Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Maj. Chris Ferrara, HC-130P/N "King" co-pilot, is part of  concerted rescue effort of approximately 80 wing personnel from the 920th Rescue Wing who rescued two German citizens in distress at sea July 7, 2017 and into July 8. The victim's vessel caught fire approximately 500 nautical miles off the east coast of southern Florida. At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard's Seventh District in Miami, the 920th RQW was alerted by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, to assist in the long-range search and rescue. Approximately 80 wing Citizen Airmen and four wing aircraft helped execute the rescue mission to include, maintenance, operations and support personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mark Borosch)Rescue Airmen save two German citizens stranded at sea
                        
                        
                        Maj. Chris Ferrara, a HC-130P/N "King" co-pilot, operates his aircraft as part of a concerted rescue effort of approximately 80  personnel from the 920th Rescue Wing who rescued two German citizens in distress at sea July 7-8, 2017. The victim's vessel caught fire approximately 500 nautical miles off the east coast of southern Florida. At the request of the Coast Guard's Seventh District in Miami, the 920th RQW was alerted by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to assist in the long-range search and rescue. Approximately 80  Airmen and four  aircraft helped execute the rescue mission to include, maintenance, operations and support personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Mark Borosch)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        In a concerted effort throughout July 7, 2017 and into the early hours of July 8, Citizen Airmen from the 920th Rescue Wing successfully rescued two German citizens whose vessel caught fire approximately 500 nautical miles off the east coast of southern Florida. At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard's Seventh District in Miami, the 920th RQW was alerted by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, to assist in the long-range search and rescue. Approximately 80 wing Citizen Airmen and four wing aircraft helped execute the rescue mission to include, maintenance, operations and support personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mark Borosch)Rescue Airmen save two German citizens stranded at sea
                        
                        
                        Airmen assigned to  the 920th Rescue Wing prepare to dive into the ocean from a C-130P/N “King” during efforts to successfully rescue two German citizens whose vessel caught fire approximately 500 nautical miles off the east coast of southern Florida, July 7-8, 2017. At the request of the Coast Guard's Seventh District in Miami, the 920th RQW was alerted by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to assist in the long-range search and rescue.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Mark Borosch)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Rescue Airmen save two German citizens stranded at seaPublished July 10, 2017
                    
                    
                    920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
            **PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --**In a concerted effort from July 7, and into the early hours of July 8, 2017, approximately 80  Airmen and four aircraft assigned to the  920th Rescue Wing successfully rescued two  German citizens whose vessel caught fire approximately 500 nautical miles off the east coast of southern Florida.
At the request of the Coast Guard's Seventh District in Miami, the 920th RQW was alerted by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, to assist in the long-range search and rescue.
“The rescue was a culmination of skill and teamwork that involved many throughout the 920th RQW, the Coast Guard, The AFRCC and the 45th Space Wing, who provided critical support to allow our aircraft to launch and recover,” said Col. Kurt Matthews, the 920th RQW commander.
“The specific capability with our Guardian Angel Airmen, combined with our air refueling and extended-range airlift makes us uniquely able to accomplish this mission where few others in the world can. I’m very humbled and glad to be a part of this noble mission,” he continued.
Aircraft maintainers launched an HC-130P/N “King” fixed-wing combat rescue aircraft piloted by eight Airmen at approximately 2:30 p.m. transporting six  Airmen who specialize in all types of rescue disciplines.
It was discovered during the planning stages that only one of the German victims spoke broken English, but was badly burned, therefore Master Sgt. Isabelle Kleirgraham, the 920th RQW Equal Opportunity noncommissioned officer in charge, was tasked to join the team due to her ability to speak fluent German.
The team arrived on scene two hours later and orbited overhead while King Ops, from the 39th Rescue Squadron at Patrick AFB, communicated with the ship below, the Nord Nightingale.
“We had the lifeboat in the water and the freighter was about 2 miles away,” said Capt. Dan Morgese, an aircraft commander. Finally, five pararescuemen plunged into the ocean. 
“Anytime you are putting someone out over the Atlantic (Ocean), it’s concerning,” said Morgese. “We train for this. It all worked out just fine. If there was a day to do it, it was today; the weather was perfect.”
At the scene, the Nightingale motored a small boat toward the victims which allowed the pararescue Airmen to hoist the  father-son duo onboard while several of the other rescue Airmen zoomed over to pick up the parabundles of medical equipment that splashed down just after them.
Around the same time the HC-130 arrived on scene 500 miles away, two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters departed Patrick AFB with full tanks of gas to retrieve everyone and transport the victims to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Fortunately a Pave Hawk can fly approximately 500 miles on one tank of gas, the approximate distance to the scene. To top off their gas tanks, the helicopters met up with the HC-130 on its return to Patrick AFB for aerial refueling.
About an hour later, an additional HC-130 took off from Patrick AFB to serve as fuel reserve for the helicopter's return trip. 
“Kudos to maintenance for getting us airborne,” said Morgese. “They (the HC-130s) are 93 models; our maintainers work hard.”
The pararescuemen treated and stabilized the patients, then transfered them to the Nightingale to be picked up by the inbound helicopter.
At approximately 8:20 p.m., the two Pave Hawk crews hoisted and recovered all seven from the ship and journeyed back to central Florida where they landed on an Orlando High School football field at 1:30 a.m. and handed off the patients to the Orlando Fire Department to get them to their final destination, the Orlando Regional Medical Center.
“When you actually get to do something you train for; it’s really satisfying,” said Morgese. “Excellent communication and planning among all involved, made the mission successful.”pararescue 



rescue 



45th Space Wing 



U.S. Coast Guard 



HC-130 



German 



Atlantic Ocean 



guardian angel airmen 



Nord Nightingale 



920th RQW Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil