On 30th November 1994 HM Coastguard District Controller at MRSC Belfast invited Raynet in Northern Ireland to take part in their exercise Beaufort's Dyke, which they had been planning for the previous twelve months, on Sunday 26th February 1995.  Beaufort's Dyke is the deepest portion of the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Exercise Beaufort's Dyke intended to demonstrate the ability of HM Coastguard together with Maritime Search and Rescue Units, Emergencies Services and Local Authorities to respond to all aspects of a passenger ferry incident happening in the North Channel using Declared and Additional rescue Facilities. In excess of 8 million passengers are transported yearly within the West of Scotland and Northern Ireland Region by passenger ferry plying between the Scottish Mainland, Northern Ireland and the Western Isles. This amount of maritime commercial activity dictates the need for contingency plans to be drawn up to meet any emergency situation.

During the exercise 210 persons were evacuated from the cargo ship MV Spheroid, acting as a ferry, by Search and Rescue Units involving the Royal National Lifeboat Institutions lifeboats from Donaghadee, Portpatrick and Bangor (Co. Down) as well as RN helicopters from 819 Squadron, HMS Gannet and RAF helicopters from RAF Aldergrove.

Contingency plans were exercised by HM Coastguard, Police, Fire, Ambulance, Belfast Freight Ferries, Health Boards, Regional and District Councils including the voluntary services.

Raynet were invited to provide a safety backup role in providing a secondary, independent, personnel accounting system covering those involved as players in the exercise.

Two Raynet members boarded the MV Spheroid and one member went to Mew Island in order that persons acting as players could be identified and to initiate the 'casualty' count of players. Three different Raynet 'Nets' were established, Bangor Northern Ireland, where most of the play took place, Stranraer in Dumfries & Galloway, the alternative casualty clearing centre and at MRCC Clyde, which is the control centre for all Coastguard activity in the West of Scotland and Northern Ireland area. A Raynet Control set up in Ayr linked the three local nets on different 2 meter frequencies via talk-through units, using 2 m / 70 cms, on the Mull of Kintyre and Meall Mor.

Lifeboat landing points at Bangor Harbour and Portpatrick Harbour along with helicopter landing sites at Glenlola School in Bangor and at Stranraer Rugby grounds were established. There was, for a short time, competition for the Stranraer site when a number of rugby and football players turned up for their normal Sunday practice.
The main casualty clearing centre was based in Bangor Leisure Centre adjacent to the temporary heli pad and a similar arrangement in Stranraer using Stranraer Academy. Raynet members manned all of these points as well as the Ferry terminal in Stranraer and Cairnryan and the minibus used to transport 'casualty' players in Northern Ireland to the Leisure Centre.

The exercise started for some, while most of us were still enjoying our sleep, as they boarded the MV Spheroid at 0530 hours to count the players boarding at 0600 hours. The Spheroid departed its Belfast birth at 0700 hours to arrive in the exercise area by 0900 hours. As a safety measure players were not taken from the ferry by boat or expected to take to liferafts or to enter the sea. To simulate a sea rescue players were taken to nearby Mew Island and joined in the exercise from there.

Raynet members were asked to be in position at assigned points for the start of play which commenced at 0930 hours when the Captain sent a MAYDAY (Mike Delta) distress call to the Coastguard informing them that his vessel had collided with a partially submerged object which disabled the vessel, caused a fire situation from a vehicle on the car deck, noxious fumes present and a pollution scenario.

As the casualty players were evacuated from the MV Spheroid, Raynet had the task of accurately logging who was on board which flight and where they landed. Four helicopters provided a shuttle service to Bangor or Stranraer and two flights left their players on passenger ferries on route to Scotland. While the air rescue was in progress lifeboats played their part by landing players at Bangor and Portpatrick Harbours. Additional players in the form of dummies or oil drums entered the sea to require a search phase after the Spheroid had been evacuated by 1300 hours. The sea search was completed in a shorter time than was anticipated and the exercise finished at 1530 hours.

Throughout all play progress messages were sent via the control in Ayr to the Coastguard station in Clyde from the local nets in Northern Ireland and Dumfries & Galloway. The Exercise Direction Staff introduced a few extra scenarios for Raynet to handle. At the end of play Raynet had succeeded in meeting the objectives set out with all players accounted for. Those from Northern Ireland who ended up in Scotland were given complementary ferry passage home.

Last Updated 1 September 1999
These pages are copyright © RAYNET NI

Last Updated 1 September 1999
These pages are copyright © RAYNET NI