CS RENE DESCARTES

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Medevac off Coos Bay

A Coast Guard helicopter crew medevaced a Frenchman reportedly suffering from a heart attack aboard the "Rné Descartes" 80 miles west of Coos Bay on Sep 3, 2015. Coast Guard 13th District command center watchstanders in Seattle received a notification from Rescue Coordination Center France personnel that the man was experiencing symptoms of a heart attack.An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend safely transferred the 55-year-old man to emergency medical personnel at 6:33 a.m., who transported him to Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay. Report with video: http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2592246/

Cable layer lost metal plough

A six-tonne metal plough which was being used to bring broadband to the Western Isles was remaining stuck fast at the bottom of the sea. The plough named Elodie was being operated four weeks ago from the "René Descartes" when it snagged about 2.5 miles north east of North Uist, and a cable snapped. A specialist salvage operation to try and recover the cable laying equipment was to start later in Oct 2014. The bright yellow was lying more then 300ft beneath the surface, holding up the cable laying element of the £146 million north of Scotland fibre broadband scheme led by development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). The two-pronged plough broke off from the "René Descartes" as it was digging a trench through heavy mud to bury miles of expensive fibre optic cable. Ship owners Orange Marine have called in salvage experts to attempt to recover the sunken equipment from the eastern entrance to the Sound of Harris, midway between North Uist and Harris. The maritime authorities have been notified of the sunken plough, which was marked by a surface buoy. Orange Marine has indicated the work to recover the plough is scheduled for between Oct 21 and 23 uisng a large boat with a winch. The procedure will be to use an excavator tool to loosen up the seabed around the plough. A ROV will put a sling around it and connect it to the winch and then it will be towed to shallow water. Currently the "René Descartes" was berthed in Mull. It has laid the Mull to Kilchoan cable and is now burying it with the ROV north of Tobermory. The salvage was meant to be completed by now to let the large cable-laying ship catch up with her timetable for installing the underwater network. One end of the fibre optic cable was landed ashore at Strond in South Harris on Thursday where it will run northwards into Lewis. Southward, the links for Uist and onward to Barra depends on getting the plough back.