SEATTLE — A Port Angeles Coast Guard aircrew battled hazardous weather to hoist a sailor from a U.S. Navy destroyer off the coast of Washington.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received an initial request for the medevac of a 22-year-old woman sailor aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) about 34 miles offshore at 10:31 p.m. Monday.
Chest pains
The sailor was experiencing chest pains and was being treated by naval medical personnel, said Petty Office Michael Clark.
A Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew tried twice to hoist the sailor, first at 3 a.m. and again at 6:37 a.m. Tuesday.
The second time was successful, Clark said, and the sailor was taken to medical personnel at Air Station Port Angeles before being taken to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles.
Visibility was 50 feet and the cloud cover was low during the first attempt, Clark said, and the crew had to return to base to refuel.
Condition unknown
The condition of the sailor is unknown.
The Coast Guard does not release names of people it helps and hospital personnel will not release information on the condition of people without names.
