The sailors of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 leapt into action last week to rescue a mariner who was injured after getting caught in an explosion in a cargo ship’s engine room.
The Guam-based Island Knights responded to the call for help from the United States-flagged M/V APL Saipan on April 17, according to a 7th Fleet release.
Sailors with the unit are on 24-hour search and rescue standby, supporting the U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Region Marianas, and has had five such emergency calls in the past month.
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The rescue team was on site about half an hour after receiving the initial call from the Coast Guard’s Guam sector.
But the helo was unable to land on the ship due to its structure, and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Richard Derrick was lowered onto the vessel to render aid, according to the release.
The sea was angry that day. Choppy waters, rough winds and a high hover requirement meant the crew couldn’t airlift the injured mariner off the ship, so Derrick steamed with the Saipan to Guam.
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It was the 10th such emergency call that HSC-25 has fielded this year.
While the Navy did not provide information on the injured mariner, the ship moved on and arrived at Busan New Port, South Korean, on Monday, according to the Vessel Finder website.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
