Photos and video available: Coast Guard, Navy combine efforts to medevac ill mariner to Bermuda

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 03/23/2021 06:30 PM EDT

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U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic
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Photos and video available: Coast Guard, Navy combine efforts to medevac ill mariner to Bermuda

  A crewmember aboard a HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., prepares to airdrop supplies from a HC-130 Hercules airplane for a medical emergency off the coast of Bermuda March 19, 2021. Long range aerial rescues off shore are complex and oftentimes require coordination between the Coast Guard and partner agencies. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Released)  Crewmembers aboard a HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., prepare to airdrop medical supplies to the tanker ship Antonis, off the coast of Bermuda, March 19, 2021. Long range aerial rescues off shore are complex and oftentimes require coordination between the Coast Guard and partner agencies. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Released)  A crewmember from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., prepares a HC-130 Hercules airplane to assist with the delivery of medical supplies to the tanker ship Antonis, off the coast of Bermuda, March 19, 2021. Long range aerial rescues off shore are complex and oftentimes require coordination between the Coast Guard and partner agencies. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Released)

A crewmember from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., prepares a HC-130 Hercules airplane to assist with the delivery of medical supplies to the tanker ship Antonis, off the coast of Bermuda, March 19, 2021. Long range aerial rescues off shore are complex and oftentimes require coordination between the Coast Guard and partner agencies. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Released)  210320-N-PC065-1010 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 20, 2021) A MH-60T helicopter from U.S. Coast Guard District Five lands on the deck of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), March 20, 2021. Arlington is underway in the Atlantic Ocean and served as a platform for a medical evacuation operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John D. Bellino/Released)  210320-N-PC065-1020 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 20, 2021) A MH-60T helicopter from U.S. Coast Guard District Five lands on the deck of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), March 20, 2021. Arlington is underway in the Atlantic Ocean and served as a platform for a medical evacuation operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John D. Bellino/Released)

  210320-N-PC065-1002 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 20, 2021) A MH-60T helicopter from U.S. Coast Guard District Five lands on the deck of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), March 20, 2021. Arlington is underway in the Atlantic Ocean and served as a platform for a medical evacuation operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John D. Bellino/Released)  210320-N-PC065-1028 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 20, 2021) A MH-60T helicopter from U.S. Coast Guard District Five lands on the deck of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), March 20, 2021. Arlington is underway in the Atlantic Ocean and served as a platform for a medical evacuation operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John D. Bellino/Released)  A crewmember from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., prepares a HC-130 Hercules airplane to assist with the delivery of medical supplies to the tanker ship Antonis, off the coast of Bermuda, March 19, 2021. Long range aerial rescues off shore are complex and oftentimes require coordination between the Coast Guard and partner agencies. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Released)

Bermuda rescue video

Editors Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard, Navy and good Samaritan vessels combined efforts to medevac a tanker ship crewmember to Bermuda on Friday.

Rescue Coordination Center Bermuda notified watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center in Portsmouth of an ailing crewmember aboard the tanker ship Antonis on Wednesday at approximately 1 p.m.

The Coast Guard coordinated the rendezvous of two nearby commercial vessels to deliver needed medical supplies through the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue, or “AMVER,” system. AMVER is a computer-based, voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea.

A HC-130 Hercules aircrew was launched from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City to deliver additional medical supplies. Once on scene, the Hercules aircrew dropped the medical supplies from the cargo door of the airplane, which were recovered by the crew of the Antonis. Despite additional medical supplies, the crewmember’s condition continued to deteriorate. After consultation with a Coast Guard physician, it was determined that the crewmember needed to be evacuated from the vessel to receive higher level medical care.

A MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew and a HC-130 Hercules aircrew carrying a relief helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City were launched to conduct the medevac on Friday. 

On Friday at approximately 12:00 p.m., the crew aboard the MH-60 Jayhawk landed and refueled aboard the USS Arlington, a U.S. Navy San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock homeported in Norfolk, and then continued to Bermuda.

Upon arriving in Bermuda, the relief crew took over the MH-60 Jayhawk to conduct the medevac hoist. The relief crew arrived at the Antonis, which was 150 miles off the coast of Bermuda, and hoisted the crewmember aboard at approximately 4 p.m. Friday. 

The crewmember was flown to Bermuda and was transferred to awaiting emergency medical services. The Coast Guard aircrews then returned to North Carolina after refueling again with USS Arlington.

“I’m exceptionally proud of the coordination and efforts of the Coast Guard and Navy, as well as cooperation and support from the Government of Bermuda,” said Rear Admiral Laura Dickey, commander of the Coast Guard’s Fifth District. “Long-range refueling and rescues at sea require precision and cooperation.  This case is a clear demonstration of the ongoing partnerships that allow us to try to help mariners in distress both near and far from shore.”

-USCG-