SAR South Georgia / Antarctic Peninsula

[QDMQDMQDM]

I'm off on a 2.5 week cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia, the South Shetlands and the Antarctic peninsula as ship's doctor on the Grigoriy Mikheev in December / Jan. I'm interested to know how any aeromedical evacuations have been done from that region and what the situation was. The ship I am going on has very minimal medical equipment. It would be a nightmare to find oneself having to evacuate a patient (although unlikely) and I'm interested in any background.

Also, I am going to take my PLB which is a McMurdo Fastfind (http://www.gps.co.uk/htmfiles/surveqip/fastfind.htm) for personal use. I am presuming that it will work down there? Can anyone confirm? I'm unlikely to need it, but since I paid £700 for the thing, I'm damn well going to get max use from it!

Finally, is there a map download for my Pilot 3 GPS which will show the area in reasonable detail? I suspect not, but thought I'd ask. Anyway, I'll be so busy puking I won't be able to read it.

Crab, I guess this is your area. I hope not to have to call on your services, although the ship did have one scuba diving death and an aeromedical evacuation for skull fracture last season.

Best,

QDM

[sycamore]

QDM, info is a few years old since I last flew Hercs in the SA,however unless the play has changed you can probably call on the SAR Sea-Kings at Mt.Pleasant( a misnomer if ever there was one . or a cynic).Depending where you are , there will probably be a need to send a Navy boat( it may have a serviceable Lynx) or an RFAux which can take a S-K within range. and an Albert for top-cover, and maybe a VC-10 to AAR the Albert.If your boat has a helo the play could be "reversed",; If you are near SGeorgia, there were/are? Marines there enjoying their winter holidays, and water-skiing at Grytviken. There should also be fuel there- most helo`s will run on avtur/diesel/petrol/ bunker-fuel ...for a while! There is an Chilean airbase at Teniente Marsh on the Wof Antarctica and will take Hercs.

You can try speaking to BIT. Ant. Survey people at Cambridge for an update on other facilities , maps, etc. I reckon you would have to allow 24-36 hours to complete an SAR op down there, so it aint going to be- "call the local HEMS" and expect them to be there in 20 mins!!

Like so many SAR events , you have to be flexible in judgement, keep all the balls in the air,take a Russian phrase-book to read on the way down.

Whatever else you do, take a good camera and a lot of film, as it can be awe-inspiring, even when you have all four seasons in one day, especially sunsets. Don`t forget the Sun will be N of you, and the water will spin the other way down the plug-hole
, after puking!! Physician, heal thyself, always eat a hearty meal
,then you have something to throw-up!!

I`m sure someone will correct me on the present situation; Enjoy, you may never get another chance...
PS.Can`t you fold up the Cub , get a pair of floats, and take them as hand-baggage....

Syc:ok:

[QDMQDMQDM]

Can`t you fold up the Cub , get a pair of floats, and take them as hand-baggage....

Wouldn't that be fantastic?! The British Antarctic lot flew Austers on skis in the fifties from the peninsula. A trifle breezy for me, I fear.

Thanks a lot for the info. Very interesting indeed and, I hope, never useful to me!

As far as seasickness goes, I shall be the most medicated doctor South of the Antarctic Convergence.

Best,

QDM

[[email protected]]

QDM, I hope you enjoy your trip and I hope no-one gets sick or injured, as sycamore said, outside of 230 mile radius of the Falklands, a refuel will be required if a Sea King is going to get to you. A Chinook will just make it one way to South Georgia but there is no fuel there any more.
HMS Endurance is usually down there for the summer and has 2 Lynx on board and other grey funnel liners may be in the area with or without helicopters aboard.
There is an option to land a Sea King on an RFA or frigate and steam to within range of a casualty before launching but the timescale involved means that anyone who needs immediate attention is going to be unlucky.
The Herc can be used as top cover or to drop supplies/liferafts but it won't get you home!
As for your PLB, I presume it is a 121.5 mhz beacon - cospas/sarsat will probably pick it up but the authorities will wait for at least 2 passes of the satellite before they can get a reasonable position and mobilise any rescue effort. Your vessel must have a 406 Mhz beacon which hopefully has a GPS linked position reporting facility.
As for the detailed GPS plot - there is a shedload of sea to look at and not much else besides!
Have a good trip and lookout for killer whales in and around Flakland Sound. If you get a run ashore in Port Stanley don't expect lap dancing and nightclubs but they do know how to drink down there!

[QDMQDMQDM]

Thanks very much, Crab. Interesting info. I hope not to meet you (in the best possible way of course).

QDM

[sycamore]

Crab, what do the Marines use for fuel? Whale 0il?
The other way to get fuel there is using one of those Tundra- tyre bladders, roll it out the back of Albert, like Barnes Wallis, and let it skip up to Grytviken! Alternatively it could be paradropped--- silly me for thinking somebody would not have thought of that..... would they...?

[QDMQDMQDM]

An epic rescue:

http://www.falklandnews.com/public/story.cfm?get=2113&source=17

[[email protected]]

Sycamore - if they're not there they don't need fuel..

QDM - I was only on detachment to the FI earlier this year - you are far more likely to meet me if you crash in North Devon!