Coast Guard conducts high seas medevac off Elizabeth City, NC

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Coast Guard medevaced a 55-year-old man off a 516-foot motor vessel approximately 200 miles east of Elizabeth City, N.C., in the Atlantic Ocean Friday.

Crewmembers aboard the motor vessel Orange Wave contacted Coast Guard watchstanders stating there was a man aboard needing medical attention.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 5th District Command Center launched crewmembers from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to perform the medevac and a HC-130 Hercules aircrew to assist with communications.

When the crews arrived on scene the conditions ranged from 42 to 45-knot winds with 22 to 26-foot swells.

“We did the hoist from 168-feet to compensate for the 22 to 26-foot seas and the tall super structure of the ship reporting below,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Ian Kesterson, the flight mechanic aboard the Jayhawk. “The water was coming over the bow and the sides.”

The crews arrived on scene and the Jayhawk crew lowered their rescue swimmer to assist with loading the man to the basket to be hoisted. The man was transferred to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Va.

“This was a difficult case,” said Kesterson. “Our main concern was finding a proper balance of safety and getting the job done.”