Two Coastguard helicopters fly in Gale Force 9 to successfully complete long range rescue off Stornoway
Two Coastguard helicopter crews working together have flown 400 miles in Gale Force 9 conditions to help get an unwell crewman to hospital.
The crewman became unwell last night on a fishing vessel over 200 miles from Stornoway.
His condition meant that he needed to be transferred for urgent medical attention but the vessel’s distance from land created a challenge - not to mention the very rough seas that it was experiencing. The UK Coastguard was called and sent two HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters, one from Inverness and one from Stornoway.
With the Inverness helicopter acting as additional support known as top cover, Stornoway’s helicopter flew to the vessel and winched the man on board in deteriorating weather conditions.
He was then flown back to Benbecula Airport where he was transferred to the Inverness aircraft and flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for further treatment.
Captain Andy Pilliner piloted the Stornoway Coastguard helicopter said: 'As is often the case with rescues a significant distance out to sea, the weather presented a substantial challenge. The sea state was rough to very rough, resulting in the fishing vessel suffering considerable heave, pitch and roll, which made the winching difficult. The vessel did all it could to help make the transfer as safe as possible, steering a course to minimise the effects of the sea, while volunteers from the crew grappled with a heaving-in line to attempt to stabilise the winchman and casualty. Nevertheless, it was a challenging winch that went well given the conditions of the deck.
The crewman became unwell last night on a fishing vessel over 200 miles from Stornoway.
His condition meant that he needed to be transferred for urgent medical attention but the vessel’s distance from land created a challenge - not to mention the very rough seas that it was experiencing. The UK Coastguard was called and sent two HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters, one from Inverness and one from Stornoway.
With the Inverness helicopter acting as additional support known as top cover, Stornoway’s helicopter flew to the vessel and winched the man on board in deteriorating weather conditions.
He was then flown back to Benbecula Airport where he was transferred to the Inverness aircraft and flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for further treatment.
Captain Andy Pilliner piloted the Stornoway Coastguard helicopter said: 'As is often the case with rescues a significant distance out to sea, the weather presented a substantial challenge. The sea state was rough to very rough, resulting in the fishing vessel suffering considerable heave, pitch and roll, which made the winching difficult. The vessel did all it could to help make the transfer as safe as possible, steering a course to minimise the effects of the sea, while volunteers from the crew grappled with a heaving-in line to attempt to stabilise the winchman and casualty. Nevertheless, it was a challenging winch that went well given the conditions of the deck.
'Throughout the rescue we were reassured to have our colleagues from the Inverness SAR unit providing us with support in case we needed it. Thankfully, everything went to plan, and the Inverness crew were able to complete the rescue by transferring the casualty to hospital in Aberdeen. Together with the support of the UK Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) this was a great result of the teamwork between all the units involved.'
Captain Simon Hammock who piloted the Inverness Coastguard helicopter said: 'The extreme range, strong headwinds and very rough seas required additional planning and co-ordination with the ARCC playing a pivotal role. The plan worked well and whilst it was good to have assisted, it was the crew of Stornoway Rescue 948 who did all the hard work on scene.'
Jonathan Mustard, Aeronautical Operations Controller for UK Coastguard ARCC said: ‘We often talk about the importance of team work in search and rescue. Owing to the long range, it was vital the helicopters were able to rendezvous with the vessel and evacuate the injured crewman, with as little delay as possible. This is a superb example of two HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters working closely together. We would like to thank all those who have played their part in bringing this rescue to a successful conclusion. Our priority is to protect life at sea and we will always do everything possible to provide assistance for a mariner in need. Thankfully, we have been able to get him to hospital and we hope he is on the road to recovery.’
Jonathan Mustard, Aeronautical Operations Controller for UK Coastguard ARCC said: ‘We often talk about the importance of team work in search and rescue. Owing to the long range, it was vital the helicopters were able to rendezvous with the vessel and evacuate the injured crewman, with as little delay as possible. This is a superb example of two HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters working closely together. We would like to thank all those who have played their part in bringing this rescue to a successful conclusion. Our priority is to protect life at sea and we will always do everything possible to provide assistance for a mariner in need. Thankfully, we have been able to get him to hospital and we hope he is on the road to recovery.’
