AEGEAN SEA — The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) received a distress call at 1029 today, March 8.
When Bataan's Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter arrived on-scene the Hellenic Coast Guard was responding to a grounded Turkish Flagged Container Vessel, Yusuf Cepnioglu. The SAR team observed the Turkish vessel listing.
Upon request for assistance, the aircraft lowered a rescue swimmer and recovered two Turkish mariners and returned to Bataan. The rescued mariners were assessed by Bataan's medical team, and were transferred to the Hellenic Coast Guard.
Bataan Amphibious Readiness Group is on a scheduled deployment supporting maritime security operations, providing crisis response capability and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.
When Bataan's Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter arrived on-scene the Hellenic Coast Guard was responding to a grounded Turkish Flagged Container Vessel, Yusuf Cepnioglu. The SAR team observed the Turkish vessel listing.
Upon request for assistance, the aircraft lowered a rescue swimmer and recovered two Turkish mariners and returned to Bataan. The rescued mariners were assessed by Bataan's medical team, and were transferred to the Hellenic Coast Guard.
Bataan Amphibious Readiness Group is on a scheduled deployment supporting maritime security operations, providing crisis response capability and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.