U.S. Coast Guard Rescue teams from across the state responded to five calls for help over the weekend. Teams operated rescues for fishing vessels, a cruise ship and a stranding.
The factory trawling vessel Northern Eagle was the first boat to require assistance on Friday morning.
A press release from the Coast Guard said a 26-year-old crewmember was experiencing abdominal pain and a medevac request was made shortly after 6 a.m.
A Coast Guard helicopter arrived two hours later. The crew member was brought to St. Paul Island and then to Anchorage that evening for further care. The Northern Eagle was also reported to have an ammonia leak that killed at least one crew member earlier this month.
Later that afternoon, another request for help: The Asian Majesty was 483 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor and a 41-year-old man was experiencing chest pain.
The fishing vessel’s crew agreed to meet a Coast Guard helicopter closer to the island community. The patient was brought to Cold Bay and then transferred to Anchorage that evening.
Saturday also had rescue crews busy.
Calls included an 83-years-old passenger aboard the cruise ship Noordam in Prince William Sound, who was showing symptoms of a stroke. A Coast Guard team took him to awaiting emergency medical services at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Also, there was a 73-year-old woman near Funter Bay who was experiencing seizures. A Coast Guard rescue boat from the station in Juneau brought paramedics to the woman, and then brought her to a local hospital for further treatment.
Meanwhile in Cordova, police called for Coast Guard assistance to help five people stranded on a beach near Port Gravina due to poor weather.
The Coast Guard sent a helicopter from Kodiak that arrived the next morning. Two people were experiencing symptoms of hypothermia and were brought to awaiting emergency medical services in Cordova. A rescue swimmer helped bring the other three crew members back to their vessel.
In the press release Monday, Coast Guard leaders commended the rescue teams, saying many of the weekend responses happened in adverse conditions — including rough seas and high winds. They say at least two of the nine people served would have died without Coast Guard intervention.
