Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs

By AWS2 Natalie Campbell, USN

Tarpon Springs is a Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise that takes place quarterly in Norfolk, VA and is designed to provide experience in executing every stage of a rescue. The evolution on October 4th was an integrated event between HSC-2 and ACU-4. This particular iteration simulated a mass casualty that left approximately 16 personnel in the water, with several injured personnel remaining on board an LCAC.

When we arrived on the scene, one aircraft was immediately directed to start recovering the survivors from the LCAC. Once the first aircraft departed with the survivors from the LCAC, the second aircraft located the first set of survivors in the water, and began setting up for recovery. I was the designated Rescue Swimmer in my aircraft for the mission and was deployed from the aircraft via the hoist. I immediately began assessing my survivors. After determining that none of them had sustained any simulated injuries, I signaled to the Crew Chief for the rescue basket, and sent the survivors up one by one. After the first set of survivors were recovered, I looked around the surrounding area and found the next set. I swam over to them, completed my assessment, then sent them up the aircraft via the rescue basket as well. At this point, I was too far away from the next set of survivors to spot them. The aircraft then lowered the rescue basket and used it to short-haul me over to the remaining survivors.

After transporting the recovered survivors to the beach, the LCAC requested that we rescue two more simulated survivors from their deck, in order for their personnel to gain more exposure to helicopter hoisting. I was lowered down via the hoist, which took a lot longer than I expected. The helicopter started to drift back and forth, causing me to swing close to the sides of the LCAC, preventing me from being lowered safely. Eventually, the pilot at the controls was able to arrest the aircraft’s drift, and I was lowered safely onto the LCAC’s deck. I assessed the survivors, one of whom was uninjured and the other with a simulated leg injury. I sent the injured survivor up via the rescue basket, expecting the pilot to struggle with his drift again; however, by this point he seemed to be a lot more stable, allowing the survivor to be recovered quickly. The second survivor was then recovered via the rescue strop, and then I was hoisted back up into the aircraft. While we did this, the other aircraft rescued the remaining survivors from the water.

After the successful recovery of the first 16 simulated survivors, the scenario was reset, this time with 11 personnel in the water and 3 injured personnel on the LCAC. I eagerly descended via the hoist into the water once again, ready to spring into action while the other aircraft focused on the injured survivors onboard the LCAC. We utilized the rescue basket once again for the survivors, and also for shorthauling in between sets of survivors. We were able to quickly recover all 11 personnel from the water. The most thrilling and engaging training I’d ever participated in was complete.