Imagery Available: Coast Guard medevac crewmember from tug off Oahu
U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 08/31/2017 09:57 PM EDT
News Release |
August 31, 2017 |
Imagery Available: Coast Guard medevac crewmember from tug off Oahu
Editors' Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.
HONOLULU — A 65-year-old crewman from the tug vessel Natoma arrived safely to Honolulu Thursday, after being medevaced by the Coast Guard 50 miles north of Oahu.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point hoisted the crewman aboard and safely delivered him in stable condition to Queens Medical Center in Honolulu at 12:18 p.m. An HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point also flew cover and provided additional communications for Dolphin aircrew.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center received a request for a medevac at approximately 8:50 a.m., from the captain of the Natoma for a 65-year-old crewman who was reportedly suffering stroke like symptoms. The vessel was approximately 70 miles offshore of Oahu at the time of the request.
Watchstanders from SCC Honolulu consulted the Coast Guard duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac.
The Hercules aircrew was diverted from a training mission at 9:48 a.m., and the Dolphin aircrew was launched at 10:45 a.m.
"This case illustrates our units ability to remain always ready," said Charles Turner, a command duty officer at SCC Honolulu. "Whether our crews are busy conducting a training mission on land, in the air or at sea, they are ready to respond. They were able to get this gentleman quickly to the the adequate care he needed."
The men and women of Air Station Barbers Point serve as "Guardians of the Pacific" in the largest and most culturally diverse of all Coast Guard operating areas -- 12.2 million square miles of open ocean, atolls, and island nations. They enhance the readiness of the 14th District with long range patrol and logistical support capabilities, as well as quick and versatile search and rescue response using the Hercules and the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter.
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