California Air National Guard rescues sailor off the coast of Mexico
VIDEO: The US Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing (RQW) has reported on the successful completion of a complex, over-water rescue of an injured merchant seaman from a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel approximately 300 miles off the coast of Mexico at noon on 29 November.
The US Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing (RQW) has reported on the successful completion of a complex, over-water rescue of an injured merchant seaman from a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel approximately 300 miles off the coast of Mexico at noon on 29 November.
The 129th RQW received a call from the US Coast Guard on 26 November concerning an injured sailor onboard the cargo vessel Cary Rickmers. The sailor had suffered a serious head injury and required treatment beyond the capabilities of the vessel’s medical staff. Due to the ship’s remote location in the Pacific Ocean and the immediate need for medical care, the 129th RQW accepted the mission.
An HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopter, accompanied by an MC-130P Combat Shadow refuelling aircraft, took off from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on the day of the rescue and flew to the vessel’s location in the East Pacific Ocean. The 129th RQW’s Guardian Angel pararescuemen were winched down from the helicopter to board the vessel and prepare the patient for recovery; he was subsequently treated onboard the helicopter during its two-hour flight back to Mexico.
Upon arriving at Cabo San Lucas, the patient was transferred onto the MC-130P and flown to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego, US. He was subsequently transported via ambulance to a local level-four trauma centre.
The 129th RQW said the mission highlighted the diversity of its highly trained and capable airmen. In addition to the highly specialised capabilities of the air crews and pararescuemen, 129th RQW airmen were utilised outside their traditional roles to enable a successful rescue – two airmen, who speak Filipino, served as translators for the non-English-speaking ship crew and aided in translation for the injured sailor, facilitating both his medical care and support throughout the rescue process.
Colonel Steven J. Butow, 129th RQW commander, commented: “This was a complex rescue mission, but our airmen were up for the task. This is the third successful long-range, over-water mission we have executed within the past nine months. Saving lives beyond the capability of others is what we do best.”
Image: A 129th RQW pararescueman hoists down to the Cary Rickmers during the rescue of the injured sailor (courtesy California Air National Guard)