Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter file photo by PA1 Kurt Fredrickson
KODIAK, Alaska – Coast Guard aircrews medevaced a man from a fishing vessel 322 nautical miles northwest of St. Paul Island, Alaska, Wednesday.
The 45-year-old man was safely hoisted at 12:12 p.m. and taken to St. Paul for a wing-to-wing transfer with a commercial medevac company for further transport to Anchorage.
At 11:48 p.m., Tuesday, District 17 Command Center watchstanders received a medevac request for a fisherman reportedly experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding aboard the 170-foot fishing vessel Baranof. Watchstanders conferred with a duty flight surgeon and launched three Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrews to respond.
Collectively, crews flew 20 hours, covered approximately 1,600 nautical miles and refueled three times on the ground to successfully transport the man to further care.
“Alaska presents a unique set of challenges, one primarily being the remote locations of some of the cases,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Catalioto, a District 17 watchstander who coordinated the initial response. “Long-range medevacs such as this require a lot of coordination and are a team effort. We are fortunate to have such dynamic crews ready and capable to respond in a moment’s notice.”
Weather on scene was 17-mph winds, four foot seas and 10 miles visibility.
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