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Video Courtesy of Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Levasseur
U.S. COAST GUARD / PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS AMANDA LEVASSEUR
Screenshot of a Navy helicopter executing a rescue of an 83-year-old Canadian passenger from the cruise ship Emerald Princess about 150 miles north of Kaneohe Bay on Sunday.
The Coast Guard today released dramatic video of a Navy helicopter rescuing an 83-year-old Canadian passenger from the cruise ship Emerald Princess about 150 miles north of Kaneohe Bay on Sunday.
At 9 a.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard received a call from the 951-foot ship’s master stating the passenger was exhibiting symptoms of a stroke.
A Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopter crew from Kaneohe Bay’s Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 was dispatched, and the video shows the Seahawk hovering over the port side of the big cruise ship near one of the pool decks.
A crew member was lowered via cable hoist and the ailing passenger was retrieved and transported to awaiting emergency services at The Queen’s Medical Center.
A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130 Hercules aircrew provided communications and support.
“After consultation with the duty flight surgeon it was determined expediency was vital,” Petty Officer 1st Class James Fangman, a command duty officer with Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, said in a Coast Guard news release. “In this case, we were able to call on HSM-37 to conduct the rescue with their MH-60 which has a greater range than our helicopter allowing for a faster transfer to a higher level of medical care. Our partnership with the Navy saves lives and is vital to those on the water in this region.”
The HSM-37 “Easyriders” are the largest expeditionary squadron in the Navy and maintain and fly 15 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, the Navy said.
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