WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y.- New York Air National Guard pararescuemen who conducted a night parachute jump into the Atlantic Ocean 1,300 miles east of Cape Cod, to save the lives of two badly injured seamen, are wrapping up the rescue mission that kicked off on April 24 with a radio call for help to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The 106th Rescue Wing expects to return seven members of the 103rd Rescue Squadron-- the Airmen specially trained in parachuting, medical care, scuba diving, and survival, escape and evasion skills needed to rescue downed pilots—to Gabreski Air National Guard Base here on Saturday.

Four of the seven pararescuemen who jumped into the Atlantic to board the Motor Vessel Tamar, a 635-foot long bulk cargo ship registered in the Marshall Islands, on April 24 are still on board the vessel waiting to dock in the Azores, the Portugese Islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Three other pararescuemen were airlifted off the Tamar by a Portugese search and rescue helicopter on April 26, along with their two critically injured patients.

The two injured sailors have been flown to Portugal. The Air National Guard Airmen are currently waiting a Lajes Field, a Portuguese and NATO air base, for their colleagues who are still onboard the Tamar.

The 106th will recover all those Airmen and fly them back to the Long Island airbase on Saturday, according to Col. Nicholas Broccoli, the deputy wing commander.

The incident on board the Tamar began early in the morning of April 24 when an explosion in a storeroom on the ship, which was built in 2010, killed one seaman and badly injured three.

The Tamar, which was transiting to Gibraltar from Baltimore, Maryland, contacted the First Coast Guard District Rescue Coordination Center in Boston and requested medical assistance.

The Coast Guard reached out to the Air Force because of the unique capabilities of the Air Force and Air Guard search and rescue wings. Pararescuemen are trained in advanced emergency medical care. The 106th Rescue Wing was given the mission of flying help to the Tamar.

The wing launched an HC-130 search and rescue aircraft from the 102nd Rescue Squadron carrying eight aircrew, six pararescuemen and a combat rescue officer from the 103nd Rescue Squadron, and two aircraft maintainers, at 1:30 p.m.

Five hours later the aircraft deployed seven pararescuemen and a rigid rescue boat into the Atlantic near the Tamar in the dark of night. The Airmen then boarded the boat, headed to the ship, and rendered aid to the injured seamen.

The first stick of pararescuemen were in the water at 7:50 p.m. Eastern Time, and by 9:30 p.m. all seven were on board and providing aid to the injured crewmen on the Tamar.

Unfortunately an additional crewman died of his injuries before the Air Guard members could reach the ship.

With the pararescuemen on board the Tamar, the aircraft recovered to St. John's, Newfoundland, to conduct maintenance and has since flow back to Gabreski Air National Guard Base.

The Portuguese Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the rescue mission once the ship passed beyond 1,300 miles of the U.S. coast. The New York Air Guard pararescuemen stayed on board the ship providing emergency care to the injured crewmen in shifts. Both men were burned over 50 percent of their bodies and required extensive medical treatment, according to Major Sean Boughal a combat rescue officer no board the Tamar.

It took 24 hours for the Tamar to get within range of a Portuguese helicopter which recovered the injured crewmen.

“The 106th Rescue Wing is happy to support the Coast Guard in this rescue mission, " said Col. Nicholas Broccoli, the 106th Rescue Wing Vice Commander. "This is what we train for and our pararescuemen, pilots, crew members and the rest of our team are the best of the best."

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