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Coast Guard and Navy coordinate to rescue man from tanker ship

The medevac took place about 400 miles off the Virginia coast

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy conducted a coordinated rescue Friday night of a man who had suffered a possible stroke from a tanker ship about 400 miles off of Virginia's coast.

According to a spokesperson for the Coast Guard, they were notified Friday evening that a chief officer aboard the tanker ship Arctic Flounder had shown symptoms of a possible stroke.

The Coast Guard launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina to assist, but because of the distance involved, required the helicopter to be able to refuel.

That's where the Navy stepped in with an assist from the USS Arleigh Burke, which was sailing in the vicinity. Like other destroyers in its class, the Arleigh Burke is fully equipped to accommodate helicopters such as the Coast Guard's Jayhawk.

The Jayhawk landed on the Arleigh Burke to take on a load of fuel before heading on to the tanker to conduct the medevac.

Credit: George M. Groutas (CC BY 2.0)
Arctic Flounder

Aircrews met the Arctic Flounder and hoisted the man onto the helicopter, after which they flew him to Norfolk Sentara General Hospital.

“The seamless coordination between U.S. Fleet Forces Command, the Coast Guard and the Arctic Flounder was key to the operation,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Robert Delano, command duty officer during the case. “Without the assistance of the Arleigh Burke, we would've had to wait for the ship to make it closer to shore, in a situation where time is of the essence and a person’s life is at stake.”

There was no word about the tanker officer's condition.

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