HC144A provides support in wake of Gulf of Mexico oil spill
May 4, 2010
The HC144A Ocean Sentry is proving its capabilities as part of the ongoing U.S. Coast Guard response following the April 20 explosion and fire aboard a mobile offshore drilling unit approximately 52 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast.
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The service initially dispatched one of these medium-range maritime patrol aircraft – based on Airbus Military’s CN235 – from the service's Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama to participate in the search and rescue efforts for missing workers who had been aboard the rig.
On April 27, Florida Governor Charles Crist boarded an HC144A to get a firsthand look at the large oil slick that has now developed in the Gulf of Mexico after the explosion. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also surveyed the oil sheen from an Ocean Sentry a few days later.
The HC144A has recently provided key assistance for search and rescue, natural disaster relief and other missions. In March, three U.S. Coast Guard Ocean Sentries were dispatched to provide aid in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti.
High marks are being given by the Coast Guard for the Ocean Sentry's operational advantages, including the HC144A's flexibility to support different missions, considerable fuel savings and easier maintenance.
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