Crewmember stable after Airmen assist in rescue over Atlantic

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
  • 3rd Air Force Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England (AFNS) --  A crewmember who required immediate medical attention on board a ship 400 miles off the coast of Ireland is reported to be in stable condition after three U.S. Air Force units participated in his rescue June 26.

Officials from the United Kingdom Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center contacted members of the 56th Rescue Squadron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath mid-afternoon June 25 for assistance to rescue the crewmember suffering from acute abdominal symptoms on a 750-foot-long container ship, the Pascha.

"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-135 Stratotanker and MC-130P Combat Shadow; as well as two HH-60G helicopters to perform patient extraction and transport.

The KC-135 was assigned to the 351st Air Refueling Squadron from RAF Mildenhall. The 56th RQS helicopters were from 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, the 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 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 KC-135 and refueled the MC-130P," said Master Sgt. Bill Fitch, the 351st ARS operations superintendent and chief boom. Sergeant Fitch operated the KC-135 refueling arm for the operation.

The KC-135 refueled the MC-130P at about 12,000 feet, after which the MC-130P dropped to 3,000 feet to refuel the HH-60G. Once the KC-135 finished refueling, it climbed to about 23,000 feet where it could conserve fuel as it circled above the ship. For the return trip, the weather forced the KC-135 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 said. "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 Air Force operations reports at the onset of the call. By the time rescuers arrived, the ship had traveled 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 KC-135 topped off the propeller-driven MC-130P 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," Colonel Passmore said. "There was great cooperation between the 56th Rescue Squadron, 100th Air Refueling Wing, the Royal Air Force and the 352nd Special Operations Group."