SAN DIEGO — Coast Guard helicopter crews from San Diego and San Francisco worked together with the USS Abraham Lincoln in the medical evacuation of a 42-year-old man from the motor vessel Marie Rikmers, 650 miles off the coast of San Diego on Sunday.
The Sector San Diego Command Center received notification of a man in need of medical attention, and an MH-60J “Jayhawk” helicopter from Air Station San Diego was dispatched.
Due to the location of the motor vessel, the helicopter had to refuel on the nearby aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, homeported in Seattle, in order to complete the mission.
The helicopter took off from the aircraft carrier after refueling and arrived on scene with the Marie Rikmers. Once in position, the air crew hoisted the man from the deck of the boat to the helicopter. They then flew him back to the Lincoln and transferred him to the medical personnel on board who determined the patient was in stable condition.
While performing the mission, the helicopter crew had flown their maximum allowed hours for flight operations and were grounded until they could completed the required rest.
A Coast Guard HH-65C “Dolphin” helicopter from Air Station San Francisco was dispatched to complete the evacuation and transport the patient to Monterey, Calif.
The patient was then transferred to local Emergency Medical Services at Monterey Airport, and taken to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
The HH-65C “Dolphin” crew spent the night in Monterey due to inclement weather and returned to Air Station San Francisco on Monday.
The MH-60J “Jayhawk” crew departed the Lincoln after proper rest, and returned to Air Station San Diego on Monday.
