Sailor Treated By California Air National Guard Rescue Unit 900 Miles Off Coast Dies
MOFFETT FIELD (CBS SF) – A sailor who fell ill on a ship 900 miles off the California coast died Wednesday, hours after members of a California Air National Guard unit boarded the ship to treat the man.
The 129th Rescue Wing based out of Moffett Field in Mountain View responded to a call of a man seriously injured on the container ship Green Ridge on Tuesday. Officials said those on board the ship did not have what they needed to take care of the sailor.
A C-130 aircraft took off from Moffett Field Tuesday afternoon. Several hours later, members of the Rescue Wing parachuted into the open ocean, boarded the vessel and tended to the patient.
"Our Guardian Angel Team worked hard through the evening to care for the sick crew member. Unfortunately, he passed away at approx. 6 a.m. according to a senior medical officer with the U.S. Navy," the 129th Rescue Wing said in a written statement.
The names of the sailor and the pararescumen are not being released at this time. Officials said the sailor was a U.S. citizen.
