Escape Turned - Possible Evac

[BirdTravels]

Midnight. We left Tortola at 3 pm and we were headed to Nassau. We appear to have turned around and heading in the general direction of San Juan.

 

The ship's crew have been busy unfastening the signal flag cable running to the bow and moving it out of the way. There is a fire crew standing ready in the bow crew area. Fire extinguishers and fire hoses charged and ready.

 

Looking like an nighttime evac

 

Prayers for the ill or injured individual.

[Sotermarler]

OH, no thanks for keeping us posted.

[casofilia]

OH, no thanks for keeping us posted.

 

I presume you actually meant:- "OH no, thanks for keeping us posted". The position of the comma changes your comment totally.

 

Mike

[kchiumento]

Try to keep us posted if you can.

[mking8288]

Thanks for the late night alert. Hopefully, everything will turn out to be okay for those affected - nighttime medevac by hilo are especially dangerous so it must be an urgent assessment to proceed.

 

Escape's AIS data - was going northwest but turn on a 164° heading about an hour ago, toward San Juan, PR for sure -doing 20.2kn

 

On a related note, the GEM is still at Nassau, was scheduled to leave yesterday afternoon for NY and more than a few hours behind

[BirdTravels]

2:15 helicopter Evac of a sick passenger and their loved one complete. Took about 45 minutes. Lowered USCG crew member to deck. Family member went up in a basket. Sick passenger in a litter. And finally the USCG crew member on a line.

 

Ship maintained 19 knots during the Evac. Really skillful flying by the helo crew (sideways, maintaining a low hover over the deck).

 

Edited May 19, 2016 by BirdTravels

[2ManyCruises]

Wow. Hope things end well for them. We're sailing her the 28th. Great skills shown by the evac team. BTW that's why we also get trip insurance. You never know if you'll need a medical evacuation.

Edited May 19, 2016 by 2ManyCruises

[luvtheships]

Wow. Hope things end well for them. We're sailing her the 28th. Great skills shown by the evac team. BTW that's why we also get trip insurance. You never know if you'll need a medical evacuation.

 

 

It's been posted here many times the uscg evacs are not charged directly and are a service of the USA govt which of course is funded from our tax dollars.

 

 

The real evac cost to pax is foreign medical and return home etc

 

Luckily this pax was able to avail themselves of USA coast guard.

 

However I would never travel without insurance or a credit card with a very high credit line in order to pay for foreign expenses prior to reimbursement

Edited May 19, 2016 by luvtheships

[IsanTom]

Great Job USCG!

[jcathers1]

Out of curiosity, what was the nature of the illness? Or in general, what sort of medical condition would warrant evacuation?

[CruzinMel]

Wow, that had to be a very desperate situation all around! Thanks for posting - I hope everything turned out well.

 

And doing that at 19kn? Wow!

[MommaBear55]

Unfortunately we have been seeing this or similar on every cruise we take. St Martin alone we had three separate ambulance cases and least one more at ever other port and one helo evac. I appreciate the skill and expertise of the medical personnel on board and those who do the evacuations. I am sure that there is a lot of discussion on the bridge about how best to manage each individual case.

 

With an aging population who is increasingly mobile, the number of these situations is just going to increase.

[Jenjer]

Wow, So glad it went off with out a hitch. The USCG has to train tirelessly to do that on a moving ship. Not to mention it has to be terrifying for the patient. P &PT they are okay.

 

No idea what medical issue would warrant that speed of a evacuation at night while moving, stroke, heart attack, blood clot all come to mind. It has to be bad and the person must have needed surgery or advanced medical treatment to save their lives.

[BirdTravels]

At the time of the evac, the ship had turned to the north east, away from Puerto Rico. We assumed the the course and speed were selected to optimize conditions on the bow. We were in 8' seas with light gale force winds. At one point during the evac, we had water kick up over the bow.

 

The ship's crew was well rehearsed. A wind sock was hung from the front flag pole. A crew member stood in the center of the target dot on the bow with lighted batons to provide a target. And remained still as the USCG crew member came in swinging. The fire team in full protective gear and breathing apparatus stood ready with charged hoses and fire extinguishers.

 

We heard a code called around 11:00ish. By midnight the ship was turned and the crew was readying the evac point. In high wind areas with posted signs requiring safety harness, crew members interlocked arms as they moved the signal flag rigging out of the way. At 1:40 the helo arrived and circles the ship for about 15 mins before making its final approach.

 

Hope all is well with the evacuated passenger.

[Seminole1975]

Amazing!! Great work by the crew and Coast Guard especially in those conditions! I too pray that the sick person is OK!!

[chengkp75]

At the time of the evac, the ship had turned to the north east, away from Puerto Rico. We assumed the the course and speed were selected to optimize conditions on the bow. We were in 8' seas with light gale force winds. At one point during the evac, we had water kick up over the bow.

 

The ship's crew was well rehearsed. A wind sock was hung from the front flag pole. A crew member stood in the center of the target dot on the bow with lighted batons to provide a target. And remained still as the USCG crew member came in swinging. The fire team in full protective gear and breathing apparatus stood ready with charged hoses and fire extinguishers.

 

We heard a code called around 11:00ish. By midnight the ship was turned and the crew was readying the evac point. In high wind areas with posted signs requiring safety harness, crew members interlocked arms as they moved the signal flag rigging out of the way. At 1:40 the helo arrived and circles the ship for about 15 mins before making its final approach.

 

Hope all is well with the evacuated passenger.

 

This explains the 19 knot ship speed, to keep rolling down and to minimize the apparent wind on deck.

 

The last thing the crew on deck want to do is touch the rescue swimmer, as he/she will have built up a significant static charge, especially in those winds. It is enough to be fatal in some cases.

 

I know on some ships they will ask that the forward facing cabins be evacuated during helicopter ops like this, just in case things go south in a really bad way.

 

The decision to medevac at night may have been as simple as that was the time of closest approach to base, or that the weather was forecast to deteriorate further. The USCG flight surgeon at the base has the final say, in consult with the ship's doctor and Captain, as to whether or when an evac happens. They weigh the risk to the patient against the rewards of getting them to medical attention. Then it comes down to the pilot's decision on scene.

 

SAR teams all over the world are a mariner's best friend, and they are true heroes. Another example of the USCG living up to its motto: Semper Paratus (Always Prepared).

[Sissaaaaaa]

I presume you actually meant:- "OH no, thanks for keeping us posted". The position of the comma changes your comment totally.

 

Mike

 

Oh good grief :rolleyes:

[BurtonRiderT6]

From my understanding it's actually easier for them to do all this while the ship is moving. At a stand still the ship will be rocking all over the place in a more unpredictable manner, and the "choppa" has to completely generate it's own lift. Moving gives the "choppa" more stability, hence having the ship move in a direction that is favorable to the winds for the "choppa". I read about it on video I watched on reddit a while back. It was an evac in some crazy seas, and a few USCG men chimed into the discussion and explained it all.

[mking8288]

Excellent job by USCG and crew onboard, bravo & thank you - prayers & faith that patient getting the best available care once transfer to land-based critical care facilities.

 

Appreciate all the info & much obliged. How's it affecting today's scheduled port stop - from ship's webcam, looked to be an island forward & portside but I don't think you are anywhere close to Nassau, AIS data not updated and not showing the Escape in range for the port.

[triptolemus]

From my understanding it's actually easier for them to do all this while the ship is moving. At a stand still the ship will be rocking all over the place in a more unpredictable manner, and the "choppa" has to completely generate it's own lift. Moving gives the "choppa" more stability, hence having the ship move in a direction that is favorable to the winds for the "choppa". I read about it on video I watched on reddit a while back. It was an evac in some crazy seas, and a few USCG men chimed into the discussion and explained it all.

 

Pretty sure it has to completely generate its own lift all the time, under any conditions (except while crashing, of course).

 

/just sayin'

[BurtonRiderT6]

Pretty sure it has to completely generate its own lift all the time, under any conditions (except while crashing, of course).

 

/just sayin'

 

There are three basic flight conditions for a helicopter: hover, forward flight and the transition between the two.

 

Hover

Hovering is the most challenging part of flying a helicopter. This is because a helicopter generates its own gusty air while in a hover, which acts against the fuselage and flight control surfaces. The end result is constant control inputs and corrections by the pilot to keep the helicopter where it is required to be.[68] Despite the complexity of the task, the control inputs in a hover are simple. The cyclic is used to eliminate drift in the horizontal plane, that is to control forward and back, right and left. The collective is used to maintain altitude. The pedals are used to control nose direction or heading. It is the interaction of these controls that makes hovering so difficult, since an adjustment in any one control requires an adjustment of the other two, creating a cycle of constant correction.

 

Transition from hover to forward flight

As a helicopter moves from hover to forward flight it enters a state called translational lift which provides extra lift without increasing power. This state, most typically, occurs when the airspeed reaches approximately 16–24 knots, and may be necessary for a helicopter to obtain flight.

 

Forward flight

In forward flight a helicopter's flight controls behave more like those of a fixed-wing aircraft. Displacing the cyclic forward will cause the nose to pitch down, with a resultant increase in airspeed and loss of altitude. Aft cyclic will cause the nose to pitch up, slowing the helicopter and causing it to climb. Increasing collective (power) while maintaining a constant airspeed will induce a climb while decreasing collective will cause a descent. Coordinating these two inputs, down collective plus aft cyclic or up collective plus forward cyclic, will result in airspeed changes while maintaining a constant altitude. The pedals serve the same function in both a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft, to maintain balanced flight. This is done by applying a pedal input in whichever direction is necessary to center the ball in the turn and bank indicator.

 

RESEARCH GOES A LONG WAY....."JUS SAYIN"

[samiam0403]

Out of curiosity, what was the nature of the illness? Or in general, what sort of medical condition would warrant evacuation?

 

I coordinate rescues such as this for a living - the criteria for issuing a mission number and receiving federal support is it must be necessary to prevent loss of life, limb or eyesight. Also, obviously state/local resources (if available) must be exhausted first.

Edited May 19, 2016 by samiam0403

[beerman2]

Oh good grief :rolleyes:

 

Thought the same thing! It does change context but using common sense pretty sure people knew what was meant.

[chengkp75]

Thought the same thing! It does change context but using common sense pretty sure people knew what was meant.

 

Lets eat Grandma.

 

Lets eat, Grandma.

 

Punctuation saves lives.

[triptolemus]

 

RESEARCH GOES A LONG WAY....."JUS SAYIN"

 

So does a sense of humor... :rolleyes: