For one guest onboard Grand Princess, their cruise to paradise abruptly when they found themselves in need of an urgent airlift from the US Coast Guard.
The 33-night sailing, which embarked from Los Angeles, California, on Halloween, took a scary turn for a 29-year old female passenger who developed symptoms of appendicitis by the evening of Monday, November 5, 2024.
When the ship’s team of healthcare providers reached out to the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders at around 6 p.m. local time on Monday evening, the duty flight surgeon confirmed an airlift was in order.
The evacuation proceeded without a hitch the following day, on Tuesday, November 6, 2024, while the Grand-class vessel was about 70 miles off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii.
The MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew that responded was able to deliver the young patient to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii – where her condition was listed as stable.
The skilled team included Lieutenant Wade Myers, Lieutenant Jacque Kubicko, Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT3) Owen Maurer, and Aviation Survival Technician (AST1) Paul Wiedenhoeft, who received a shoutout for their heroic efforts on the US Coast Guard Hawaii social media accounts.
“At 6:17 p.m. Tuesday, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point rendezvoused with the Grand Princess about 70 miles east of Kaneohe, Hawaii,” the US Coast Guard shared in a press release.
“The helicopter crew hoisted the ailing woman and transported her to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. The patient was reportedly in stable condition,” continued the notice.
Unfortunately for this guest, she only got to be onboard through the first port call of the sailing, which was on Kauai, Hawaii, on November 6.
The itinerary also features Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii; Pago Pago, American Samoa; Apia, Western Samoa; two destinations in Fiji (Suva and Dravuni), and three stops in French Polynesia (Moorea, Raiatea, and Papeete, Tahiti).
The voyage will conclude in Los Angeles on November 3 – and the 2,610-guest ship will embark on a new 16-night Hawaiian sailing the same day.
More US Coast Guard Rescues on Hawaiian Sailings
If you’re wondering if this rescue sounds oddly familiar, that’s because another similar airlift took place onboard Grand Princess while sailing back to Los Angeles from Hawaii just a couple weeks ago.
On October 13, 2024, a 63-year-old passenger onboard the 107,517-gross ton vessel began to experience severe abdominal pain – which necessitated an emergency airlift.
However, while the Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point that handled the most recent airlift has had quite a bit of experience, the previous rescue was the first opportunity for the newly established Coast Guard Air Station Ventura to put its training to the test.
This was the first airlift conducted by the new Coast Guard base, which launched earlier this year in NAS Point Mugu, California, and thankfully the evacuation was successful.
US Coast Guard Grand Princess Airlift (Photo Credit: USCG)
Read Also: How to Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Cruise Vacation
Also in October, the US Coast Guard took part in a unique back-to-back rescue that became necessary on another Princess cruise ship.
On October 5, 2024, two unrelated guests onboard Crown Princess suffered simultaneous, but unrelated medical emergencies while the 3,080-passenger ship was about 50 miles from Cape Kumukahi on Hawaii’s Big Island.
The first passenger was a 70-year-old man who seemed to be suffering from a heart attack, while the second was an 86-year-old man showing signs of internal bleeding.
In both cases, the guests were successfully airlifted to Hilo Medical Center in Hilo, Hawaii, via an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, where they were left in stable condition.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
