January 11-12

On Tuesday morning, the bridge received a distress call from a fishing boat in the Ross Sea that was confirmed to be real. The boat was burning and most of the crew was off the ship.

With coordination through New Zealand, the Palmer suspended science operations and headed to the location of the distress call. It took about 16 hours at 13+ kt (best speed with all 4 engines running) to reach the site. Tuesday evening at around 8:30 the Palmer arrived to find a fishing vessel still burning. A second fishing boat had arrived earlier and taken all personnel from the burning boat.

The fishing boat continues to smolder. The chief engineer on the Palmer commented on the bridge that the boat could continue to burn for days or weeks depending on what combustables are on board. The ultimate fate of this vessel remains unclear, given its remote location.

The Palmer is the only boat in the area with any medical facilities. We have 2 EMTs on board and there is a medical facility on board.

Seven of the crew from the damaged boat had minor to serious burns. These seven were transfered to the Palmer by Zodiac (small boat in picture below) for treatment and transport to McMurdo Station where air transport is available to move these patients to better medical facilities.

Two zodiacs (small inflatable boats) were used to transfer the patients. The milder cases were able to walk on their own. Three of the patients had to be carried into the medical facilities.

We are now on the way to McMurdo Station. We expect to arrive sometime this afternoon or evening.

At about 4am local time we arrive a the ice edge in McMurdo Sound. McMurdo Sound has fast ice at the south end where McMurdo Station is located. We moved the boat about 1 km into the ice. Two people were lowered to the ice surface to check the condition of the ice. When it proved solid enough, the gangway was set up as a way to get on and off the boat.

Two helicopters were sent from McMurdo Station with a doctor and a nurse along with cold weather clothing for the patients and litters for the patients who could not walk. The medical personnel made sure the patients were stable and secure in the litters.

The ship's hospital room is on the second deck which is the same level as the helicopter deck on the ship. The patients were moved to the HeloDeck where a zodiac was waiting. A crane lifted the zodiac to move patients from the boat to the ice surface.

Once on the ice, another group from the ship lifted the litters to the snow and dragged it to the waiting helicopters.

Once loaded, the helicopter took the patients to the hospital at McMurdo for further treatment. At some point in the near future, these patients will be flown to New Zealand for more treatment and eventual travel to their homes.