Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a U.S. submarine crew member about 7 nautical miles off Nuuk and transported them to a local hospital after urgent medical needs. A Danish Seahawk helicopter, deployed from an inspection ship, carried out the retrieval. Later, President Donald Trump said he would send a hospital ship to Greenland — a move Danish officials say they were not notified about — drawing criticism from Greenlandic politicians who called the proposal short-term and unsustainable.
Danish Forces Airlift U.S. Submariner Off Greenland; Trump Proposes Hospital Ship, Drawing Criticism
The coast of a sea inlet of Nuuk, Greenland, where a U.S. sailor was taken for urgent medical treatment. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)(Evgeniy Maloletka)
Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command said it evacuated a crew member from a U.S. submarine on Saturday after the sailor required urgent medical attention. The rescue took place about 7 nautical miles (roughly 8 miles) off Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and the patient was transferred to a hospital in the city.
A Danish Seahawk helicopter, launched from an inspection ship, retrieved the crewmember and flew them to shore for emergency treatment, the military said.
U.S. President Announces Hospital Ship
Late Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he planned to send a hospital ship to Greenland, saying he and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry were “going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick.” The announcement prompted immediate reactions from Danish officials.
Danish Officials Respond
Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told public broadcaster DR that Danish authorities had not been informed about any U.S. ship en route to Greenland. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen defended Denmark’s universal healthcare on Facebook, writing that she was “happy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health for all,” and adding that the same approach applies in Greenland.
Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz, one of two Greenlandic members of the Danish parliament, criticized the proposal on Facebook as “rather desperate,” arguing that sending a poorly maintained ship would not deliver a permanent or sustainable improvement to Greenland’s health system.
This episode unfolds amid strained relations between Denmark and the United States following earlier comments by President Trump about a possible U.S. interest in Greenland, an island of strategic importance and significant mineral resources in the Arctic.
Key fact: The crewmember was airlifted by a Danish Seahawk roughly 7 nautical miles off Nuuk and taken to a Nuuk hospital; Danish authorities say they were not notified about the proposed U.S. hospital ship.
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