KODIAK, Alaska — Coast Guard aircrews from Kodiak and Sitka searched for and found the source of an emergency beacon signal registered to a 31-foot sailing vessel in the Gulf of Alaska Tuesday.

A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Kodiak and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Sitka launched to locate the source of the 406 MHz emergency position indicating radio beacon registered to the sailing vessel Etak and to confirm the status of the crew. The EPIRB was reportedly emanating from a location 200 miles northwest of Sitka.

Personnel at the Coast Guard command center in Juneau received notification of the EPIRB at about 11 a.m. and made call outs to the vessel with no response. An urgent marine information broadcast requesting the assistance of any mariners in the area was issued.

“We launched Coast Guard aircraft personnel to investigate as quickly as possible,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Erik Ihle, an operations specialist with the Coast Guard command center in Juneau. “The Hercules airplane has the ability to deploy survival gear and confirm the situation and the helicopter crew can hoist crewmembers and safety transport to Sitka.”

The Etak departed Valdez en route to Sitka April 1 with one person aboard. Weather in the vicinity of the EPIRB is reportedly 35 mph winds with 15-foot seas.

The EPIRB is designed to bounce a position signal to satellites in the region, which is then transferred to the Coast Guard. The EPIRB also emits a signal that can be picked up in close proximity by direction finding equipment aboard Coast Guard aircraft.

“Alaska has an extreme and diverse maritime environment, which can severely limit emergency communications by cell phone or VHF marine radio,” said Mike Folkerts, Coast Guard 17th District boating safety specialist. “Due to these potential communications issues, mariners are encouraged to have a properly registered EPIRB aboard their vessel as they are often the only dependable means to call for help in the case of an emergency.”

EPIRB registration is free of charge and can be done online at the following website: https://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/

For more on EPIRBs and other maritime radio information, please visit the Coast Guard website at https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/index.php?pageName=mtEpirb