HOUSTON — A Coast Guard aircrew medevaced a 62-year-old man from the tank ship Stena Companion, in the Galveston Fairway Anchorage, Monday afternoon.
The tanker shipping agent notified Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders that a crewmember was suffering heart attack symptoms at approximately 12 p.m.
Watchstanders launched an Air Station Houston aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to assist.
"It was a textbook medevac," said Lt. Joshua Scritchfield, one of the pilots on the mission. "We train regularly for hoisting operations and although pulling someone off a tanker isn't exactly routine, we were able to get the man off the ship and safely to shore."
Once on scene, the aircrew hoisted the man and took him to Scholes Airport in Galveston where EMS was waiting to transport him to University of Texas Medical Branch for treatment.