An injured fisherman is thanking his lucky stars and 19 Wing Comox after he had to be rescued from his fishing boat far out at sea.
RCAF Search and Rescue crews from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron worked together to medevac an injured fisherman from his vessel, 90 nautical miles northwest of Port Hardy in Queen Charlotte Sound, Thursday afternoon.
A Cormorant helicopter and Buffalo airplane were launched from their base at 19 Wing Comox shortly before 1 p.m. after air controllers at Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria received a call that the male had sustained a serious injury to his hand while working on board a 22-metre fishing vessel.
“The sea state was calm and although the vessel was moving in and out of some fog banks, the weather was good to conduct the operation,” said Captain Mike O’Brien, Cormorant pilot. “The boat crew did a good job of clearing the aft deck, enabling us to hoist our three Search and Rescue Technicians onboard safely.”
Once on the deck, the SAR Techs stabilized the man and placed him into a rescue basket. With the patient and SAR Techs on board, the helicopter crew flew to Port Hardy to meet with the Buffalo aircraft. The Buffalo crew flew the patient to Victoria. His current condition is unknown.
• Fans of all things naval will want to mark down Saturday, Sept. 21 on their calendars.
That’s when the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges (CFMETR) is holding an open house at their base in Nanoose Bay from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
HMCS Ottawa will be open for tours and a Cormorant search and rescue helicopter will perform an aerial demonstration and a Sea King helicopter will be among a long list of ground displays. For more information call 250-468-5011.
• The Deep Bay Yacht Club is getting sociable, with a mini-regatta and barbecue slated for Sept. 1. The event will feature a non-race around the buoys in Baynes Sound, followed by a social barbecue.
• The First World War was nearly over, but the end didn’t come soon enough for the crew of German U-boat UB-109.
The ship was launched on Dec. 31, 1917 for the German Imperial Navy and carried a crew of 36.
While hunting in the English Channel on this date in 1918, the submarine hit a submerged mine and went straight to the bottom, taking 28 of her crew with her to a watery grave.