Two airlifted in incidents off Irish coast

Klunk001

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1119/submarine.html

BrianD

I wonder is there any reason why the Brits were keeping this one in house?

The Irish Coast Guard have airlifted of a submarine before. The British seemed to be keen to fly from Scotland and return with the patient all the way.

What type of sub is it?

savagecabbages

From the article:

A sick crewman has been airlifted from a British submarine around 320km off Erris Head on the Co Mayo coast.

320km = 172nm
If thats 172nm from Erris head, the Irish S-61 mightn't have the range to fly from Sligo and back... A UK S-92 would.

Although there is a remote refueling station somewhere in western Mayo that CHC use, I know very little about it...

EDIT: Its the lighthouse at Blacksod bay mentioned in this article here about a very long range mission.

mickdw

Yep blacksod, near the lighthouse. Coastguard often land there.

Why the fixed wing aircraft covering the heli on this mission?

xflyer

The fixed wing aircraft provides top cover in case the helicopter goes down. It provides comms by flying high enough to talk to ATC. Otherwise the rescue helicopter would be incommunicado for long periods. If it had to ditch no one would know for far too long.

The Air Corps Casa sometimes provides top cover. The fixed wing aircraft mentioned could be a civilian operated Coast Guard aircraft which the British use.

BrianD

savagecabbages wrote: »

From the article:


320km = 172nm
If thats 172nm from Erris head, the Irish S-61 mightn't have the range to fly from Sligo and back... A UK S-92 would.

Although there is a remote refueling station somewhere in western Mayo that CHC use, I know very little about it...

EDIT: Its the lighthouse at Blacksod bay mentioned in this article here about a very long range mission.

Fair point re the range but why they would lift a man of a sub and then not fly him to the nearest hospital is odd. One would think that if he requires urgent evacuation that he would require urgent attention.

Is the sub a nuke?

roundymac

BrianD wrote: »

Is the sub a nuke?

All British subs are "nukes". No conventional powered subs anymore. They sold their Upholder class to the Canadians a few years back. One of them, the Chicoutimi suffered a fire off the Irish coast when on it's delivery voyage, one crewman was airlifted to Sligo but was deceased on arrival. They very nearly lost the boat but after about a week it was towed back to Scotland.

BrianD

roundymac wrote: »

All British subs are "nukes". No conventional powered subs anymore. They sold their Upholder class to the Canadians a few years back. One of them, the Chicoutimi suffered a fire off the Irish coast when on it's delivery voyage, one crewman was airlifted to Sligo but was deceased on arrival. They very nearly lost the boat but after about a week it was towed back to Scotland.

With my tin hat on, it would seem that there's something secretive about this. Radiation related?

Leonidas BL

Took these on my phone today at Sligo airport. Royal Navy Sea Kings. The S61 guys told us that the sea king is lighter but has more range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7QV1Am-_pM&feature=feedu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JEa-jxfFZk&feature=feedu

EchoIndia

Before the ICG got its S-61Ns, Sea Kings, usually RAF ones, frequently carrieed out long-range rescues off the west coast. The one in your video is most likely from HMS Gannet at Prestwick.

afatbollix

What do the lighthouse use to refuel the helicopter? Does Irish helicopters provide a tanker down there? Any idea how much fuel they would take on?

talktojesus

Prince willie at the controls aswell I heard!

afatbollix

He is based in Wales not Scotland

cyrusdvirus

Total speculation, but it's quite possible it's a Vanguard Class SSBN. The 4 of them are based in Clyde, which would explain keeping it "in house" as it were. As Glasgow is the local major city that would explain the flight going back there

Storm 10

Leonidas BL wrote: »

Took these on my phone today at Sligo airport. Royal Navy Sea Kings. The S61 guys told us that the sea king is lighter but has more range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7QV1Am-_pM&feature=feedu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JEa-jxfFZk&feature=feedu

Any idea why the Royal Navy sea king was in Sligo was there another medi vac ??

OS119

Storm 10 wrote: »

Any idea why the Royal Navy sea king was in Sligo was there another medi vac ??

no, two seperate medivacs - one a bloke on a rig handled purely be the IRCG, and a second a submariner from a RN submarine 200 miles off the coast handled entirely by the RN and HMCG that required a refuelling stop in Sligo (well, two stops - one on the way out and one on the way back).

one assumes that the nature of the submariners duties may have had some impact on the decision to use UK assets and remove him to the UK - its also possible that a replacement was transported out to the submarine from Faslane by the rescue helicopters. assuming it was an SSBN involved, the injuries to the submariner must have been severe and life-threatening to have warranted surfacing the submarine and broadcasting its position - that said, had it been a radioactive incident its likely that the submarine would have already put into Faslane.