CLEVELAND — A rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Duluth, Minn., medically evacuated a 27-year-old crewmember from a 730-foot, Canadian-flagged freighter outside the entrance of the Superior, Wis., harbor, Thursday evening.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., received the request for a medevac through the Rescue 21 system and by telephone.
Crewmembers aboard the motor vessel Algoma Olympic explained that a crewmember, a Canadian citizen, was experiencing an asthma attack. The rescue boatcrew, and a member of local emergency medical services, launched aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium. He was transferred safely to a waiting ambulance in good condition and taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth.
The man’s current condition is unknown.
Rescue 21 is a VHF radio-based system that incorporates direction-finding equipment to improve locating mariners in distress. This system enhances clarity of distress calls and enhances the safety and protection of America’s waterways.
