U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Kelley.
ALAMEDA, California — Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Department personnel rescue (medevac) woman from a sailboat approximately 380 nautical miles west of Bodega Bay, Tuesday morning.
Coast Guard 11th District Command Center watchstanders received a notification via satellite communicator at approximately 1:45 p.m. Monday, from the captain of the sailboat Cibola, reporting a 23-year-old woman had accidently ingested antifreeze.
Due to the distance offshore and range limitations of Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco’s MH-65 Dolphin, Short-Range Recovery helicopters, watchstanders directed the forward deployment of a Coast Guard Sector San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk Medium-Range Recovery Helicopter aircrew to Air Station San Francisco. Additionally, the Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757) was diverted to serve as a refueling platform for the Jayhawk helicopter.
The Sector San Diego MH-60T Jayhawk arrived at Air Station San Francisco at approximately 9 p.m. Monday. The helicopter was refueled, crews were changed and a San Francisco Fire Department paramedic boarded before departing on the medevac mission.
The MH-60 Jayhawk rescue swimmer, from U.S. Coast Guard San Diego, assisted in hoisting the woman into the helicopter and once the rescue swimmer was retrieved, the San Francisco Fire Department paramedic provided medical attention to the 23-year-old woman throughout the remainder of the flight.
U.S. Coast Guard video.
A Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento C-27 Spartan aircrew launched around 9:55 p.m. Monday to provide cover for the MH-60T Jayhawk crew throughout the mission and rendezvoused with the Jayhawk before both crews headed offshore.
The MH-60T aircrew landed on the Midgett to refuel approximately 230 miles west of San Francisco around 11:45 p.m. and then proceeded toward the Cibola.
The rescue helicopter crew arrived on scene with the Cibola around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday and lowered the rescue swimmer to assess the situation.
The rescue swimmer assisted in hoisting the woman into the helicopter and once the rescue swimmer was retrieved, the MH-60T aircrew headed back to the Midgett.
“The San Francisco Fire Department paramedic’s assistance was vital to saving the sailor’s life as he assisted the Coast Guard rescue swimmer to stabilize and care for her during the four-hour transit back to San Francisco,” said Douglas Samp, the 11th District search mission coordinator.
The C-27Js are outfitted with weather radar and communications equipment capable of supporting transport and other Coast Guard missions.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Scott Handlin.
The Jayhawk crew returned to the Midgett around 4 a.m. to refuel again before flying back to Air Station San Francisco.
“This was a highly complex medical evacuation performed at night, off a small sailboat, hundreds of miles offshore that tested the limits of our search and rescue aircrews and equipment,” said Samp. “The sailor’s life was saved by the dedicated teamwork of the San Francisco Fire Department and Coast Guard personnel across eight different units.”
The woman was transferred to awaiting EMS in stable condition and transported to Zuckerburg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
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