July 21st, 2015
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico —
The crew of a Coast Guard helicopter medevaced a 79-year-old woman from the Caribbean Carnival Breeze cruise ship Monday evening, approximately 90 nautical miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received notification at 4:30 p.m. Monday from the crew aboard the cruise ship reporting the woman, a U.S. citizen, required medical attention ashore.
The cruise ship was transiting from Miami to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, when the incident was reported to the Coast Guard.
Coast Guard Watchstanders in San Juan coordinated with the Carnival Breeze and dispatched a crew aboard a MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen to conduct the medevac. The helicopter arrived on scene and the crew deployed their rescue swimmer to the Carnival Breeze to assess the patient’s condition. The woman was placed on a litter and hoisted aboard the aircraft, while a cruise ship nurse who accompanied the patient was hoisted onboard via the helicopter’s rescue basket.
The typical BS from the USCG: “The seamless coordination with the Carnival Breeze resulted in a safe hoisting evolution and the expedited transport of the patient to receive specialized medical care ashore,” said Lt. Crystal Barnett, Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot.
The Coast Guard helicopter transported the patient and the cruise ship nurse to the Isla Grande Airport, where they were received by awaiting Emergency Medical Services personnel and transported by ambulance to the “Centro Medico” Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Ric.