Project History
The following provides a high-level history and timeline of the Rescue 21 program.
- 1970s - National Distress System (legacy system) is installed to receive and respond to VHF distress calls.
- May 1994 - the Mission Analysis Report is completed. This document states the needed requirements and capability gaps of the legacy coastal communications system.
- July 1995 - the Mission Need Statement is approved. The approval of this document provides formal acknowledgement that a materiel solution is required to address the capability gaps.
- July 1995 - the acquisition project is chartered as the National Distress and Response System Modernization Program (NDRSMP).
- December 1997 - Morning Dew accident. Validated the need for a new VHF-FM system for the Coast Guard.
- August 2000 - Phase I contract awards to SAIC, Lockheed Martin, and Motorola.
- January 2001 - General Dynamics buys Motorola.
- November 2001 - Phase I contractors demonstrate that designs meet critical functions.
- September 2002 - General Dynamics awarded Phase II contract.
- September 2002 - NDRSMP name changed to Rescue 21.
- March 2003 - work started at Group Eastern Shore, MD.
- August 2005 - Project Resident Office stood up in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- September 2005 - the Disaster Recovery System is deployed to Louisiana in response to Hurricane Katrina.
- November 2005 - first rescue attributed to Rescue 21 from Group Eastern Shore.
- December 2005 - Coast Guard officially accepts the Rescue 21 system at Atlantic City, New Jersey and Eastern Shore, Virginia.
- May 2006: Sector Mobile accepts Rescue 21 system.
- June 2006: Sector St. Petersburg accepts Rescue 21 system.
- July 2006: Sector St. Petersburg starts using Rescue 21 and quickly identifies several calls as hoaxes based on lines of bearing emanating from inland areas.
- December 2006: Sector Seattle and Group Air Station Port Angeles accept Rescue 21 system.
- December 2006: Rescue 21 helps locate source of a Mayday call in waters off the west coast of Fla. Rescue 21 locates mariners 13 miles from the location they reported when their boat capsized.
- August 2007: Coast Guard commissions Project Resident Office Alaska in Juneau to begin design and implementation of Rescue 21 capabilities in that State.
- September 2007: Sector Delaware Bay accepts Rescue 21 system.
- October 2007: Sector Long Island Sound accepts Rescue 21 system.
- November 2007: Sector New York accepts Rescue 21 system.
- January 2008: Sector Jacksonville accepts Rescue 21 system.
- February 2008: Sector Hampton Roads accepts Rescue 21 system.
- March 2008: Sector Miami accepts Rescue 21 system.
- April 2008: Group/Air Station Astoria, OR accepts Rescue 21 system
- May 2008: Sector Baltimore accepts Rescue 21 system
- June 2008: Group/Air Station North Bend accepts Rescue 21 system
- July 2008: Sector Portland accepts Rescue 21 system
- August 2008: Sector New Orleans (Phase II) accepts Rescue 21 system.
The Rescue 21 system is standing the watch and answering the call of duty across 20,537 miles of the nation's coastline.
Last Modified 9/2/2008