KODIAK, Alaska — A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed in Cold Bay, Alaska, medevaced an ailing mariner off the Turkish-flagged 600-foot freight ship 26 Agustos approximately 230 miles southeast of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Saturday morning.
The Jayhawk crew safely hoisted the 46-year-old man and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Dutch Harbor.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Communication Station Kodiak received notification that a mariner aboard the 26 Agustos was suffering from abdominal pain. Watchstanders consulted the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac.
A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak HC-130 Hercules airplane crew was directed to the scene to provide coverage for the Jayhawk crew while a second Air Station Kodiak Jayhawk helicopter crew was sent to Cold Bay to assist.
“Due to the distance from the initial call for assistance, it took a concentrated effort to coordinate a long-range medevac,” said Lt. Greg Isbell, command duty officer, Coast Guard 17th District. “With the long-range distance, language barrier and various moving parts, it was a complex situation but we’re glad we were able to assist the man and get him to the medical care he needed.”
Weather on scene was reported as 45 degrees, 26 mph winds and 10-foot seas.