Granuaile Ship Details and Seafarer Feedback

On the morning of April 5, the wreckage of the ill-fated Rescue 116 helicopter was successfully offloaded from the Granuaile Vessel at Galway docks. After securing the remnants of the aircraft under a protective tarpaulin, it was carefully transported via flatbed truck to the Gormanstown Air Accident Investigation Facility. This significant move comes just over three weeks following the helicopter's tragic crash. The wreckage will undergo thorough examination by investigators as they work to uncover the causes of the incident. For a detailed report featuring photos and videos, visit: http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rescue-116-wreckage-transported-to-air-accident-investigation-unit-35595340.html.

On April 2, 2017, search and rescue (SAR) teams successfully retrieved the wreckage of the tragic Rescue 116 helicopter from the depths of Blacksod Bay, located off the Mayo coast. Despite this significant breakthrough, the two missing crew members, winch operator Ciaran Smith from Oldtown, Co. Dublin, and winch man Paul Ormsby, remain unaccounted for. The operation to lift the remnants of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter was carried out by a salvage vessel known as 'Granuaile', marking a critical step in the ongoing investigation. Earlier in the day, a dedicated dive team from the Naval Service had meticulously attached lifting gear to the wreckage, allowing it to rise to the surface. In the wake of the recovery, search operations are set to expand along the west coast, with hopes of locating the two missing men still alive. For more details and images, visit: http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/two-missing-crewmen-not-found-as-search-teams-lift-wreckage-of-rescue-116-35586971.html

On March 23, an underwater remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) deployed from the vessel 'Granuaile' successfully located the remnants of a downed Coastguard helicopter approximately 60 meters offshore from Blackrock Island in County Mayo. The Sikorsky S92 helicopter is believed to have collided with the island before descending into the depths of the sea. To date, only Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, 45, has been recovered from the water, leaving the fate of three crew members—Captain Mark Duffy, Winchman Ciaran Smith, and Winch Operator Paul Ormsby—uncertain as they remain unaccounted for. The wreckage is situated on the eastern side of the island, approximately 40 meters below the surface. Although the ROV captured footage of the site, it could not ascertain whether any of the three missing crew members were present within the helicopter. Recovery efforts continued following a weather improvement that allowed the submersible robot, tethered to the Irish Lights vessel, to analyze the seabed. Notably, the helicopter is positioned in an area from which signals were detected from the black box flight recorder. The 'Granuaile' employed the Holland I and Holland II ROVs from the Marine Institute, while the Irish naval ship 'LÉ Eithne' oversaw the complex operation, with valuable assistance from the Irish Coast Guard, local authorities, the RNLI, and fishermen familiar with the area. Weather predictions indicated fair to moderate conditions leading into the weekend, with calmer swells expected. According to the AAIU, preliminary analysis suggests that the tail of Rescue 116 struck rocks situated on the western side of Blackrock Island about 13 km off the coast of Mayo, while en route back from a rescue mission and preparing to refuel at Blacksod. Remarkably, the last transmission from the Sikorsky S92 was reported as: 'Shortly landing at Blacksod,' shortly before it vanished from radar.