Guardian Angel by William Sine

Author:William Sine
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612001227
Publisher: Casemate

In addition to rescuing people from glaciers and crevasses, one of our more common missions was rescuing sailors at sea. In American waters the coast guard is normally responsible for rescue operations, but recovering distressed sailors hundreds of miles from shore is beyond their capability. Only a few military rescue units have the technology, aircraft, training, and ability to successfully accomplish long-range sea rescues. U.S. Air Force rescue squadrons with PJs, HC-130 aircraft, and helicopters capable of in-flight aerial refueling represent the pinnacle of global rescue capabilities.

There are two ways to carry out open-ocean rescue missions. Rescuers can use helicopters, or if helicopters are unavailable or impractical, rescuers can deploy medically equipped parachutists. When using helicopters is not feasible, air force rescue units use HC-130 aircraft and PJs. The HC-130 is a large four engine cargo plane outfitted for rescue operations and has large internal tanks to carry extra gas. These two tanks each hold eighteen hundred gallons of extra fuel, extending the plane’s range and providing gas for thirsty helicopters. The rescue enhanced HC-130 also has color radar and state-of-the-art communications gear. Loadmasters, crewmen in charge of the cargo compartment, can configure the interior of the plane for various types of personnel and cargo parachute drops. They can also drop illumination flares, life rafts, and other survival gear to needy sailors.

Three PJs form the parachutist contingent of the HC-130’s flight crew. After flying hundreds of miles to rendezvous with a ship at sea, the PJ team leader talks with the pilot and guides the plane to a calculated parachute drop point thirty-five hundred feet above the ship. In order to reach a patient isolated on a ship at sea, the PJs parachute from the HC-130 with a large bundle, called a RAMZ (riggable alternative method Zodiac), containing an inflatable Zodiac boat, and land in the ocean near the ship. After inflating the boat, the PJs scramble into the Zodiac and drive it to the ship where the crew winches them onboard. Once on deck the PJs use their medical skills and equipment to stabilize the patient until the ship reaches shore or comes within helicopter range. Jump missions are extremely complex operations with a lot of moving parts. Imagine doing a jump mission at night with high winds and twenty foot waves! The slightest miscalculation or mistake can be disastrous. That’s why jump missions require the most expert PJs and air crews.

The second type of sea rescue uses helicopters with refueling probes. For this type of mission the air force will simultaneously launch a helicopter and an HC-130. The HC-130 will refuel the helicopter in midair with its fuel hoses and drogue chutes. If a helicopter cannot refuel for whatever reason, it will crash-land into the ocean, a catastrophe called ditching. Mechanical failure can also force a helicopter to ditch. In case of ditching each crewmember carries a small bottle of compressed air. This miniature scuba bottle allows crewmen to breathe for a short time underwater like a scuba diver.

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