Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Coast Guard medically evacuates ailing man from commercial vessel.


Coast Guard medically evacuates ailing man from commercial vessel.

CLEVELAND — The Coast Guard medically evacuated an ailing Canadian man from a motor vessel early Tuesday morning in the vicinity of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

The name and hometown of the man is not being released by the Coast Guard at this time and there is no Coast Guard imagery.

At around 11:45 p.m., Monday night, a search-and-rescue coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste Marie, received a request for a medical evacuation of a crewmember aboard the 730-foot Canadian-flagged motor vessel Algoma Navigator. The search-and-rescue coordinator conferred with the 9th Coast Guard District's duty flight surgeon, who concurred with the need for a medevac.

Rescue crews from Coast Guard Station Sault Ste Marie, Air Station Traverse City, Mich., and the Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay were notified of the request for assistance. The cutter Katmai Bay, a 140-foot icebreaking tug homeported in Sault Ste Marie was the only asset capable of responding due to weather and river conditions along the southern St. Marys River.

At around 2:30 a.m., the crew of the Katmai Bay embarked the ailing man aboard the cutter, who was lowered in a rescue litter from the service hoist onboard the Algoma Navigator. The crew of the Katmai Bay then transported him to the De Tour Coal docks where emergency medical services were awaiting.

At 3:30 a.m., the crew of the Katmai Bay transferred the patient to the awaiting EMS personnel, who brought him to War Memorial Hospital in Sault Ste Marie. The man was listed in stable condition.

The Coast Guard notified U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers of the situation to ensure interagency coordination.


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