‘I glanced at starboard and saw a small boat’
Four hours into a search flight for a missing fisherman and with a low-fuel warning, Major Mark Said had taken the decision to fly back to Malta when something caught his eye.
“I glanced at starboard and saw a small boat. It was more or less what we were looking for so I decided to make one quick low pass at about 50 feet. All I could see was that there was someone wrapped in white linen,” the major told The Sunday Times.
Maj. Said was piloting the Armed Forces of Malta’s plane that had been searching for 58-year-old Mario Axiaq, who spent more than 48 hours lost at sea with no food or water. He was huddled in the boat’s canopy to protect himself from the hot sun.
On September 21, the maritime patrol aircraft took off at 7.15am and searched a grid looping back and forth in an attempt to spot the missing fisherman. As soon as he saw the small boat, Maj. Said contacted the army’s operation centre and asked them to notify a large fishing vessel nearby.
“We climbed again and asked operations to inform the Italians to fly their helicopter to the area to have a closer look and, if need be, rescue,” he said.
As soon as the aircraft rose into the air to return back to Malta, Maj. Said saw the fishing vessel turn 180 degrees and slow down. Operations had contacted the ship and asked them to assist.
Once the plane landed at 11.30am, an Italian Air Force helicopter based in Malta and carrying a mixed crew of Maltese and Italians scrambled to rescue Mr Axiaq who, together with his 13-foot boat, had been taken on a Panama-registered vessel.
Mr Axiaq was located around 45 nautical miles northeast of Malta, bringing to an end a costly and intense two-day search coordinated by the army which deployed its resources, including aircraft and patrol boats, to find the fisherman. The helicopter hovered over the vessel while winchman Sgt Derek Pepe boarded the vessel and winched Mr Axiaq on board the aircraft, completing the mission. He filmed the rescue with a camera attached to his helmet.
Mr Axiaq had left in his tiny fishing boat on September 19 from Marsascala at around 11am with no satellite coordinates, emergency button, compass or emergency flares. He had planned to return at around 2pm but instead took a wrong turning and got lost in fog.
As soon as the alarm was raised, the army started trying to map out a way to find the missing man, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Mallia explained. This included checking that his car and trailer were still at Marsascala, the information he had given his family and whether he had any medical conditions, among other things.
His mobile phone was not reachable, so the army contacted the service operator to obtain the location when his phone was last within reach of an antenna. The company said Mr Axiaq’s phone last used reception from the Dingli base station. A day later, the company said it had refined the search and found his phone had pinged the Żonqor station.
However, with this “conflicting” information in hand, the army turned to SAR Ops, a sophisticated programme used by the US Coast Guard that plots out search areas according to the factors and information in hand.
At 7pm on Wednesday evening, a military aircraft flew off to Dingli while a patrol boat sailed out to physically check the boats in the area. However, they found nothing.
Throughout the night, the search and mission centre, coordinated by Captain Steven Spiteri, released a message about the missing man through the Urgent Marine Information Broadcast. This was sent out every 30 minutes by radio and as a printed message that was received by ships and vessels.
“We wanted to attract as much information as possible,” Capt. Spiteri explained.
This message was picked up by a deckhand on a fishing vessel who, on Thursday, informed the army that he had seen Mr Axiaq’s vessel a day earlier at 2.30pm around 14 nautical miles northeast of Malta.
“This information was solid – we put it in the SARS Ops and together with other factors such as drift and wind, we were given a new search area and that is where we found him,” Lt Col Mallia said.
Hours into the new search zone, Mr Axiaq was spotted by Maj. Said, who said the feeling of satisfaction was insurmountable.
“We train hard for this. Although we save people, such as illegal migrants, every day, this was something in particular since we had just one man on a boat. It was very difficult and the fact that everything worked to the right conclusion gives you great satisfaction.”
They recommended that anybody who chooses to go out on their boats should carry means of communication, such as radio, emergency position button, red flares or even a compass and should inform relatives or friends of their plans.
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Lise Abela
Oct 1st 2012, 15:19
Well done Uncle! You NEVER fail to make us PROUD!!!
Jesmond Degabriele
Oct 1st 2012, 04:18
GOOD JOB MAJOR SAID.
stephen mifsud
Sep 30th 2012, 21:06
fantastic work Mark and the gang and thank god for your excellent eye sight u posses and thank to your mother for making you eat carrots :)
Joe Xuereb
Sep 30th 2012, 20:19
@ Pule' Carmel (Today, 18:18). Carmel, thank you. I asked a simple enough question and you give me a thesis (I thought only I did those with you a close(second). Walking from Ħamrun to the Capital can only be Il-Belt, come on! Maybe you could walk from Ħamrun to Dublin (where you had a good woman friend if my memory serves, so you'd have the incentive to walk on water like you-know-who). Radio City/Mile End - LB Headquarters, I understand? - is in Blata l-Bajda (once a white hot meteor fell on the place hence the name). Radio City, where my parents went to the opera and us children waited up to hear the narrative of the 'blind-folded boy playing with a flag while his Madam Mama did herself in. The RC (no, nothing to do with our belief system) and Carnival Balls. RC, venue for world - well, European - famous illusionists. RC, where I saw MY first opera - The Pearl Fishers - with my high school, the Lyceum. There was so much fidgeting we all went home with tattered fingers. The RC, the venue for Italian films but not Fellini's. And the Mile End, where we had mini Italian circuses and I trespassed and got chatting to the horse-trainer with the excuse that I wanted to practise my schoolboy Italian. Eventually, I got to love opera but never made it to the trapeze. Something about fear of heights and nausea when I am upside down - which is often although less so these days.
@ Toni Cardona (Today, 18:33). And thank you to Mr. Cardona for his last one-liner. Maltese wit/sarcasm at its best. I wouldn't mind 'going out' in a coffin as it wends its way from one street-corner to the next diagonally opposite along that other vale of tearing rain-water in Qormi I believe. What a way to go!
Thanks to all - not least Mr. Axiaq - for giving me the opportunity this chilly Sunday evening to write some mostly factual creative writing. Bless you all with all that which your good hearts desire.
Qolu (qalu) l-Indjoni! Żinnnnnnn!(insinuating that one is telling porkies) - popular quips in the 1950s. I wonder what a modern quip would be in the era of Paceville and going out to sea, ill-equipped with nothing to while away the time other than counting shark-fins instead of the proverbial sheep. Żinnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!
Simon Abela
Sep 30th 2012, 19:43
Outstanding Soldier !! thank you for going above your call of Duty.. Tal-genn to see Maltese Soldiers perform such work.
Simon Abela
Texas
Andrea Sammut
Sep 30th 2012, 23:42
Sewwa qed tghid sur Abela ;))
Joseph Rapinett
Sep 30th 2012, 17:37
Well done Mark
Maria Brincat
Sep 30th 2012, 16:59
Well done! These men are the true heroes, unsung and yet doing so so much!
May God bless you.
Victor Pulis
Sep 30th 2012, 16:34
Before anyone goes out in a boat besides the standard safety equipment one should take with him a picture of his family and friends and one of the AFM helicopters and patrol boats. These are the persons who will be sick with worry and endangering their lives to save you. These men are unsung heroes who do their job quietly and without fanfares.
Joseph Borg
Sep 30th 2012, 15:38
Well done indeed! You make us proud.
Francis Magro
Sep 30th 2012, 15:35
@Alex Dalli
Thanks lilek ukoll sur Dalli ghax int kont wiehed mill-pijunieri li bdejt tahdem f'din is-sezzjoni u gibtha hafna l'quddiem.
Joe Xuereb
Sep 30th 2012, 15:29
Li nitolbu 'l Alla jgħina, kollox sew. Imma jidhirli li jeħtieġ ukoll ngħinu lilna nfusna., mhux hekk sur Axiaq-tha? That said, I am glad you are still with us. But please, just don't do it again without the necessary know-how. Thank you (and anyone else listening in).
A show of gratitude to Capt. Mark Said and anyone else involved in this rescue. Well done! When we need help we we need practical help not pie in the sky (unless it's a flare).
@ Carmel Pule`, can you please tell me, how long is a nautical mile if I am walking from Ħamrun to the capital?
Pule' Carmel
Sep 30th 2012, 17:17
to: navigation, search
1 nautical mile =
SI units
1.85200 km
1,852.00 m
US customary / Imperial units
1.15078 mi
As far as I know the nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude measured along any meridian, or about one minute of arc of longitude at the equator. By agreement with many nations it is 1,852 metres (approximately 6,076 feet).
To answer your second question, ( joke) I would have to know from Hamrun to what Capital are you refering to.
The nautical mile had its origin with the knot. Apparently to measure their speed in the days of old sailling, they arranged for many knots to be placed on a long rope,( small hawser) att he endof which they teid a pail.
When running they threw the pail overboard the stern and as the pail entered the water it provided a drag and so the knots on the hauser started going overboard and these being counted against a chronometer they knew their speed in " knots"
There were so many competitions as to making accurate chronometers to ensure the reading of the sextant was accurate.
While I am writing this I am sure that there is another "Maltese answer to the length ot a nautical mile from Hamrun to the capital!!
Pule' Carmel
Sep 30th 2012, 18:18
Hamrun to capital reminds me of people calling the cinema capitol, the capital ,in our capital city Valletta!!
Now from Hamrun to the Radio City, there was less than a nautical mile as Radio City was in Hamrun I believe.
Toni Cardona
Sep 30th 2012, 18:33
Sent me back 60+ years to my childhood when we were told that from Mile End (Radio City) to Ġirolomu Cassar Rd, above Lascaris War Rooms, via National Rd and St Anne Str was around 1 mile. We were never told whether it was nautical or land mile, though I presume it was the latter, not that it matters that much.
Mind you I won't be surprised if they use both measurements in Valley Rd, Birkirkara!
Michael Bonello
Sep 30th 2012, 14:16
A big hand to Maj Said and the rest of the crew and to all personal who took part in saving this poor old man’s life it is as if he was born again many thanks to the SAR maritime and air wing of the AFM well done boys
Alex Dalli
Sep 30th 2012, 13:19
Bravu Mark. Bravu kull wiehed li jahdem fis sar tal afm. Thanks to the US Coast Guard who showed us the way.
Alex Dalli
Peter Murray
Sep 30th 2012, 13:10
Yes of course we must all acknowledge the sterling and brave work of all our emergegncy rescue teams-that goes without saying.But aren't we missing the point here ?For these SAR teams go out in all sorts of weather conditions risking their own lives as well to rescue souls in distress.But that they do so primarily in circumstances outwith the disressed person(s) control or an unavoidable,unforeseen catastrophic scenario and not when someone contributes to their own potential demise through reckless and irresponsible behaviour and abject lack of safefy or communications equipment .
The two(2) worrying issues here are :-
1.The "very costly "exercise(paid for out of the public purse) to rescue this individual -how much is very costly?
2.That such life-saving safety and communications equpiment is only "recommended" by SAR-OPS when clearly these should be subject to statutory regulations to possess.
One can only wonder why TM 's Marine Division (the authority tasked with ensuring compulsory licensing requirements for mechanically -driven vessels are met-and how they do this would be interesting to learn and where such requirements conformed with in this particular case?)or our law-makers do not ensure that such basic safety and comms requirements are not only enshrined in legislation but moreover,robustly ensured and enforced?Why are such fundamental laws not in place?
Peter Murray
Sep 30th 2012, 13:05
Yes of course we must all acknowledge the sterling and brave work of all our emergegncy rescue teams-that goes without saying.But aren't we missing the point here ?For these SAR teams go out in all sorts of weather conditions risking their own lives as well to rescue souls in distress.But that they do so primarily in circumstances outwith the disressed person(s) control or an unavoidable,unforeseen catastrophic scenario and not when someone contributes to their own potential demise through reckless and irresponsible behaviour and abject lack of safefy or communications equipment .
The two(2) worrying issues here are :-
1.The "very costly "exercise(paid for out of the public purse) to rescue this individual -how much is very costly?
2.That such life-saving safety and communications equpiment is only "recommended" by SAR-OPS when clearly these should be subject to statutory regulations to possess.
One can only wonder why TM 's Marine Division (the authority tasked with ensuring compulsory licensing requirements for mechanically -driven vessels are met-and how they do this would be interesting to learn and where such requirements conformed with in this particular case?)or our law-makers do not ensure that such basic safety and comms requirements are not only enshrined in legislation but moreover,robustly ensured and enforced?Why are such fundamental laws not in place?
Anthony A. Mifsud
Sep 30th 2012, 13:01
A big Weldon Major Said , our heroes. To all at the SAR
Thank god we invest big time
Ninu
Joseph John Camilleri
Sep 30th 2012, 12:54
I happened to cross Mark's path a few hours after finding Mr Axiaq and I could see the look of satisfaction in his eyes. Well done Mark and crew and also for the dedication in carrying out such a difficult job.
May God bless you all and keep you safe in the work you do.
William Wallace
Sep 30th 2012, 12:36
One good device, which is a must, is a solar rechargeable gadget which costs next to nothing and your phone batteries never go flat. The Sun that is there to scorch you, actually saves your life! More diligence is expected from these enthusiasts.
To have so many minds and capable officers, putting so much energy and thought, to spot this man, is nothing but the great respect and importance they give to each and everyone of us.
I salute you.
Stanley M Debono
Sep 30th 2012, 12:17
Grazzi u prosit lill-Maggur u s-SAR crew tal-hidma taghom.
Geoffrey Farrugia
Sep 30th 2012, 12:13
Well done Major Said! So good to have such dedicated people around. Still going out at sea without even the basic equipment should not be allowed and should form part of the license requirements.
Pule' Carmel
Sep 30th 2012, 12:12
Prosit to Mark who used his Engineering Equipment properly and so prosit to the silent engineers who designed and built and maintained all the Engineering equipment. Prosit to the WHOLE TEAM.
58 year old Mario Axiaq, had good engineering in his boat which kept him alive , he should heve known that he had good engineering in other equipment qs a simple compass , but he chose not to learn about the engineering.
Major Said, the captain of his engineered plane, worked hard to train himself and learn about how to operate the Engineering equipment but unfortunatly Mario Axaq who was also a Captain of his boat, did not appreciate the Enginnering he had and did not bother to learn to operate it as all Design Engineers advice all those who buy Engineering equipment.
So my advise to all is, I do not want you to become Engineers to learn about the equipment as we engineers do, but at least , please obey our instructions and learn how to operate what we design and build for you. I will save your life. Our work in the laboratories and workshops needs a lot od sweat to ensure your safety. Please learn to use it after we learn to design it and build it is SILENCE away from the public eye.
It is all a big TEAM which the public must learn to apareciate.
To the Army, use those planes carefully and follow the engineering nstructions. They are good planes but we engineers have got out limitations too, so follow our instructions please, all the time and we need your help to give us feedback to improve things. Thank you. Give us feedback of the flight and any tendencies the plane goes through when conducting manouvres. We need your feedback and then with maths and good harware and software engineering we will give you even better planes to ensure that both you and the people being rescued will come back safely to your families.
Mr Tony Gatt
Sep 30th 2012, 12:08
"Mr Axiaq had left in his tiny fishing boat on September 19 from Marsascala at around 11am with no satellite coordinates, emergency button, compass or emergency flares. He had planned to return at around 2pm but instead took a wrong turning and got lost in fog."
As the song says- "When will they ever learn?"
I hope he has made a full recovery.
c. saliba
Sep 30th 2012, 11:58
well done my friend Mark.... Imn'Alla jkunu nies bhalek li hafna nies jiddependu fuq ix-xoghol u l-kapacita taghkom. Well done and may God always be with you.
Bertrand Gove
Sep 30th 2012, 11:41
That sort of equipment shoul be mandatory on any boat with an engine bigger than 60 in my opinion. Just like it's mandatory to have headlights to drive a car at night. And a boat seaworthiness test carried out every year or two on all registered boats. It could minimise the trauma to a lot of families, apart from massive search and rescue costs for the taxpayer.
Noel Abela
Sep 30th 2012, 11:14
Prosit Mark, kellu bzonn kullhadd iddedikat bhalek. Prosit tas-sew.
Alfred J. McEwen
Sep 30th 2012, 10:22
Alfred J. McEwen
Well done Major Said and the SAR crew for the rescue.
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