Night Helicopter Medivac on Liberty

[airbusdrvr]

A BIG kudos to the US Coast Guard helicopter crew that made the rescue last night ! After several attempts to land on the helipad in high winds they did a basket lift . Again , a fantastic job by the USCG !

[lossforgain]

That's two cruises in a row that had to do this - our cruise that ended on Monday had one too!

[johneeo]

A BIG kudos to the US Coast Guard helicopter crew that made the rescue last night ! After several attempts to land on the helipad in high winds they did a basket lift . Again , a fantastic job by the USCG !

 

Were you at sea when this happened?

 

The reason I ask, on our Explorer cruise, we had one also, while at sea.

 

I had the opportunity to discuss with the captain, and he told me that while sailing at sea, he would never allow a helicopter to land. Said that it was too dangerous and easier to do a lift. Also, the ship had to be moving to be in full control.

[leaveitallbehind]

Were you at sea when this happened?

 

The reason I ask, on our Explorer cruise, we had one also, while at sea.

 

I had the opportunity to discuss with the captain, and he told me that while sailing at sea, he would never allow a helicopter to land. Said that it was too dangerous and easier to do a lift. Also, the ship had to be moving to be in full control.

 

We had one on Grandeur maiden voyage in '96 - which does not have a helipad - and they had to do a basket lift at the pool area. It was windy and a bit choppy so the lift was not easy, but amazing to see the Coast Guard in action.

 

I will echo your comments in that the captain later explained that even if they could have landed he wouldn't allow it at sea for the same reasons you mentioned.

[bluecookies]

On the Oasis in May the someone asked the Captain during one of the receptions about this. He said he always leaves it up to the Coast Guard on whether they want to land or not. He said they almost always prefer to hover and lift.

[cruisinfanatic]

A BIG kudos to the US Coast Guard helicopter crew that made the rescue last night ! After several attempts to land on the helipad in high winds they did a basket lift . Again , a fantastic job by the USCG !

Don't know why they would even try unless they knew it was safe. Have always seen basket lifts, never a landing.

[spookwife]

Were you at sea when this happened?

 

The reason I ask, on our Explorer cruise, we had one also, while at sea.

 

I had the opportunity to discuss with the captain, and he told me that while sailing at sea, he would never allow a helicopter to land. Said that it was too dangerous and easier to do a lift. Also, the ship had to be moving to be in full control.

 

I have to laugh at this since the US Navy and the USCG does this every single day. and some of the Frigates are smaller than your average cruise ship.

[megr1125]

I too saw a basket lift...and also heard the Captain on EX suggest that they prefer to not land on a moving ship for a number of reasons...

 

That said, it is still very interesting to see the USCG in action.....and thanks to all those who serve!!!

[johneeo]

I have to laugh at this since the US Navy and the USCG does this every single day. and some of the Frigates are smaller than your average cruise ship.

 

Maybe because cruise ships do NOT do it every day.

 

I would also venture that your standard frigate has a crew on board that is very experienced with landing helicopters on their boats and are prepared for anything that happens, whereas the crews on most cruise ships have never had a helicopter landing on their ship.

[leaveitallbehind]

Maybe because cruise ships do NOT do it every day.

 

I would also venture that your standard frigate has a crew on board that is very experienced with landing helicopters on their boats and are prepared for anything that happens, whereas the crews on most cruise ships have never had a helicopter landing on their ship.

 

Agree completely - what is an everyday occurance in the Navy and on frigates is not something typically experienced by most passengers (or crews) on a cruise ship. It is an uncommon event for most passengers to witness and one that rightfully generates the comments such as those in this thread.

 

And BTW spookwife, IMO the level of skill and ability is not the issue here as not some, but all contemporary frigates at less than 500' and less than 5,000 tons displacement are significantly smaller than the average cruise ship - so the training has to be excellent. But I think it is more that it is still a unique experience to see that skill at work saving a life that inspires the comments.

[Aquahound]

A BIG kudos to the US Coast Guard helicopter crew that made the rescue last night ! After several attempts to land on the helipad in high winds they did a basket lift . Again , a fantastic job by the USCG !

 

Don't know why they would even try unless they knew it was safe. Have always seen basket lifts, never a landing.

 

I am familiar with what happened here. Airbusdrvr, it was the other way around. The prefered method was a basket lift. That did not work due to a logistical hurdle. The victim was 400 lbs. It was too dangerous with the winds they had to lift a victim of that weight. The helo eventually had to set down on the helo pad.

 

Prior to setting down, the CG considered ordering the ship in to port. However, KW was the nearest port and LOS is too big for KW. They even considered turning the ship around and ordering it back to FLL or MIA.

 

I will not say the nature of his condition, but it was serious.

[LBumb]

our evac was very early in morning maybe two or three

[johneeo]

Agree completely - what is an everyday occurance in the Navy and on frigates is not something typically experienced by most passengers (or crews) on a cruise ship.

 

A friend of mine flew Navy jets. He absolutely loved it. However, he hated landing on the aircraft carriers, said it was no fun.

 

Now, imagine you are a helicopter pilot. You have landed hundreds of times on your frigate, very routine. Then you get the call, night time rescue, heavy winds, to a cruise ship you have probably NEVER even laid eyes on.

 

UGGGGH!

[Onessa]

BIL flew helo search and rescue for US Navy for a decade. (also did some fixed-wing stuff on aircraft carriers). He now flies 747 commercially and is on his home town's volunteer emergency squad.

 

His point is that you can never say "always" or "never" when it comes to any emergency situation. You train so that when a situation presents itself you can respond in a manner that best fits that situation (and that you know the best way, that don't have to spend a lot of time thinking through your options).

 

We witnessed an at sea rescue of a crew off of a commercial fishing vessel off Canada by the crew of the Radiance a decade ago, and the story still sends shivers down my spine.

[mcpackage]

Hello there, we were on that Lberty of the Seas cruise as well, we watched the helicopter rescue from our balcony, I have never seen anything like that! I have tremendous respect for the Coast Guard, they are extremely brave. We were wondering, was any information out there regarding what exactly happened to that poor person that caused such a calamity?

[stingirl]

We were on this cruise, and watched the rescue. We had been docked at Labadee Haiti and the captain called for people willing to donate blood for a passenger who was hemorrhaging. That evening I noticed significant listing of the ship and later learned that it had been turned around, heading back toward Florida to meet a rescue helicopter instead of our next intended port of Jamaica. Around midnight an announcement was made that a Coast Guard rescue was to take place. It lasted about an hour. The helicopter would approach the landing area as if trying to land, then back away from the ship. This repeated about five times. We couldn't see the actual helipad, so I'm not sure if they were just taking people up in the basket or making attempts to land. The winds were gusting to 50-60 mph and the sea was pretty rough. It was a very intense situation. The talent and bravery of the Coast Guard crew was impressive. Three people were taken off the ship, the patient and her family member and a nurse from the ship. The story we heard from a crew member and other passengers that it was a post-operative bleeding problem in a passenger who had surgery before coming on the ship, rather than an accident or trauma.

 

The next morning the captain announced that we did not have time to turn around and proceed to Jamaica after the rescue. He said they tried to find another port for us to visit, but all nearby ports were full. So we had a slow sail back to Ft. Lauderdale with an extra day at sea.

[matj2000]

The story we heard from a crew member and other passengers that it was a post-operative bleeding problem in a passenger who had surgery before coming on the ship, rather than an accident or trauma.

 

I don't know a whole lot about surgery, but I would guess that if you are having post-op bleeding issues, it's probably to soon to be on a cruise.

But it's ok, all those people probably didn't want to go to Jamaica anyway..

[KirkNC]

Hope who ever was evacuated is ok.

[Trekker954]

My son just got off Freedom today and said their first stop was to be coco cay but they woke up in Nassau instead. They finally announced they had a medical emergency and had to switch out and go to Nassau instead. They "heard" different stories, one was a woman fell at around 2 a.m. and hit her head hard. Lots of people were upset as they like coco cay but no so much Nassau.

 

So my question is why didn't couldn't they go to coco cay and have the helicopter come in for a mediva rather than swap out the ports. My daughter and I have medical insurance that covers the helicopter medivac.

 

Whether my stupidity or actually illness, I wouldn't want to change the itinerary on my fellow passengers - thus I get the insurance. Granted this did sound like this woman did not get the best advice from her doctor. Bleeding definetly requires immedite attention and I'm glad the coast guard got her off.

 

Last month we bypassed coco cay due to weather and spent an overnight and full day in Nassau. I am fully understanding Mother Nature although disappointed; but after that, I guess I can be a little heartless and do not like when passengers do dump things to alter other people's vacations.

[airbusdrvr]

This is why I always get good coverage on emergency medical evacuation insurance . Several years ago I heard of a very serious injury in Ocho Rios , within a few hours an air ambulance jet got the person to a level 1 trauma ER in Miami .

[Cruise Whisperer]

I don't think that you have seen the video of this rescue as the helo did not land.

[Gator83]

We were on this cruise, and watched the rescue. We had been docked at Labadee Haiti and the captain called for people willing to donate blood for a passenger who was hemorrhaging. That evening I noticed significant listing of the ship and later learned that it had been turned around, heading back toward Florida to meet a rescue helicopter instead of our next intended port of Jamaica. Around midnight an announcement was made that a Coast Guard rescue was to take place. It lasted about an hour. The helicopter would approach the landing area as if trying to land, then back away from the ship. This repeated about five times. We couldn't see the actual helipad, so I'm not sure if they were just taking people up in the basket or making attempts to land. The winds were gusting to 50-60 mph and the sea was pretty rough. It was a very intense situation. The talent and bravery of the Coast Guard crew was impressive. Three people were taken off the ship, the patient and her family member and a nurse from the ship. The story we heard from a crew member and other passengers that it was a post-operative bleeding problem in a passenger who had surgery before coming on the ship, rather than an accident or trauma.

 

The next morning the captain announced that we did not have time to turn around and proceed to Jamaica after the rescue. He said they tried to find another port for us to visit, but all nearby ports were full. So we had a slow sail back to Ft. Lauderdale with an extra day at sea.

 

 

I was told the person was told by her physician to NOT take the cruise and she went against what the doctor said and took the cruise and did the zipline twice in Labadee.

[reedl]

I am familiar with what happened here. Airbusdrvr, it was the other way around. The prefered method was a basket lift. That did not work due to a logistical hurdle. The victim was 400 lbs. It was too dangerous with the winds they had to lift a victim of that weight. The helo eventually had to set down on the helo pad.

 

Prior to setting down, the CG considered ordering the ship in to port. However, KW was the nearest port and LOS is too big for KW. They even considered turning the ship around and ordering it back to FLL or MIA.

 

I will not say the nature of his condition, but it was serious.

 

Wow, you are completely wrong. The helicopter did not land on the ship at all, nor was it a man who was airlifted out. It was a woman patient who was lifted out.

 

Furthermore, the ship was on its way from Labadee, Haiti to Falmouth, Jamaica. Key West is nowhere near that path. The nearest ports would have been perhaps Ocho Rios, or Labadee

 

Here is a video of the entire event show the lifting of the people onto the chopper in the sky that I shot myself.

 

 

I do not know where you got your information from, but it is completely wrong. It was a woman who had recently had surgery.

 

Reedl

[Gator83]

I am familiar with what happened here. Airbusdrvr, it was the other way around. The prefered method was a basket lift. That did not work due to a logistical hurdle. The victim was 400 lbs. It was too dangerous with the winds they had to lift a victim of that weight. The helo eventually had to set down on the helo pad.

 

Prior to setting down, the CG considered ordering the ship in to port. However, KW was the nearest port and LOS is too big for KW. They even considered turning the ship around and ordering it back to FLL or MIA.

 

I will not say the nature of his condition, but it was serious.

 

 

The person was not 400 lbs and the person was not cleared by her doctor to sail.

[reney313]

It sounds like there is confusion. I think there were two different med evacs 2 weeks in a row and those are being intertwined? Maybe? I wasn't on either one, but from what I've read on a couple different threads seem to indicate as much.