A burn victim was rescued from a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker about 179 miles east of Charleston, SC, on Sunday.
The US Coast Guard said its watchmen in the Charleston Sector were notified on Saturday at around 7:46 pm that a crew member aboard the Southern Shark obtained chemical burns during a tank cleaning.
A helicopter crew from the Savannah MH-65 Dolphin Coast Guard Air Station was launched to medicate the 45-year-old ailing sailor, who was flown to Augusta Burn Center Hospital at 3:03 pm for high-level medical care.
“Due to the nature of the sailor’s injury and specialized care requirements, this air-to-sea rescue operation involved complex planning and perfect execution,” said the commander. William R. Cahill, Operations Officer for Coast Guard Air Station in Savannah.
“The elite crew that successfully carried out this offshore medical evacuation overcame challenging conditions by driving a very dynamic lifting evolution in 10-foot seas and 35 miles per hour winds.” Commander Cahill said.