Medical Evac on Paradise

[CRUZFINDER]

The Captain usually doesn't make announcements at 930pm.  So when he does my attention perks up.  He explained that we had to do a medical evacuation and he would keep us informed.  This happened on Nov 27.  First day of our cruise.  Obviously everyone wishes the evacuated passenger all the best, but you have to be impressed with the professionalism of the crew and the micro-precision of how this is coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard.  Paradise does not have a helipad.  The precision flying and hovering of the USCG crew was perfect.  Kudos to all involved and, again, positive thoughts to the evacuated man.

[chengkp75]

Even those ships with helipads, they are almost never used.  They are too small for military SAR helicopters, and the winch operation is more controlled.

[jimbo5544]

We had three on our Legend Greenland cruise.  One was helicoptor and the captain gave high praise at the skill of the pilot keeping the chopper still in 15 ft seas and 20 knot winds.

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by jimbo5544

[Linsuesue]

We had one on our cruise to Hawaii this January on the Miracle. Our ship had to backtrack for many hours to get close enough to the California coast so the Coast Guard helicopter could meet us. I never knew about the limited range of a helicopter. The pilot did an outstanding job of getting close to the ship and then backing away repeatedly-the seas were very rough with lots of wind. It must have been so scary for the patient and his wife, and he ended up getting the heart surgery that he needed and recovered.  We lost a whole day in Hawaii because of the backtracking to the coast, but were so glad the gentleman got the help he needed. It was a fascinating process to watch! 

[chengkp75]

The USCG MH65 Dolphin helicopter has a range of 400 nm, or about one day's sailing for a cruise ship.  Only specialized military helicopters have in-flight refueling capabilities.  If the USCG helicopter has to go long distances over water for the rescue/evacuation, they will send a fixed wing aircraft as well, just in case things go sideways, they will be there to coordinate further measures.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

The USCG MH65 Dolphin helicopter has a range of 400 nm, or about one day's sailing for a cruise ship.  Only specialized military helicopters have in-flight refueling capabilities.  If the USCG helicopter has to go long distances over water for the rescue/evacuation, they will send a fixed wing aircraft as well, just in case things go sideways, they will be there to coordinate further measures.

Sometimes our tax dollars actually are very well spent. 

[sparks1093]

4 hours ago, Linsuesue said:

We had one on our cruise to Hawaii this January on the Miracle. Our ship had to backtrack for many hours to get close enough to the California coast so the Coast Guard helicopter could meet us. I never knew about the limited range of a helicopter. The pilot did an outstanding job of getting close to the ship and then backing away repeatedly-the seas were very rough with lots of wind. It must have been so scary for the patient and his wife, and he ended up getting the heart surgery that he needed and recovered.  We lost a whole day in Hawaii because of the backtracking to the coast, but were so glad the gentleman got the help he needed. It was a fascinating process to watch! 

Every craft or vehicle that uses fuel has a maximum range it can go without refueling. Even nuclear powered Navy vessels need to be refueled, although certainly not as frequently. 

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

The USCG MH65 Dolphin helicopter has a range of 400 nm, or about one day's sailing for a cruise ship.  Only specialized military helicopters have in-flight refueling capabilities.  If the USCG helicopter has to go long distances over water for the rescue/evacuation, they will send a fixed wing aircraft as well, just in case things go sideways, they will be there to coordinate further measures.

I found it interesting that in the movie The Perfect Storm they showed a USCG aircraft doing an airborne refueling, in the middle of a storm no less. I never researched whether such a helicopter had refueling capability (although I doubted that they would attempt it during a storm, so I figured the scene was more for dramatic effect anyway). 

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I found it interesting that in the movie The Perfect Storm they showed a USCG aircraft doing an airborne refueling, in the middle of a storm no less. I never researched whether such a helicopter had refueling capability (although I doubted that they would attempt it during a storm, so I figured the scene was more for dramatic effect anyway). 

I believe that some USCG fixed-wing aircraft, like the C-130, are configured for aerial refueling, but none of their helicopters are.

[pe4all]

We saw helicopter evacs on 2 of our cruises.  I guess it happens more often than we realize.  Hope the person evacuated is doing well.

[Linsuesue]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

The USCG MH65 Dolphin helicopter has a range of 400 nm, or about one day's sailing for a cruise ship.  Only specialized military helicopters have in-flight refueling capabilities.  If the USCG helicopter has to go long distances over water for the rescue/evacuation, they will send a fixed wing aircraft as well, just in case things go sideways, they will be there to coordinate further measures.

Can you tell if this is a MH65 Dolphin? Some people onboard said the range of a helicopter is only 250 miles. 

[chengkp75]

That actually looks like an MH-60 Jayhawk, which has a range of 800 nm.  The USCG has about 100 Dolphins, and about 40 Jayhawks.  The Dolphin is faster, but with a shorter range.  A helicopter with a 250 nm range would not be of much use in maritime SAR, where the distances and flight times are enormous.

Edited December 4, 2023 by chengkp75

[CruisingGarcias]

We had a medivac on the Magic back in August. The Coast Guard helicopter hovered off of the ship's port side for half a hour while three passengers and their luggage were taken off the ship. We were 20 miles off of the Virginia Beach coast at 1:30 in the morning. I think that most of the port side balcony rooms were up watching the Coast Guard helicopter deal with the wind and the fog while hoisting the passengers up. They used the back of ship since the Magic didn't have a designated helipad. It was impressive watching them work. 

[chengkp75]

29 minutes ago, CruisingGarcias said:

They used the back of ship since the Magic didn't have a designated helipad.

This is the usual way, even for those ships with helipads on the bow.  It is far easier for the pilot to keep station above the uppermost deck than to have a moving "wall" (the forward facing cabins and bridge) moving towards them.

[jimbo5544]

On 12/4/2023 at 5:14 AM, chengkp75 said:

The USCG MH65 Dolphin helicopter has a range of 400 nm, or about one day's sailing for a cruise ship.  Only specialized military helicopters have in-flight refueling capabilities.  If the USCG helicopter has to go long distances over water for the rescue/evacuation, they will send a fixed wing aircraft as well, just in case things go sideways, they will be there to coordinate further measures.

That happened long ago on the valor mid day.  Another plane slowly circled while the evac occured.

[jimbo5544]

On 12/4/2023 at 6:32 AM, ontheweb said:

Sometimes our tax dollars actually are very well spent. 

The one we had on the Legend on the Greenland cruise around midnight was extremely impressive to watch.  The talent of all was on display.  The Captain the next day was glowing with remarks for the Coast Guard.  

[1BDNANA]

I witnessed a rescue when I was on an Alaskan cruise. I was on my balcony right under where the helicopter hovered. We were right at the entrance to the fiords. It felt like a scene right out of The Deadliest Catch. We got word later that the man was alive and recovering.