PORTLAND, UK (7 Apr 2008) — Just hours after Portland Coastguard's new Augusta Westland 139 went into service, it was scrambled to rescue a scuba diver with signs of decompression sickness. The state-of-the-art Augusta Westland 139 helicopter went on duty for the first time in the morning and by 3:10pm was in the air and headed for the dive boat Cutlass. The helicopter reached the dive boat and winched aboard the injured scuba diver transported him to Poole where he being treated for the bends in a hyperbaric chamber. "The new helicopter is a fantastic development in our ability to deliver a search and rescue service along the UK coastline," said Allan Norman, Portland Coastguard watch manager. "It has the ability to fly further and faster than its predecessor and we anticipate many more successful rescues which will prove its operational effectiveness and utilise the range of advanced technology it has on board." © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK | 
