Coast Guard medevacs woman from cruise ship near Kake, Alaska

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka medevacs a woman from a cruise ship near Kake, Alaska, June 25, 2019. She was flown to Air Station Sitka and placed in the care of awaiting EMS, then transported to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center in Sitka. U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Sitka.

SITKA, Alaska — The Coast Guard medevaced a woman from a cruise ship near Kake, Tuesday.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka medevaced the woman who was experiencing serious health complications aboard the Ovation of the Seas in Frederick Sound near Kake. She was flown to Air Station Sitka and placed in the care of awaiting EMS, then transported to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center in Sitka.

Coast Guard watch standers in the Sector Juneau command center received the request for the medevac at approximately 2:15 p.m.

The aircrew launched from Sitka, along with a Coast Guard corpsman who helped administer oxygen to the patient in flight.

“When we initially received this call, we anticipated being able to hoist this woman to the helicopter in a rescue basket,”said Petty Officer 2nd Class Keith Williams, aviation survival technician on the case. “Her situation had deteriorated by the time we arrived on scene, and I immediately recognized we would need to use a rescue litter. The crew on the cruise ship was extremely helpful in preparing her for the hoist, and with their cooperation we were able to bring this woman to the care she needed in Sitka.”

The woman was alert and responsive upon arriving at the hospital, but was reported to be in critical condition.

The 1,138-foot Ovation of the Seas was headed from Skagway to Victoria, British Columbia.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Kellen Browne (archive).

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Coast Guard assists multiple agencies with mountain rescue, Sitka, Alaska

A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew transfers an injured hiker to awaiting emergency medical services in Sitka, Alaska, June 15, 2019. The 55-year-old man required medical evacuation after reportedly falling 100 feet while hiking in the Sisters Mountains with two other people. U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photos.

KODIAK, Alaska - A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew assisted Alaska State Troopers and Sitka Mountain Rescue personnel to hoist a 50-year-old man who fell off a steep cliff while hiking the Sisters Mountains in Sitka, Alaska, Saturday.​

The man was transferred to Sitka emergency medical services personnel in stable condition but with reported head injuries.

Sector Juneau command center watchstanders received notification from Sitka Fire Department personnel at approximately 2 p.m. requesting helicopter support for a man who fell approximately 100 feet while hiking and was reported to have sustained a head and potential back injury from the fall. District 17 command center watchstanders directed the launch of an Air Station Sitka helicopter crew to assist with the rescue.​

Sitka Mountain Rescue personnel escorted two other hikers in the party off the mountain after the man was safely hoisted.​

“This was definitely a challenging mountain rescue based on the deteriorating weather, altitude and rugged terrain,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Jacobs, a pilot on the case. “It highlights the interagency cooperation, advanced training and unique mission sets that Coast Guard units execute daily in Southeast Alaska.”

The rescue occurred at 2,000 ft. in elevation with 3 mph winds, 4 miles visibility with patchy fog, light rain and an air temperature of 52 degrees.​

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Coast Guard saves man aboard sinking vessel near Kake, Alaska

A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka rescue swimmer assists in dewatering a sinking vessel near Kake, Alaska, May 7, 2019. The rescuer swam to the vessel, was lowered a dewatering pump and helped mitigate the flooding until members of the Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa arrived to assist. Video courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard.

The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa (WPB-1335), homeported in Petersburg, Alaska, assists in dewatering a vessel that was sinking with one person aboard and towed it back to Petersburg May 7, 2019. No medical concerns were reported for the man who was rescued. Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard.

JUNEAU, Alaska — The Coast Guard​ rescued a man from his​ fishing​ vessel that was​ taking on water northeast of Kake and​ towed the vessel to safety, Tuesday.

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An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka and the crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa, out of Petersburg, delivered personnel with dewatering pumps to the vessel and helped stop the leak in the hull. The Anacapa crew then towed the vessel to Petersburg.

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Watchstanders in the Sector Juneau command center received a call from the friend of a fisherman in Petersburg, reporting that his friend had contacted him via an inReach device and indicated that his 40-foot fishing vessel Neto was taking on water near Eliza Harbor. The friend stated that the fisherman did not have electronics on board, and was experiencing difficulties with his dewatering pump. The friend also thought the fishermen's boat might be adrift without power.

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Sector Juneau watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and requested the launch of the Sitka aircrew and Cutter Anacapa.

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The helicopter crew arrived on scene and lowered a rescue swimmer and a pump and began to assist the fisherman with dewatering the vessel. Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa arrived on scene, launched a small boat, and provided a crew member and an additional pump to help remove water from the vessel.

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The Coast Guard and the fisherman got the flooding under control and secured the leak. Then the crew of Anacapa took the vessel in tow.

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"Luckily, both air and cutter crews were able to arrive on scene before this fisherman ended up in serious trouble," said Lt. Cmdr. David Birky, aircraft commander for the case. "Having a functioning dewatering pump on board a boat with plenty of fuel can save your boat from sinking in many situations. If a boat loses power and is taking on water, a pump is often the only way to prevent a bad day from becoming much worse. It's also crucial to have multiple means of communicating, especially a marine radio, so you can call us directly in the case of a maritime emergency."

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The fisherman and vessel were taken to Petersburg. No medical concerns were reported.

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Coast Guard rescues helicopter crash survivor, searches for others near Lituya Bay, Alaska

Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jon-Paul Rios (archive)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Coast Guard rescued a survivor of a helicopter crash Friday near Lituya Bay, Alaska, and is searching for three potential others Saturday.

The 14-year-old survivor was flown to Sitka by a Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and placed in the care of awaiting EMS. He displayed signs of mild hypothermia but was reported to be in good condition.

An additional Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew is searching Saturday along with a Civil Air Patrol aircraft crew out of Juneau, for three others who were aboard the helicopter when it went down.

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Bailey Barco out of Ketchikan is searching the water in the vicinity of the crash, and their small boat crew is searching the shoreline.

Watchstanders in the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau initially received an overdue aircraft alert at about 6:30 p.m. Friday from the Juneau Flight Service Station. The alert stated a private helicopter with four people aboard expected to arrive in Yakutat Friday had not arrived.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched from Air Station Sitka at 8:15 p.m. The crew learned the last known position of the aircraft due to the signal of a GPS locator. The Coast Guard helicopter crew landed on the beach about 3 miles east of Lituya Bay, where the crew’s rescue swimmer located the boy.

“We did not locate any other survivors tonight but the Coast Guard and others will conduct a thorough search Saturday,” said Lt. Kellen Browne, helicopter co-pilot for Friday's rescue.

Two adults and two adolescents were aboard the crashed helicopter that was reported to be brand new out of the factory. The pilot is reported to have 40 years flying experience including Alaska flight time in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

The new helicopter was on a trip that originated in Grand Prairie, Texas, and was bound for Wasilla.

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