VIDEO: Coast Guard Medevacs Mariner from Tanker Off North Carolina

July 20, 2021

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City conducts a medevac approximately 223 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, July 19, 2021. The 41-year-old man was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. (Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Breanna Centeno U.S. Coast Guard District 5)

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a man from the CL Yingdu tanker, around 223 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on Saturday.

Watchstanders from the U.S. Coast Guard Fifth District command center received notification that a man aboard the CL Yingdu (Ex-Maersk Tianjin) was suffering from an eye injury and needed medical attention.

The command center consulted with a U.S. Coast Guard flight surgeon who recommended medical evacuation.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City were dispatched. The MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew arrived on scene and deployed a rescue swimmer to conduct a hoist and medevac the injured man.

The patient was transferred to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia for treatment.

“We generally hoist from the back of a vessel but because of a lack of suitable space for hoisting operations we had to hoist from the front, which essentially put the helicopter in a flying position that is unfamiliar to routine operations,” said Lt. j.g. Marissa Bonnefin, the MH-60 Jayhawk copilot.

“We receive a variety of training and work alongside members who have valuable experience. As an aircew we were able to implement the training and knowledge that we each have into the evolution to safely conduct the mission.”