Crew member stable after U.S. rescue over Atlantic

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
  • 3rd Air Force-UK Public Affairs
June 30, 2009 RAF MILDENHALL, England --  A crew member is reported to be in stable condition after three United States Air Force units participated in his rescue off the coast of Ireland June 26.

Officials from the United Kingdom Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center contacted members of the 56th Rescue Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, mid-afternoon June 25. The UKARCC gave the U.S. bases a heads up on a possible incoming request for assistance to collect a crew member suffering from acute abdominal symptoms on a 750-foot-long container ship, the Pascha.

Once the U.S. teams were notified, they initiated a 12-hour crew rest to prepare them for the possible upcoming mission. The possibility became a reality with the U.S. Air Force prepped and ready to roll.

"The UKARCC is phenomenal. They were great calling down and letting us know what could be coming down the pipe," said Lt. Col. Mark Ahrens, an HH-60G Pave Hawk pilot and mission commander from the 56th RQS.

The operation required air-to-air refueling from KC-135R and MC-130P aircraft; as well as two HH-60G helicopters to perform patient extraction and transport.

The KC-135R Stratotanker, from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, is assigned to the 351st Air Refueling Squadron. The 56th RQS helicopters belong to the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath.

"The weather was challenging, but seemed to cooperate when it mattered most, such as in the vicinity of the ship and during our helicopter refueling," said Lt. Col. Kelly Passmore, 67th Special Operations Squadron commander and mission commander for the rescue. "The 352nd Maintenance Squadron did a great job getting the aircraft ready."

The 67th Special Operations Squadron's MC-130P Combat Shadow, is an asset of the Air Force Special Operations Command's 352nd Special Operations Group, which is also based at RAF Mildenhall.

"The helicopters took off Friday morning, followed by the MC-130P. The tanker refueled the helicopters then we took off in the 135 and refueled the 130," said Master Sgt. Bill Fitch, 351st ARS operations superintendent and chief boom. Sergeant Fitch operated the KC-135R refueling arm for the operation.

The stratotanker refueled the MC-130P at about 12,000 feet, after which the MC-130P dropped to 3,000 feet to refuel the Pave Hawks. Once the KC-135R finished refueling, it climbed to about 23,000 feet where it could conserve fuel as it circled above the ship. For the return top-up, the weather forced the KC-135R to offload to the MC-130P at about 14,000 feet.

"There was a pretty serious cloud deck over the ship in the Atlantic," Sergeant Fitch explained. "We connected when it was clear and passed the fuel needed to complete the mission."

The ship was approximately 700 miles off the west coast of Ireland according to USAF Operations Reports at the onset of the call. By the time rescuers arrived, the ship had traveled about 300 miles closer to the coast.

"The containment ship is a very large cargo ship with several large deck lids across the top," Sergeant Fitch explained. "Initially, the helicopter was going to try and land on one of these lids but the crew was unsure of the weight-bearing capacity so the rescue folks had to use the basket."

The pararescuemen from the 56th RQS performed the extraction without incident and delivered the patient to Shannon, Ireland, where an ambulance and paramedics awaited the delivery.

The coordination revolving around this real-world medical emergency required intricate communications. The mission involved various air and sea vessels as well as diverse refueling measures. The Royal Air Force employed one of their Nimrods, a British maritime patrol aircraft, to provide command and control support during the operation. The KC-135's higher altitude allowed its crew the ability to relay communications between the Nimrod and the involved air and sea ships.

As the extraction came to a close, the stratotanker topped off the propeller-driven 130 before heading home to the 100th ARW.

The MC-130P escorted the HH-60Gs to the drop-off point before continuing their journey back to RAF Mildenhall.

"The mission was a complete success," said Lieutenant Colonel Passmore. "There was great cooperation between the 56th Rescue Squadron, 100th Air Refueling Wing, the Royal Air Force and the 352nd Special Operations Group."

The 100th ARW final report was released June 26 at 6:46 p.m. It stated, "The two 48th FW HH-60G helicopters landed safely at Shannon, Ireland. The patient is in stable condition and was transloaded to medical personnel at Shannon."

Though these units have supported similar rescue missions in the past, Sergeant Fitch said this one was unique compared to most rescues. "Aside from the unique fact we facilitated communications, it was also unusual that we're all from the same place. Although we're from different units and in some cases, different commands, we all live and work as neighbors. So that aspect is different, the fact all of us - from the same place - saw this through from beginning to end."