A high-tech beacon which helpd save crewmen of the Club Royale "takes the search out of search and rescue" a Coast Guard official reported the day after the ship went down.

EPIRBs (in this case a 406 EPIRB; Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon)) - which were required on all commercial vessels can be automatically set off when a ship lists, capsizes or sinks; or they can be set off manually, which was done by the Club Royale crew.

Operated by lithium batteries with a 12-year life, the EPIRB sends a digital signal to a global satelite that uses the 406.025 megahertz frequency designated for distress signals.

The satelite then relays the signal to a ground receiving station which sends it to rescue coordinators. The signal is then decoded and tells rescuers the position of the vessel, its name, and who owns it.

The CHIPCO INT'L. chips you see being offered on eBay Auctions were never used on the Club Royale (they were manufactured after the ship was lost at sea); they were used on The Captain Matthew Flanders.

JB