Coast Guard medevacs man from tugboat in Chatham Strait, Alaska

A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter crew medevaced a man from the 83-foot tugboat Maia H 30 miles east of Sitka, Alaska, in the Chatham Strait, May 9, 2018. The aircrew hoisted the man from the tugboat and safely transferred him to awaiting emergency medical personnel in Sitka for further medical care.
U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Sitka.

KODIAK, Alaska - A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter crew medevaced a man from an 83-foot tugboat Wednesday morning in Chatham Strait, Alaska.

An Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted a 61-year-old man from the tugboat Maia H 34 miles east of Sitka.

After the aircrew hoisted the man from the Maia H, they transferred him safely to awaiting emergency medical personnel in Sitka for further medical care.

Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received notification from the Maia H’s crew reporting that the captain was experiencing possible symptoms of a stroke. A flight surgeon for the 17th Coast Guard District recommended a medevac, and Sector Juneau watchstanders directed the launch of an Air Station Sitka helicopter crew.

“The tugboat’s crew was monitoring the captain’s vitals, and they did a great job to get the man positioned for the hoist,” said Petty Officer 3^rd Class Tyler Sojka, an aviation survival technician at Air Station Sitka, who assisted with the hoist. “It was an efficient hoist, and we were able to get the man to EMS quickly.”

Weather at the time of the hoist was 25-mph winds with 2-foot seas.

-USCG-