KODIAK, Alaska — A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced an ill passenger aboard a cruise ship at the convergence of Icy Strait and Chatham Strait, approximately 23 miles west of Juneau Thursday.
A 17th Coast Guard District watchstander received a report at 4:25 p.m. of a 53-year-old female aboard the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl who was unconscious and unresponsive.
Air Station Sitka launched a rescue helicopter and aircrew at 5:07 p.m. that arrived on scene at 5:33 p.m. and successfully hoisted the patient without further issues.
“The Coast Guard is routinely called upon to conduct medevacs from cruise ships in Alaska,” said Lt. Lane Munroe of the 17th Coast Guard District Command Center. “Our hoist-capable helicopters allow us to arrive on scene much quicker than any other means, thus allowing us to get patients to advanced medical care with the least amount of delay possible.”
The aircrew transferred the patient to awaiting emergency medical services in Sitka who further transported her to Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.