For these jobs, Mr Adair used support-and-rescue ships and semi-submersible fire-boats all of his own design.

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They were simply to ferry them to nearby rescue ships.

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"But in these conditions, it's very problematic, " Parker said, adding that a timely deployment of search-and-rescue aircraft and ships gives the missing a chance.

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He would not disclose their countries of origin, though one of the ships involved in the rescue, the Carnival Conquest, said the 13 people it picked up are Cuban.

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" The Coast Guard launches helicopters and ships prepared to handle "mass rescue ops.

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The GPS system was originally developed by the US military to target missiles and guide troop movements but now has dozens of commercial applications from helping motorists find their way about to ships' navigation, search and rescue and road pricing.

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Although larger ships would cause more environmental damage and create an enormous rescue challenge in case of an accident, they also offer greater comfort and more amenities.

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"Radio and other forms of communication from ships at sea remain unaffected, " Peter Dymond, head of Search and Rescue, said in a statement on the Coastguard's Web site.

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