location by using towers that generate lines of bearing to the source of VHF radio transmissions, thereby significantly reducing search time. Rescue 21 extends coverage out to a minimum of 20 nautical miles from the coastline. It improves information sharing and coordination with the Department of Homeland Security aswell as other federal, state and local first responders. An important feature of the system is it capability of identifying suspected hoax calls, conserving valuable response resources.

Coverage
Rescue 21 operates along the Atlantic, Gulf Coast, Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Guam, Hawaii Puerto Rico and Great Lakes regions. That's 41,871 miles of coastline.

Installation
The Rescue 21 project selects installation sites that will meet the needs of the Coast Guard, and, working with environmental and wildlife experts and local communities, helps ensure that Rescue 21 sites preserve the ecosystem. The site selection process includes:


 * Regional surveys.


 * Establishment of remote antenna sites.


 * Physical installation and testing of the communications equipment at Coast Guard facilities and communication centers throughout the region.


 * Ongoing follow-on maintenance and support of the Rescue 21 system.

NDRS Technology
The National Distress and Response System (NDRS) was established more than 30 years ago as a VHF-FM-based radio communication system that has a range of up to 20 nmi along most of the U.S. shoreline. While this system has served the Coast Guard well over the years, it consists of out-of-date and non-standard equipment with many limitations. These include:


 * No direction finding capability.
 * Numerous geographic communication coverage gaps.
 * Limited interoperability with other emergency response services.
 * Single-channel radio operation, which prohibits the ability to receive multiple radio calls.

Rescue 21 technology
Rescue 21 will provide the United States with a 21st century maritime command, control, and communications (C3) system that encompasses the entire United States. By replacing outdated technology with a fully integrated C3 system, Rescue 21 improves on the NDRS with the following enhancements: interoperability, direction-finding equipment with 2 degrees Root Mean Square of accuracy, enhanced clarity of distress calls, simultaneous channel monitoring, upgraded playback and recording feature for distress calls, reduced coverage gaps, and supporting Digital Selective Calling (DSC).

Features
• Improved information sharing and coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and federal, state and local first responders

• Geographic display to assist in identifying hoax callers, conserving valuable response resources

• Supports Digital Selective Calling (DSC), which allows mariners in distress with DSC-equipped radios to transmit, at the push of a button, their exact GPS position and vital vessel information to the Coast Guard and other DSC-equipped vessels

• Enhances clarity and provides recording and playback capabilities for all communications

• Simultaneous monitoring and relaying of information over multiple radio frequencies

• Provides portable tower communications during emergencies and natural disasters

• Automates transmission of urgent marine information broadcasts

Timeline
High-level history and timeline of the Rescue 21 program:


 * 1970s - National Distress System (legacy system) is installed to receive and respond to VHF distress calls.
 * 1994 May - The Mission Analysis Report is completed. This document states the needed requirements and capability gaps of the legacy coastal communications system.
 * 1995 July - The Mission Need Statement is approved. The approval of this document provides formal acknowledgement that a materiel solution is required to address the capability gaps.
 * 1995 July - The acquisition project is chartered as the National Distress and Response System Modernization Program (NDRSMP).
 * 1997 December - Morning Dew accident validates the need for a new VHF-FM system for the Coast Guard.
 * 2000 August - Phase I contract awards to SAIC, Lockheed Martin, and Motorola.
 * 2001 January - General Dynamics buys Motorola.
 * 2001 November - Phase I contractors demonstrate that their designs meet critical functions.
 * 2002 September - General Dynamics awarded Phase II contract.
 * 2002 September - NDRSMP changed to Rescue 21.
 * 2003 March - Work started at Group Atlantic City NJ.
 * 2005 August - Project Resident Office stood up in Scottsdale, Arizona.
 * 2005 September - The Disaster Recovery System is deployed to Louisiana in response to Hurricane Katrina.
 * 2005 November - First rescue attributed to Rescue 21 from Group Eastern Shore, VA.
 * 2005 December - Coast Guard accepts the Rescue 21 system at New Jersey and Eastern Shore, Virginia.
 * 2006 May - Sector Mobile Alabama accepts system.
 * 2006 June - Sector St. Petersburg Florida accepts system.
 * 2006 December - Sectors Seattle and Port Angeles, WA accept system.
 * 2007 August - Project Resident Office stood up in Juneau, Alaska.
 * 2007 April - Sector New Orleans Louisiana (PHASE I) accepts system.
 * 2007 September - Sector Delaware Bay accepts system.
 * 2007 October - Sector Long Island Sound New York accepts system.
 * 2007 November - Sector New York New York accepts system.
 * 2008 January - Coast Guard accepts the Rescue 21 system at Staten Island, New York.
 * 2008 February - Coast Guard accepts the Rescue 21 system at Jacksonville, Florida.
 * 2008 February - Sector Hampton Roads accepts the Rescue 21 system at Hampton Roads, Virginia
 * 2008 March - Sector Miami accepts the Rescue 21 system in Miami, Florida.
 * 2008 April - Group Astoria accepts Rescue 21 in Astoria, Oregon.
 * 2008 May - Sector Baltimore accepts Rescue 21 in Baltimore, Maryland.
 * 2008 June - Group/Air Station North Bend accepts Rescue 21 in North Bend, Oregon.
 * 2008 July - Sector Portland accepts Rescue 21 in Portland, Oregon.
 * 2008 July - The Alaska Implementation requirements for covereage areas and site functionality were approved.
 * 2008 August - Sector New Orleans Louisiana (PHASE II) accepts system.
 * 2008 September - Sector Key West Florida accepts system.
 * 2008 October - Sector Houston-Galveston Texas officially accepts system.
 * 2008 December - Sector Charleston South Carolina officially accepts system.

As of January 2009 Rescue 21 covers 24758 mi of coastline.