Woman medically evacuated from cruise ship Carnival Fantasy near Fernandina Beach, Fla.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew medically evacuated a passenger from the cruise ship Carnival Fantasy about 66-miles east of Fernandina Beach, Fla., Monday

Staff aboard the Fantasy contacted watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville command center to request a medevac for a 72-year-old woman, reporting she was experiencing severe symptoms related to a previous medical condition.

After consulting with a Coast Guard flight surgeon, a medical evacuation was determined necessary. A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., launched aboard an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and met the Fantasy at sea at 10:33 a.m.

Coast Guardsmen safely airlifted the woman and a nurse from the Fantasy aboard the helicopter then took them to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, Fla.