Over the weekend, in a span of 24 hours, Coast Guard Air Station San Diego carried out three distinct operations to rescue four individuals from cruise ships off the southern California coastline. It was a hectic weekend.
The third – which involved two passengers simultaneously – occurred on a Princess Cruises ship, while two out of the three occurrences took place on Carnival cruise vessels.
Multiple requests for medical evacuations were made from cruise ships over the weekend, and Coast Guard Air Station San Diego successfully responded to the challenge of multiple rescues with accuracy and effectiveness.
Carnival Panorama Rescue
The ship from Carnival Panorama was positioned approximately at 7:10 p.M. On the last night of a 7-night roundtrip sailing from San Diego, California to the Mexican Riviera, about 165 kilometers (265 miles) south of San Diego, on Friday evening, April.
A 47-year-old female guest from San Diego was reportedly suffering from “a progressive acute illness.” She was transported to Hospital Memorial Scripps in San Diego, and the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from the USGS, located 100 miles (161 km) south of San Diego, was used to hoist her aboard the cruise ship where she had rendezvoused.
Majestic Princess Rescues
On Friday night, at 10:20 p.M., The request for help was made when two visitors on Majestic Princess needed medical evacuation from the same ship. Another cruise liner received a second request just three hours afterwards.
The first passenger, a 74-year-old lady, was encountering symptoms resembling a stroke, while the second passenger, a 77-year-old lady, was undergoing renal failure.
Scripps Memorial Hospital coordinated the airlift of patients from both San Diego and Point Conception, which are approximately 450 km (280 miles) west and 241 km (150 miles) southwest, respectively. The evacuation was recommended to take place within a 12-14 hour window and was carried out using a Jayhawk MH-60 helicopter on Saturday morning, April.
During the planned voyage, the evacuation occurred while the ship was on its way to Los Angeles, which was the next scheduled stop. The ship had left Australia on Tuesday, April 4th, and the Majestic Princess was undertaking a 31-night repositioning cruise from Sydney, Australia to Vancouver, Canada, in anticipation of the upcoming Alaska sailing season.
Carnival Spirit Rescue
On Saturday, April 29th, around 12:20 p.M., The identical flight crew immediately redirected towards Carnival Spirit once the transfer of the two passengers from Majestic Princess had concluded. On this occasion, Carnival Spirit made a third request for evacuation while the evacuation from Majestic Princess was in progress.
During the airlift, the Carnival vessel was roughly 86 miles (138 km) to the west of San Clemente Island, or 165 miles (265 km) to the west of San Diego.
The 84-year-old female passenger was reported with stroke-like symptoms, and was transferred to emergency medical services at Coast Guard Sector San Diego.
On Tuesday, May 2nd, the last port of call on the ship’s recent Alaska season was in Seattle, Washington. The journey continued from Seattle, Washington to San Cabo Lucas. Additionally, the Carnival Spirit cruise ship was also repositioning from Miami, Florida to Seattle, Washington during this time.
To protect the privacy of their loved ones and guests, the family members have not released any further details about their evacuation conditions.
Medical Evacuations Not Uncommon
Training, dedication, and concentration are necessary to accomplish this. It is unusual for a single air crew to participate in so many airlift operations within such a limited timeframe. Although medical evacuations from cruise ships are not rare.
If the onboard medical team deems it necessary, guests can be evacuated from the ship for further care or emergency services, although there may be limitations on the available equipment. Cruise ships are furnished with medical centers and extensively trained medical personnel.
Depending on the location of the ship, medical evacuations may vary. The cruise ship may be able to directly divert to a nearby port with adequate medical facilities or a pilot boat could meet the cruise ship offshore, depending on the available resources and the sailing route of the ship.
However, when ships are further out to sea, airlifts are the fastest and safest option to ensure guests get prompt emergency care.
Hive Cruise commends and appreciates all the dedicated crew members of the United States Coast Guard and other organizations who ensure the safety of travelers during emergency evacuations while cruising.