Mariner Medevaced near Alaska

A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed in Cold Bay, medevaced a mariner from the 680-foot fish processing vessel Ocean Phoenix 85 miles northwest of Cold Bay, Tuesday, the USCG reported.

The helicopter crew transported the man to the Cold Bay where they were met by commercial medevac services for further transport to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau received the request for medevac from the master of the Ocean Phoenix when a crewman suffered a severe injury to his left hand. The Coast Guard duty flight surgeon was contacted and concurred with the need for the medevac.

“Cases such as this illustrate the importance of having hoist capable assets forward deployed to remote locations such as Cold Bay,” said Adam De Rocher, a search and rescue coordinator at the Coast Guard 17th District command center. “These forward operating locations allow us to drastically reduce the response time of medical emergencies and get mariners to the advanced medical care they need.”

Weather conditions at the time of the incident were reported as 35 mph winds and 10-foot seas.

uscgnews.com