A FAULTY distress signal triggered a major lifeboat and helicopter search off Looe on Thursday evening (September 18).

Looe RNLI volunteers were paged at 6pm after Falmouth Coastguard received a man overboard alert nine miles south-east of the town. Within eight minutes, the Atlantic 85 lifeboat Sheila and Dennis Tongue II was launched.

The lifeboat arrived on scene in 20 minutes and with good visibility and only a slight sea state, the crew saw no boats or casualties and began an expanding square search. After 20 minutes without success, the crew requested air support.

Coastguard helicopter Rescue 924 joined the operation as the lifeboat started a six-leg parallel search pattern. However, after 45 minutes, the order came to stand down. The “casualty” never existed.

Investigations revealed the signal had been triggered by a faulty beacon linked to a German warship exercise earlier in the day.