Previous Story
Coast Guard medevacs mariner from Wake Island
SANTA RITA, Guam—The U.S. Coast Guard evacuated a 51-year-old crewmember from the 211-foot Japanese-flagged fishing vessel Shoyo Maru some 1,501 miles east of Guam on Wake Island last Tuesday.
An Air Station Barbers Point HC-130 Hercules aircrew successfully transported the man from Wake Island to waiting emergency medical personnel in Guam. He was reported to be in stable condition.
“Our ‘Always Ready’ motto demands that our aircrews are ready to rapidly respond anywhere in the Pacific,” said Cmrd. James Morrow, an operations officer at Air Station Barbers Point. “They often perform medical transportation flights between the islands ensuring the most critical patients are able to quickly reach the proper level of care they need.”
At 6:30pm Sunday, Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders received notification from the Japan Coast Guard that a crewmember aboard the Shoyo Maru was experiencing abdominal and back pain.
A Coast Guard duty flight surgeon was consulted and recommended a medevac based on the concern that the mariner’s condition could worsen if left untreated. The vessel was instructed to set course for Wake Island where they would meet the Coast Guard aircrew.
A duty corpsman from Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam was aboard the Hercules monitoring the patient’s condition during transport. (USCG)
