Known for its dramatic and heroic rescues, the U.S. Coast Guard went above and beyond on October 5, 2024, when it rescued two men for two separate incidents on the same ship.
The U.S. Coast Guard conducted consecutive rescue operations from a Princess Cruises ship 50 miles off Cape Kumukahi on Hawaii’s Big Island, safely airlifting two ailing passengers to shore.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu received an urgent call from the 113,561-gross-ton Crown Princess on October 4 at 6 p.m.
According to the ship’s personnel, two passengers, a 70-year-old man exhibiting heart attack-like symptoms and an 86-year-old man suffering from internal bleeding, required immediate medical evacuation.
Passengers aboard the ship, repositioning to Sydney, Australia, ahead of its 114-night world cruise, reported the medical emergency on social media, citing that the ship turned around to head back to Hawaii.
A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point, Honolulu, Hawaii, arrived at the ship at 9 a.m. on October 5. There, they airlifted the 70-year-old man aboard the helicopter and transported him to Hilo Medical Center in Hilo, Hawaii.
A second aircrew followed shortly after to rescue the 86-year-old passenger, who was also flown to Hilo Medical Center. Both passengers are in stable condition.
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The Crown Princess had departed from Kahului (Maui) on October 3 and was en route to Moorea, French Polynesia, when the vessel’s medical team first contacted the Coast Guard. After consulting with the duty flight surgeon, the medevac was recommended for both patients.
Following the dramatic rescues, the ship resumed its course to French Polynesia, where it will also visit Papeete, Tahiti, before traveling to various ports of call in New Zealand ahead of its arrival in Sydney on October 26, 2024.
Coast Guard Heroes
Although back-to-back rescues to the same ship may be uncommon, the U.S. Coast Guard frequently responds to such medical emergencies, especially far from shore where advanced medical care may not be readily available.
On September 23, 2024, an 8-year-old boy aboard Royal Princess faced a severe case of appendicitis while the vessel sailed 20 miles off the coast of Eureka, California.
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a call from the ship’s medical team during challenging foggy conditions, successfully airlifting the boy to a nearby hospital, where he underwent an emergency appendectomy.
Additionally, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Venezia needed the Coast Guard’s assistance just hours into its August 22, 2024, journey from New York to Bermuda. In that instance, a 56-year-old female passenger was airlifted to a medical center in New Jersey by an NH-65 Dolphin helicopter dispatched for the medical emergency.
Sometimes, the rescues are further at sea, such as in the case of Carnival Sunshine. On April 27, 2024, a 35-year-old crew member was airlifted 160 miles off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, to a hospital after facing a life-threatening medical condition.
Similarly, the Coast Guard evacuated a 35-year-old pregnant woman from Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy 180 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Rescues at sea are not always medically related, however. In some instances, cruise ships have spotted refugees lost at sea and, as required by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, are obligated to aid and will turn to the Coast Guard for assistance.
A notable example occurred when the Coast Guard and Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas helped save 14 Cuban refugees off the coast of Honduras in March 2024.
