Coast Guard medevacs man from fishing vessel near Uganik Bay, Alaska

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Bradley Pigage (archive).

KODIAK, Anchorage— The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 56-year-old man from a fishing vessel near​ Uganik Bay, Alaska, Saturday.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Air Station Kodiak hoisted the crewman from fishing vessel​ Caiti Jo​ and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Kodiak at​ 7:00​ p.m.​

Watchstanders at the Sector Anchorage command center received notification at 4:42​ p.m. that a crewman aboard the vessel was experiencing stoke-related symptoms. A​ ​ Coast Guard duty flight surgeon was consulted and a medevac recommended. The command center launched the Jayhawk aircrew from Air Station Kodiak.​ ​

Weather on scene was clear visibility with 17 mph winds and one foot seas.

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Coast Guard rescues overdue ATV riders on Kodiak Island

Survivors reunite with their families after a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew lands at Air Station Kodiak, April 28, 2019. The two men were located and rescued by the helicopter crew after the men became stranded during an all-terrain vehicle excursion on the island. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Air Station Kodiak.

KODIAK, Alaska​ — The Coast Guard rescued two men Sunday after they became stranded during an all-terrain vehicle trip on Kodiak Island.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak located the men after detecting their heat signatures inside a cabin near Saltery Cove. As the helicopter approached the cabin, the crew could see smoke rising from the chimney and the word “HELP” spilled out with driftwood in the cabin’s driveway.

Alaska State Troopers requested aerial support from the Coast Guard Sunday morning after a family member reported the men overdue to return from an ATV excursion.

The Coast Guard searched in low visibility for several hours and managed to locate the men’s ATVs, before returning to the air station to refuel. After refueling, they headed back out and began to double check some of the places they’d already looked, which included numerous cabins near the abandoned ATVs.

The helicopter crew used a forward looking infrared camera on the helicopter to look for human heat signatures. They found the men in a cabin they’d already checked earlier in the day.

The crew landed in a grassy area about 300 yards from the cabin and took the men aboard. The men stated that one ATV had broken down and the other had become stuck in the mud. They were experiencing the early stages of hypothermia and decided to use the cabin to start a fire and get warm.

"These men did exactly what anyone facing hypothermia should do," said Lt. Jack Shadwick, co-pilot for the case. "They found the closest logical option to warm themselves quickly, and they found a way to attract the attention of search crews. We were happy to be able to assist the Alaska State Troopers and bring these men home to their families."

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Coast Guard verifies refloating of grounded landing craft on Kodiak Island, Alaska

US Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk Air Station Kodiak, photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Bradley Pigage (archive)

KODIAK, Alaska​ — The Coast Guard verified the refloating of the landing craft Don Quixote without incident during high tide Thursday, about 2 miles south of Cape Kuliuk on Kodiak Island.

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An Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew on an overflight did not observe any sheening or discharge and confirmed the vessel appeared stable.

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Don Quixote crew members repaired leaks and lightened the load on board before the successful refloating attempt.

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The Coast Guard has allowed the vessel to resume operations and determined that a​ substantial threat to the environment has been mitigated.

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"Despite some minor, unrecoverable sheening reported yesterday, this is otherwise the best case scenario for all involved," said Lt. James Nunez, incident management division chief for Coast Guard Sector Anchorage. "When a grounding occurs we take immediate action to ensure safety of the mariner and to protect the environment. While the response phase is now complete, our investigators will look into all the factors that led to the grounding."

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Coast Guard assists good Samaritan vessel to rescue five people from sunken fishing vessel near Dutch Harbor, Alaska

USCG MH-60 Jayhawk Air Station Kodiak ©Petty Officer 1st Class Bradley Pigage (archive).

KODIAK, Alaska - Two Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak helicopter aircrews searched and assisted the good Samaritan fishing vessel Kona Kai with locating five people in a life raft from the sunken commercial fishing vessel Pacific 1, approximately 40 miles west, southwest of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Friday.

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The Kona Kai safely recovered all five people from an inflatable life raft that was deployed from the Pacific​ 1 upon sinking. All five people were safely transported to Dutch Harbor and were reported to have been in good condition.

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Seventeenth District command center watchstanders received notification from Communications Detachment Kodiak of a distress relay from the Kona Kai regarding the fishing vessel Pacific 1, which was reported to be taking on water and listing heavily with five people aboard.

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After a loss of communication, the Kona Kai transited to the last known position of the Pacific​ 1 to assist. The Coast Guard directed the launch of an Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from forward-operating location Cold Bay, Alaska, to search. The district also directed the launch of an Air Station Kodiak MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Dutch Harbor to assist.

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After arriving on scene, the Coast Guard aircrew was able to locate the raft with all five people aboard, but due to an inflight problem, deployed a data marker buoy to mark the location and then returned to base.

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“Through the coordinated and diligent efforts of the Coast Guard and the Good Samaritan vessel Kona Kai, we were able to successfully locate and bring home all five people from the sunken vessel,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Kotrba, an operations specialist and supervisor at Communications Detachment Kodiak. “We are extremely thankful for the local assistance in this case. This rescue is a testament to the teamwork it takes to save lives in Alaska, and we are extremely grateful.”

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Weather on scene was 10 mph winds, 7 miles visibility and an air temperature of 45 degrees.

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USCG MH-65 Dolphin Air Station Kodiak ©Lt. Craig Hermiller (archive).

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Coast Guard medevacs man from fishing vessel 40 miles north of Cold Bay, Alaska

MH-60 Jayhawk USCG Air Station Kodiak ©Lt. Daniel Beshoar (archive)

KODIAK, Alaska – A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew, forward-deployed to Cold Bay, medevaced a 35-year-old man from the 305-foot fishing vessel Golden Alaska, 40 miles north of Cold Bay, Alaska, Wednesday morning.

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The Jayhawk aircrew launched, conducted the medevac from the Golden Alaska and safely transported the man to the Cold Bay clinic. He was reported to have been in stable condition upon transfer.

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At 10:54 p.m., Tuesday, Coast Guard 17th District Command Center watchstanders received notification from Health Force Partners requesting a medevac for a man aboard the Golden Alaska who was reported to have been suffering from severe leg pain. The watchstanders directed the launch of the Cold Bay aircrew to conduct the medevac.

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“Our forward operating locations are critical to mission success in Alaska,” said Lt. Jeff Mistrick, a Jayhawk pilot on the medevac. “Alaska has more than 47,300 miles of shoreline and encompasses more than 3.8 million square miles of land that we are responsible for covering. Had it not been for our close proximity to this man, we may not have been able to hoist him as quickly as we did.”

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A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew is forward-deployed to Cold Bay during the Alaska winter fisheries season in efforts to reduce response times for search and rescue cases.

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On-scene weather was 12 mph winds, 2 to 3-foot seas with 12 miles visibility.

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Coast Guard medevacs diver near False Pass, Alaska

COLD BAY, AK, UNITED STATES

The Coast Guard medevacs a man after a diving accident near False Pass, Alaska, Sept. 13, 2018. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew based out of Air Station Kodiak hoisted the man and brought him to receive medical care in Cold Bay. U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Kodiak

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Coast Guard medevaced a man after a diving accident near False Pass, Thursday.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew based out of Air Station Kodiak hoisted the man and brought him to receive medical care at Cold Bay Clinic in Cold Bay.

Coast Guard watchstanders in the 17th District command center in Juneau received a report at about 1:50 p.m. detailing the accident. The man was diving on a wreck about nine miles northeast of False Pass when a piece of the wreck broke free and pinned him to the sea floor at a depth of about 65 feet for several minutes. He was able to free himself and surface before the Coast Guard was notified. The dive master aboard the dive tender vessel Makushin Bay reported the accident and described the man’s condition, which included bleeding from the nose and possible injuries to the left side of his body.

The Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended a medevac.

“The diver's ability to free himself, coupled with our aircrew’s proximity to the accident today provided a favorable outcome,” said Lt. Stephen Nolan, command duty officer for the case. “The aircrew just so happened to be in Cold Bay on a separate, unrelated mission. As vast a place as Alaska is, being able to get to someone who needs help in time is always one of the biggest challenges our crews face. We were grateful to be able to do that today.”

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Coast Guard medevacs woman from cruise ship near Cordova, Alaska

MH-60 Jayhawk ©USCG (archive)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Coast Guard medevaced a woman with a head injury from a cruise ship southeast of Cordova, Thursday.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak hoisted the 68-year-old woman at approximately 10 p.m. and transferred her to an awaiting LifeMed aircraft crew in Cordova.

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center watchstanders received the initial request for the medevac from the master of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Radiance of the Seas located approximately 65-miles southeast of Cordova at approximately 7:30 p.m.

LifeMed brought the woman to Anchorage for treatment.

“This was my first medevac as the flight mechanic responsible for operating the hoist,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Lalaina Soehnel, aviation maintenance technician from Air Station Kodiak. “It was a blessing to be part of a crew that was able to help bring this woman to the care she needed.”

On scene weather at the time of the medevac included an air temperature of 54 degrees, water temperature of 57 degrees, 7-mph winds, 3-foot seas, 10 miles of visibility and overcast skies.

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