A passenger aboard the Grand Princess, a Princess Cruises vessel, was medically evacuated by the U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday, October 13th, following a report of severe abdominal pain while the ship was ~170 miles (~270 km) off the coast of Los Angeles CA.
The initial medevac request was received at ~1:00 a.m. on Saturday by the Coast Guard District Eleven Command Center. The request concerned a 63-year-old male passenger suffering from significant abdominal distress. At the time of the call, the Grand Princess was 1,000+ miles off the coast of San Diego, a distance that exceeded the operational range of the Coast Guard's Jayhawk helicopter for immediate response.
Due to the ship’s distance from shore, the Coast Guard implemented a scheduled communication protocol, maintaining contact with the cruise ship every four hours as the vessel approached the coast. This coordination ensured the situation was monitored until the ship was within the Jayhawk's range for an aerial rescue.
At 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, 36+ hours after the initial request, a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter successfully conducted a hoist operation to evacuate the patient from the Grand Princess. Support was provided by a C-27 Spartan aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, which maintained aerial surveillance during the rescue.
Upon the Jayhawk's return to shore, the passenger was able to walk with assistance to a waiting ambulance. This operation marked the first rescue conducted by the newly established Coast Guard Air Station Ventura, as noted in an official press release.
For more Grand Princess incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.