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The 51-year-old female passenger was in stable condition upon transfer to the Mendocino Coast Hospital in Fort Bragg, Calif., on July 16
NEED TO KNOW
- A 51-year-old cruise passenger was airlifted by the Coast Guard after showing stroke symptoms off the California coast
- The rescue involved 40 mph winds and 8- to 10-foot seas and marked a co-pilot’s first life-saving mission
- The Carnival Cruise passenger was transported to a hospital in stable condition while the ship continued its scheduled itinerary
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard were tasked with a harrowing rescue as a 51-year-old cruise ship passenger required a medical evacuation off the coast of California.
On Thursday, July 16, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay received a request from a crew member of the Carnival Luminosa cruise ship for a medevac of a female passenger experiencing symptoms of a stroke.
Officials subsequently deployed an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from the Humboldt Bay Air Station, located about 30 minutes south of Redwood National and State Parks. The aircraft flew about 45 miles off the coast to reach the vessel.
Upon arrival, crew members were lowered onto the deck of the Carnival Luminosa to coordinate the rescue. They were met with Carnival crew members and the passenger, who was subsequently placed into a basket stretcher and transported into the air.
The Coast Guard’s Southwest District shared the harrowing footage on social media in a July 18 post on Facebook.
“Despite 8- to 10-foot seas and 40-mph winds, the aircrew safely hoisted the woman from the cruise ship,” the caption reads. “Bravo Zulu to the aircrew, and congratulations to co-pilot Lt. j.g. Nathan O’Brien on his first life saved as a Coast Guard aviator.”
The passenger was transferred to the Mendocino Coast Hospital in Fort Bragg following the evacuation. According to a July 18 press release, the woman was in stable condition.
According to CruiseMapper, the ship continued its sailing to San Francisco following the incident. The same day, the vessel departed for a four-day, round-trip sailing to Ensenada, Mexico. The 92,720-gross-tonnage vessel first set sail in 2022 and can accommodate up to 2,260 passengers at double occupancy.
PEOPLE has reached out to Carnival Cruise Line for comment.
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Late last year, the Coast Guard came to the rescue of a 65-year-old passenger on board the Celebrity Apex cruise ship while sailing approximately 24 nautical miles north of Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
A Dec. 11 press release included footage of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk crew as they hoisted a 65-year-old man who suffered from multiple medical conditions onto the helicopter.
In addition to evacuating the patient, cruise ship personnel assisted Coast Guard crew members in using a rescue basket to lift the patient’s wife onboard the aircraft.
Read the original article on People
