U.S. Air Force leads international effort to rescue injured crewman at sea

Published Dec. 11, 2008
By Capt Kelley Jeter
Third Air Force Public Affairs

RAF Mildenhall -- U.S. Air Force Airmen and aircraft were part of an international effort over the Atlantic Ocean late Wednesday that saved the life of a crew member who suffered a life-threatening head injury onboard a cargo ship over 320 miles west of Cork, Ireland.

The Burmese crew member was injured at sea on a Liberian-flagged cargo vessel. In coordination with British rescue officials, a U.S. Air Force command and control hub in Germany orchestrated numerous assets from the United Kingdom to rescue the crew member in little more than 12 hours.

The crew member had fallen 40 feet from a container, sustaining injuries that couldn't be properly treated on board the ship. With the ship well out at sea, and no quick way for the ship to reach support facilities, a rescue effort was the only solution for this injured crewman.

The British Ministry of Defense quickly realized the need for longer distance air-refuelable helicopters in order to reach the sea-going vessel and called on a UK-based U.S. Air Force unit for assistance. As the Royal Air Force launched a Nimrod maritime surveillance aircraft from RAF Kinloss in Scotland to monitor the situation and provide communication support, the U.S. Air Force began quickly putting a plan into action.

In constant communication with U.S. European Command officials and the rescue aircraft, the 603rd Air Operations Center, Personnel Recovery Coordination Cell, at Ramstein AB, Germany, launched into action, providing coordination for all necessary players making the mission possible.

The 56th Rescue Squadron out of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, UK, put highly-trained pararescuemen, or PJs, on two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters to fly the significant distance to the vessel, medically attend to the injured man, and set out shortly after noon. With a range of just over 500 nautical miles, refueling was a must for this mission.

The 352nd Special Operations Group out of RAF Mildenhall offered up their 67th Special Operations Squadron's MC-130P Combat Shadow aerial refueler to refuel the helicopters given its specific capability to do so.

But this mission was so far out at sea, even the MC-130P would need refueling.

To make this happen the 603rd Air & Space Operations Center's Air Mobility Division tasked the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, UK, to refuel the Combat Shadow, and after quick reaction and planning by the tanker unit, a 351st Air Refueling Squadron tanker and crew were soon airborne.

At the rendezvous time around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, with precision orchestration of the various aircrafts' flight plans, the Air Force PJs were lowered to the pitching deck of the MV Anna Rickmers to attend to their patient. As helos circled in the darkness, the sea churned beneath and the refueling aircraft remained in the vicinity at the ready, the PJs were able to stabilize the crew member sufficiently to be safely hoisted to an HH-60G and flown to dry land.

Two hours later, the helos touched down in Shannon in the Republic of Ireland, where an ambulance was waiting to transport the patient to a local hospital. The patient was admitted and is now in stable condition.

"The UK and US rescue coordination was outstanding," said Lt. Col. Neil Eisen, commander of the 56th Rescue Squadron. "Everything came together so we could get out there to save a life."