Key Aspects:
- Soon after embarking on an 11-night sailing to Alaska, two cruise passengers onboard Ruby Princess required an urgent medical evacuation at the same time.
- The two airlifts were pulled off successfully thanks to some impressive teamwork by the US Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Canadian Coast Guard.
- The rescue did not impact the itinerary, with Ruby Princess completing her first port call on the itinerary (on Ketchikan, Alaska) as planned.
People often say good things come in small packages, and that apparently applies to some not-so-good things as well.
This sentiment rings true for Ruby Princess, from where not one, but two passengers had to be medically evacuated on Sunday, August 24, 2025.
Just two days prior on August 22, the 3,080-guest ship had embarked from San Francisco, California, on an 11-night sailing to Alaska – so the disembarked guests sadly didn’t get to enjoy most of the voyage.
You can watch footage from the US Coast Guard below:
As two patients were in need of urgent care, the evacuation had to become a joint rescue effort.
The first guest in need was a 52-year-old female passenger who had gone into cardiac arrest and was placed on life support.
The second was a 99-year-old male guest who was reportedly suffering from complete esophageal obstruction, which is a life-threatening condition where the tube that connects the throat to the stomach is blocked.
The impressive airlift was completed successfully thanks to flawless collaboration by the US Coast Guard (USCG), the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and the Canadian Coast Guard.
A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and CC-295 Kingfisher aircraft from RCAF 19 Wing Comox, and a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from USCG Air Station Port Angeles reported for duty, with the Kingfisher aircraft supervising and coordinating the airlifts.
“This case demonstrates how our specialized expertise and dedicated training allows us to rapidly respond to these types of time-sensitive medical evacuations at sea,“ said Cmdr. Kelly Higgins, commanding officer of US Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles.
“The expert coordination between the Canadian Coast Guard, the Life Flight Network, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the US Coast Guard ensured [these patients] received the care they needed,” Higgins continued.
The prognosis of the disembarked guests is unknown, but Cruise Hive wishes them both a smooth recovery.
No Impact to the Itinerary
When the rescue unfolded, Ruby Princess was approximately 145 nautical miles west of Cape Flattery, Washington.
The 113,561-gross ton vessel was on her way to her first port call of the sailing, which was on Ketchikan, Alaska, on August 25 (the next day).
Although cruise tracking data shows that the Princess cruise ship paused to allow the airlifts to take place, there was no significant delay – which also means that the planned itinerary was able to go forth as planned.
The distance from Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska, is around 600 to 700 nautical miles, depending on where exactly the vessel is, which a cruise ship sailing at top speeds can easily cover in a day.
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The 2008-launched vessel arrived on time in Ketchikan on August 25.
She will go on to visit Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Sitka, and Victoria, British Columbia, before disembarking in San Francisco on September 2.
She has two more 11-night Alaska sailings to operate before her season concludes (embarking on September 2 and September 13), which will hopefully be a lot less eventful.
