Aerial refueling enables Coast Guard, Air Force rescue mission in the Atlantic

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  • 618th Air Operations Center Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The 618th Air Operations Center coordinated a short-notice air refueling mission to aid in lifesaving operations after a Taiwanese fishing vessel caught fire approximately 500 miles southeast of Bermuda, June 22, 2016.

Crew members of the Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel K. Coral rescued 19 Taiwanese fishermen aboard the Wenshun 112. Two of the rescued passengers sustained severe burns, leaving them in critical condition.  

The air refueling mission flown by a Tennessee Air National Guard unit allowed an emergency response team to fly nonstop from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, to the cargo vessel. Seven pararescuemen from the 374th Rescue Group were airdropped from an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft onto the K. Coral to provide first-response medical care and help stabilize the burn patients.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s 5th District, lead organization in the search and rescue mission, coordinated with the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center to request support in the emergency response.

“We received a request for long-range U.S. Air Force rescue support from the USCG Tuesday and immediately started coordination,” said Lt Col. James R. Woosely, AFRCC commander.

“Due to the mission requirements and the limited number of Air Force assets able to perform that mission, we quickly contacted the 23rd Wing to see if they were able to support,” Woosely said. “The 347th Rescue Group accepted the mission, and at that point, the AFRCC continued to monitor the situation and coordinate with the USCG and other supporting agencies, as needed.”

Air refueling was crucial to the emergency response mission, Woosely said.

“Air refueling extended the range and loiter time of the HC-130J and prevented delays that would occur in a ground refueling,” he said.

Lt. Col. Shawn Mattingly, 618th AOC deputy director of global operations, received the emergency air refueling request from AFRCC.

“Due to the short notice of the request, only an already scheduled crew with an appropriate takeoff time would work,” said Lt. Col. Shawn Mattingly, 618th AOC deputy director of global operations.

“We were able to find a KC-135 at the 151st Air Refueling Squadron that was scheduled for a local training sortie and willing to divert from their planned mission to support the short-notice air refueling mission,” said Mattingly. 

618th AOC Coronet Mission Director Capt. Jennifer Oeffner, worked quickly to plan flight times and the fuel loads needed to get the KC-135 Stratotanker to the right place at the right time. Mattingly simultaneously worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to get approval for air refueling in the designated air space.

“Everything had to come together quickly,” said Mattingly. “Our team in the AOC is a well-oiled machine. With the support from the 134th Air Refueling Wing, we were able to make it happen.” 

The decision to support the short-notice air refueling request was an easy one to make, said Lt. Col. Hartley, 151st ARS commander.

“We can reschedule training, and we are always happy to help,” said Hartley. “On the surface it looks easy, but there’s a lot of work and coordination that goes into a short-notice request.”

This mission highlighted the significance of partnerships and collaboration across departments and components.

"Our priority is to protect life at sea, and the Coast Guard will always do everything possible to provide assistance for a mariner in need,” said Cdr. Stephen Matadobra, the Coast Guard search and rescue mission coordinator. “In the event we can't get there ourselves, we do our best to identify someone who can."

Despite the emergency response team’s efforts, one burn patient later succumbed to injuries resulting from the fire. The surviving burn patient was transported to Bermuda June 24, 2016, and has since been flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, for further medical care.