OCEAN CITY – The Coast Guard and its allied agencies had a busy afternoon last Thursday with calls for two rescues of sick boaters within about 10 minutes off the coast of Ocean City.
Around 12:30 p.m. last Thursday, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region received notification from the 90-foot vessel Instigator about a 64-year-old man on board possibly suffering a heart attack. A Coast Guard MH-6- aircrew out of Air Station Elizabeth City in North Carolina was diverted from a training mission to rendezvous with the Instigator about 45 miles off the coast of Ocean City. Around 1:30 p.m., the aircrew hoisted the unidentified man from the vessel and transported him to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury in stable condition.
Meanwhile, around 12:40 p.m. last Thursday, or about 10 minutes after the first incident was reported, Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region watch standers received a second call from the fishing vessel Nordic Pride about a passenger experiencing pain near his kidneys since 2 a.m. that morning.
A Coast Guard rescue boat with Ocean City paramedics on board was launched from Coast Guard Station Ocean City. Around 2:25 p.m., the rescue boat arrived at the Nordic Pride’s location about 17 miles off the coast of the resort. The ill boater was brought aboard the Coast Guard vessel and taken back to the station in Ocean City where Ocean City EMS was waiting.
The patient was transferred to the hospital by Ocean City EMS in stable condition. Coast Guard officials praised the collaborative efforts of the allied agencies in the complicated, simultaneous rescues offshore.
“It was great to see this level of teamwork with the Sector Maryland-NCR command center,” said Chief Petty Officer Matthew Simmons, command duty officer at Maryland-National Capital Region. “Working with our watch team while they managed multiple cases, both requiring extensive logistics and unit responses was impressive. Their efforts were instrumental in getting these two patients safely and expeditiously evacuated and transported to the proper medical facilities.”
