BOSTON — The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 38-year-old man early Sunday morning 50 miles east of Chatham.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England’s command center received a report from the captain of the fishing vessel Nobska via VHF-16 radio shortly after midnight stating a crewmember was reporting to be experiencing respiratory problems.
Air Station Cape Cod launched a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter at approximately 1:40 a.m. to respond.
At approximately 2:30 a.m, the Jayhawk crew hoisted the man from the deck of the Nobska.
The man was flown to Barnstable Municipal Airport where he was transferred to awaiting Emergency Medical Services personnel. The man was reported to be in stable condition at the time of the transfer.
The Nobska is an 90-foot commercial fishing vessel homeported out of New Bedford.
“After consulting with our Coast Guard flight surgeon, it was clear he needed to be taken off the boat immediately,” said John Harland, a search and rescue controller at Sector Southeastern New England’s command center. “Good communication with the Nobska crew made this rescue successful, especially in the dark.”
Air Station Cape Cod, with its four MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and three HC-144A Ocean Sentry fixed-wing aircraft, is the only Coast Guard aviation facility in the northeast.