The Brits send out their pararescuemen to help an injured Burmese crewman on a Liberian tanker and the US helps coordinate their efforts. This was not a joint exercise between nations, but the real McCoy! MsMarti
Airmen lead effort to rescue injured crewman at sea
by Capt. Kelley Jeter
3rd Air Force-UK Public Affairs
12/11/2008 - ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England (AFNS) -- American
Airmen and aircraft were part of an international effort over the
Atlantic Ocean that saved the life of a crewmember who suffered a
life-threatening head injury onboard a cargo ship Dec. 10 more than 320
miles west of Cork, Ireland.
The Burmese crewmember was injured at sea on a Liberian-flagged cargo
vessel and an HH-60G Pave Hawk aircrew from Royal Air Force Lakenheath,
England, rescued him and took him to safety.
In coordination with British rescue officials, a U.S. Air Force command
and control hub in Germany orchestrated numerous assets from England to
rescue the crewmember in little more than 12 hours.
The crewmember had fallen 40 feet from a container, sustaining injuries
that couldn't be properly treated on board the ship. With the ship well
out at sea, and no quick way for the ship to reach support facilities,
a rescue effort was the only solution for this injured crewman.
Officials from the British Ministry of Defense quickly realized the
need for longer distance air-refuelable helicopters in order to reach
the sea-going vessel and called on the American Air Force in England
for assistance. As the Royal Air Force launched a Nimrod maritime
surveillance aircraft from RAF Kinloss in Scotland to monitor the
situation and provide communication support, the U.S. Air Force began
quickly putting a plan into action.
In constant communication with U.S. European Command officials and the
rescue aircraft, members of the 603rd Air Operations Center's Personnel
Recovery Coordination Cell at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, launched into
action, providing coordination for all necessary players making the
mission possible.
The 56th Rescue Squadron out of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath
put highly-trained pararescuemen on two HH-60G helicopters to fly the
significant distance to the vessel, medically attend to the injured
man, and set out shortly after noon. With a range of just more than 500
nautical miles, refueling was a must for this mission.
Airmen of the 67th Special Operations Squadron out of RAF Mildenhall in
England got one of their MC-130P Combat Shadow aerial refuelers in the
air to refuel the helicopters to complete the rescue. But this mission
was so far out at sea, even the MC-130P would need refueling.
To make this happen the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center's Air
Mobility Division staff tasked the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF
Mildenhall to refuel the MC-130P, and after quick reaction and planning
by the tanker unit, a 351st Air Refueling Squadron tanker and crew were
soon airborne.
At the rendezvous time around 8:30 p.m., with precision orchestration
of the various aircrafts' flight plans, the Air Force pararescuemen
were lowered to the pitching deck of the MV Anna Rickmers to attend to
the injured patient. As helos circled in the darkness, the sea churned
beneath and the refueling aircraft remained in the vicinity at the
ready, the pararescuemen were able to stabilize the crewmember
sufficiently to be safely hoisted to an HH-60G and flown to dry land.
Two hours later, the helos touched down in Shannon, Ireland, where an
ambulance was waiting to transport the patient to a local hospital. The
patient was admitted and is now in stable condition.
"The U.K. and U.S. rescue coordination was outstanding," said Lt. Col.
Neil Eisen, the 56th Rescue Squadron commander. "Everything came
together so we could get out there to save a life." 
Airmen lead effort to rescue injured crewman at sea
Two HH-60G
Pave Hawks with the 56th Rescue Squadron take off to fly more than 500
miles west of Ireland for a real-world rescue mission Dec. 10 at Royal
Air Force Lakenheath, England. A crew member of a cargo ship suffered a
serious head injury requiring a medical evacuation, and U.S. forces
were called upon to help. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Nathan
Gallahan) Download Full Image
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