USCG Medevacs Freighter Crewmember in Gulf of Alaska

On June 19, a Jayhawk helicopter crew out of Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak medevaced a 22-year-old crewmember with a leg injury from the reefer vessel Coastal Progress, about 160 miles southwest of Kodiak in the Gulf of Alaska. 

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage received a medevac request from a medical advisory company for a crewmember aboard the Coastal Progress, who had suffered a potentially broken leg. Sector Anchorage requested the launch of the Jayhawk crew after consulting the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac for the crewmember.

Weather on scene was calm, with winds below ten knots and two-foot seas. The Jayhawk crew successfully hoisted the injured man from the stern of the Progress and brought him to EMS personnel in Kodiak.

“The Jayhawk crew’s extensive training allowed them to maneuver and maintain a safe altitude over the large vessel,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Macera, Sector Anchorage watchstander. 

The Coastal Progress and her sister ship, the Coastal Nomad, are among the last yard-and-stay geared vessels in the U.S. merchant fleet. Their operator recently retired two similar ships and purchased a newbuild with a side loading, roll-on/roll-off design.