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Celtic Voyager joined search for the missing crew members of lost helicopter

The "Celtic Voyager" has joined the search for a lost helicopter after a signal from the black-box recorder of the Coast Guard Helicopter R116 has been detected close to Blackrock Lighthouse off the Mayo coast. The signal was identified at approximately 4.30 p.m. on March 15, 2017, in 40 metres of water, around 60 metres from Blackrock lighthouse. The detection of the black-box signal has been described as a very important step in the effort to recover the three missing R116 crew members. A fourth crew member, Captain Dara Fitzpatrick died in hospital after she was recovered from the sea at daybreak on March 14. The search for chief pilot Mark Duffy and winchmen Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith continued. Investigators were now establishing the exact position of the signal and hoped to be in a position to dive to that location by evening and retrive the black box. The water conditions are described as difficult, there are very strong currents and the weather could impede the search with large swells forecast. The black-box recorder contains the cockpit voice recorder, which records all communications internally in the aircraft as well as all radio communications, could prove vital in determining the cause of the accident. Earlier in the morning, the "Celtic Voyager" had joined the search for the missing crew members. It was using specialist multibeam sonar equipment to scan the seabed. They were concentrating its efforts around Blackrock Lighthouse, located approximately 12 km from the Blacksod Coast and the last known location of R116. Large debris believed to be from the helicopter was located on the sea floor by the "Celtic Voyager", and debris was also discovered on Blackrock itself. The next stage was to attempt to recover the device either by using an underwater robot or dive teams. The Dublin-based helicopter crew had been assisting colleagues from Sligo in a rescue operation on a UK fishing vessel about 150km (95 miles) west of Eagle Island. They lost contact at about 01:00 a.m. on March 14 on a refuelling journey to Blacksod. The Irish navy, RNLI, police divers and fishing boats were searching the coast off Mayo. The patrol boat "LÉ Eithne" was being used to co-ordinate the ongoing search and rescue operation. Ccivil defence volunteers carried out searches along the shore.