ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Coast Guard coordinated efforts with the U.S. Air National Guard's 129th Rescue Wing and the U.S. Air Force's 563rd Rescue Group to medevac a mariner approximately 1000 miles west of Humboldt Bay, California, Wednesday.
At 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, watchstanders at the Coast Guard's Eleventh District Command Center received a report from the captain of the cargo ship "Port Kyushu" of a mariner aboard who was suffering from stroke-like symptoms.
Watchstanders sent Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) notifications to request the assistance of any available nearby ships. When no vessels within 200 miles were able to respond, the watchstanders requested assistance from the 129th Rescue Wing based at Moffett Air National Guard Base, California, which launched two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter aircrews and one HC-130 Hercules fixed wing aircrew. The 563rd Rescue Group based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, also launched one HC-130 Super Hercules fixed wing aircrew to respond.
The ANG aircraft arrived and deployed a pararescueman, who completed a hoist from the vessel at approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday and brought the mariner aboard the aircraft.
The patient was then transported to Stanford Medical Center in Stanford, California, where he was last reported to be in stable condition.
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