Rare VMax1700 Posted April 19, 2019 #1 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Capt Darin has just announced that a female passenger is in need of urgent medical attention and is going to be helicoptered from the upper decks. Crew is clearing decks and rear pool to allow for the medical crew to arrive. We currently have a wind of 35 knots! French coastguard is sending the chopper and it is due to arrive in 25 minutes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted April 19, 2019 #2 Share Posted April 19, 2019 I am so sorry to hear this. We have had people helicoptered from various ships. Rough when the winds are up. Hope she will be okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doone Posted April 19, 2019 #3 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Oh I hate when that happens, hoping patient will be ok, sending prayers to all..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ger_77 Posted April 19, 2019 #4 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Sending good vibes for a positive outcome for the passenger and safety for all involved! Smooth Sailing! 🙂 🙂🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaming90 Posted April 19, 2019 #5 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Praying for passenger, how awful! And for the rescue people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare VMax1700 Posted April 19, 2019 Author #6 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Heli has arrived and dropped two medical personnel on to sun deck. Heli is now hovering off port side while French medical personnel made the patientvsecure for the lift. Amazing flying from French coastgaurd pilot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doone Posted April 19, 2019 #7 Share Posted April 19, 2019 God Bless them all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Chris Posted April 19, 2019 #8 Share Posted April 19, 2019 (edited) Oh dear, I hope she is all right and that the maneuver can be performed safely. On our cruise up the US coast last spring when the Veendam was repositioning from Florida up to Montreal, the captain diverted off course to get close enough to Charleston so a Coast Guard helicopter could airlift a passenger to a hospital. We lost a scheduled port day in Boston (the Captain did pull in long enough at night to take on passengers who were boarding there) but I never heard anyone grumble. Edited April 19, 2019 by Caribbean Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare VMax1700 Posted April 19, 2019 Author #9 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Heli has arrived and dropped two medical personnel on to sun deck. Heli is now hovering off port side while French medical personnel made the patientvsecure for the lift. Amazing flying from French coastgaurd pilot. 20190419_161508.mp4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted April 19, 2019 #10 Share Posted April 19, 2019 We had an evacuation on K'dam last year in the Caribbean. They never tell you how the patient did, so all you can do is hope and pray it turns out OK. They used the aft-port corner of the ship. We were in the deck 7 aft-port corner and it was loud, even inside. They asked people at the aft and port side to stay off their balconies and we did, so I have only a few distant photos of the helicopter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firecrewcapt Posted April 19, 2019 #11 Share Posted April 19, 2019 My son flies the HH60 Pavehawk Helicopter for the Ca.Air Guard out of Moffitt Field from the SF Bay area and goes out to all sorts of ships to do Medi-Vacs all along the west coast. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeniEncinitas Posted April 19, 2019 #12 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Hope and pray she will be fine. So sad for her and the family! Thank you for the video too. Denise😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare puppycanducruise Posted April 19, 2019 #13 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Best wishes for the passenger's recovery. And a big thank you to the French Coast Guard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare VMax1700 Posted April 19, 2019 Author #14 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Pax successfully lifted and by now should be in hospital in Corsica. The heli pilot held the heli so still during the lift! Amazing flying. Luckily the wind dropped somewhat and the seas were not as high as this morning. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himself Posted April 19, 2019 #15 Share Posted April 19, 2019 18 minutes ago, VMax1700 said: Pax successfully lifted and by now should be in hospital in Corsica. The heli pilot held the heli so still during the lift! Amazing flying. Luckily the wind dropped somewhat and the seas were not as high as this morning. Sorry to learn of the illness of the passenger but thank you for the reports. Glad to here that the helicopter was able to safely transport the passenger to a medical facility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Copper10-8 Posted April 19, 2019 #16 Share Posted April 19, 2019 1 hour ago, VMax1700 said: Heli has arrived and dropped two medical personnel on to sun deck. Heli is now hovering off port side while French medical personnel made the patientvsecure for the lift. Amazing flying from French coastgaurd pilot. The French, like other nations' services, are really good at thi!, Experienced one similar off French Polynesia. All the best to the female passenger involved in your situation 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Copper10-8 Posted April 19, 2019 #17 Share Posted April 19, 2019 56 minutes ago, firecrewcapt said: My son flies the HH60 Pavehawk Helicopter for the Ca.Air Guard out of Moffitt Field from the SF Bay area and goes out to all sorts of ships to do Medi-Vacs all along the west coast. Your son's unit was involved in a famous medevac of a Westerdam passenger some 300+ miles off San Diego in 2013 that required a mid-air refueling by one of their MC-130s. Only the USAF/Calif Air National Guard can provide such a feat (mid-air refueling of a helo to extend the range of such an operation in order to reach the patient) "In Pace et Bello, Noctem et Diem (In Peace & War, During Night & Day)" Please thank your son for his service! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhannah Posted April 19, 2019 #18 Share Posted April 19, 2019 We witnessed a medical evacuation of a crew member from the Rotterdam by the Norwegian Coast Guard. It's quite a feat, and fascinating to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare scubacruiserx2 Posted April 19, 2019 #19 Share Posted April 19, 2019 A couple of years ago a Swedish helicopter was practicing with our cruise ship Several night later they removed 2 people from just in front of our cabin . It felt like a hurricane when the took off . The helicopters that we used in our Fire department in Miami couldn't refuel at sea so they didn't have the range that the Coast Guard has in Miami . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Copper10-8 Posted April 19, 2019 #20 Share Posted April 19, 2019 (edited) Here's the video of the 2013 Westerdam medevac in the Pacific, incl. the actual refueling of the Calif Air National Guard Pavehawk helo by the MC-130 of the same unit (starting at 0.56 sec). I don't have to tell you what would happen if the refueling hose/basket combo of the Herc would come in contact with the blades of the Pavehawk. In order to avoid that, the refueling boom of the helo can be extended but this type of operation still carries a good amount of risk. In this operation, after refueling the helo in flight, the MC-130 acted as on scene rescue coordinator once it and the Pavehawk came on station over the Westerdam. As a side note, the Pavehawk has a large number (840) painted in pink on its fuselage because it had been assisting in fighting wildfires in Calif. My hat's off to all these men and women of the rescue services all over the world. "That others may live" Edited April 19, 2019 by Copper10-8 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocJohnB Posted April 19, 2019 #21 Share Posted April 19, 2019 52 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said: Here's the video of the 2013 Westerdam medevac in the Pacific Copper, Thanks for posting that incredible video. The guys who fly these missions (CG, AF and some others) are not only incredibly brave, they are incredibly trained and talented. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firecrewcapt Posted April 19, 2019 #22 Share Posted April 19, 2019 As a side note, the Pavehawk has a large number (840) painted in pink on its fuselage because it had been assisting in fighting wildfires in Calif. My hat's off to all these men and women of the rescue services all over the world. "That others may live" You're exactly right, the big pink or orange numbers are for wildfire missions, I retired from CDF before he could drop on me......LOL. He'll be at the annual joint training later this month with CDF/CalFire in preparing for this years fire season. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare puppycanducruise Posted April 19, 2019 #23 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Thanks for the videos. We are so lucky these people are able to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredT Posted April 19, 2019 #24 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Two year ago we had a medivac in the north sea on the Astoria (in 30' seas and 30 mph winds) Here is the video of that. (As they pan back along the ship you can see four idiots on the promenade deck.... I'm one) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TDfadat7hI Interesting to say the least. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Copper10-8 Posted April 19, 2019 #25 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Here's another one, this time by the Danes (Flyvevabnet/Royal Danish Air Force Eskadrille 722 - EH-101 Merlin helo) in the North Sea involving Celebrity Eclipse. The Danes must have a different policy because it is very rare to see the next of kin of the patient accompany him/her via a hoist lift into the helicopter. Another fine job by these lifesavers who make it seem routine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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