Coast Guard Helicopter Flies 1,200 Miles to Rescue Fisherman
Images courtesy USCG ===================================
KODIAK, Alaska –
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced a man from the 116-foot commercial fishing vessel Patricia Lee 190 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, early Tuesday morning.
The helicopter crew safely transported the 27-year-old man from the fishing vessel Patricia Lee to awaiting air ambulance personnel in Dutch Harbor for further care. The man was reported to have been in stable condition.
District 17 command center watchstanders received a report Monday evening from the fishing vessel’s master that a crewman had been hit in the head by a crab pot. Due to the man’s injuries, a Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended a medevac. District 17 command center directed the launch of two Air Station Kodiak MH-60 aircrews, a Coast Guard corpsman and an HC-130 Hercules aircrew.
Due to the distance of the Patricia Lee’s position from Kodiak, two Jayhawk aircrews had to be utilized. The first Jayhawk aircrew transited from Kodiak to Cold Bay, then the second Jayhawk aircrew went from Cold Bay to the Patricia Lee to conduct the medevac. The Hercules aircrew provided transportation of the second Jayhawk aircrew and acted as a communications platform for the Jayhawk during the medevac.
“Alaska presents a unique set of difficulties, one primarily being the remote locations of the cases,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Trevor Frommherz. “It makes conducting medevacs hundreds of miles off shore a coordinated team effort, and we are fortunate to have such dynamic crews ready to work together and assist at a moment’s notice.”
The aircrews transited more than 1,200 miles from Kodiak and spent more than 17 hours conducting the medevac.
Weather on scene was 5-foot seas and 23 mph winds.
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By MarEx 2018-08-08 14:00:00
On Tuesday, two U.S. Coast Guard helicopter aircrews worked in tandem to medevac a fisherman after he was struck in the head by a crab pot.
On Monday evening, the Coast Guard received a request for assistance from the master of the crab fishing boat Patricia Lee, who reported that a member of his crew had been injured. The Lee was located in the Bering Sea about 190 miles west of Dutch Harbor.
The C-130 escorting the Jayhawk helicopter during the rescue operation (USCG)
Due to the 1,200 mile distance of the boat's position from the helicopter base on Kodiak Island, two aircrews had to be used in order to reach the vessel. The first aircrew flew the helicopter from Kodiak to Cold Bay while a second aircrew flew to Cold Bay aboard a C-130 transport plane. The second aircrew then took over and flew the helicopter to the Patricia Lee to conduct the medevac, while the Hercules stood by near the scene of the rescue to provide communications cover. All told, the evolution took about 17 hours.
“Alaska presents a unique set of difficulties, [including] the remote locations of the cases,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Trevor Frommherz. “It makes conducting medevacs hundreds of miles off shore a coordinated team effort."