US Air Force rescue squad saves severely ill passenger from cruise ship in the vast Atlantic Ocean.
In a thrilling rescue mission, the 920th Rescue Wing had to perform three helicopter-to-helicopter refuelings to reach the stranded Carnival Venezia, as stated in a press release.
The Venezia, en route back to New York City after attending various locations in the Bahamas and the Caribbean, found itself around 350 nautical miles (about 400 land miles or 645 kilometers) away from the U.S. mainland.
To tackle this long range, two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, two HC-130J Combat King II planes, along with two crews of combat rescue officers and pararescuemen were mobilized from Patrick Space Force Base in Florida, the release revealed.
Due to the vast distance to be covered, the 920th Rescue Wing needed to implement helicopter air-to-air refuelings, also referred to as HAAR. This technique entails fitting a probe from the helicopter to a drogue on the HC-130J aircraft, enabling fuel transfer during flight.
Upon arrival, rescuers were winched down from the helicopters and set to preparing the patient for transportation. The patient and his mother were lifted up into the helicopter, where they received medical attention en route to a hospital on the mainland, according to the release.
Both the 920th Rescue Wing and the cruise line did not provide any information regarding the patient's status or the hospital where he sought treatment.
Capt. Dylan Gann, a pilot from the 301st Rescue Squadron, highlighted in the release, "Everyone in the wing mobilized with incredible swiftness. We united our efforts, saving tons of time, and managed to deliver life-saving support six hours before any other response teams would."
Carnival indicated to CNN Travel that collaboration occurred between the cruise line, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard. Together, they altered Venezia's course to intercept the medical helicopter.
The ship proceeded towards New York after the medical evacuation and docked as planned on Monday.
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The rescued passenger, after receiving medical attention, was transported to a mainland hospital, allowing them to continue their journey of recovery and healing. With this incident, the importance of having well-equipped and responsive travel emergency services became even more evident.
Frequent travelers may want to consider adding travel insurance to their plans, offering peace of mind in case of emergency situations like this, allowing them to focus on their holidays rather than potential unexpected medical needs.
Source: edition.cnn.com
