SAN JUAN — A Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew medevaced a Symphony of the Seas cruise ship passenger southwest of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Medevaced is 57-year-old man, U.S. citizen, who experienced possible stroke symptoms and required a higher level of medical care ashore.
Coast Guard watch standers in Sector San Juan received a communication from the Symphony of the Seas Thursday morning requesting medevac assistance as the cruise ship was transiting 116 nautical miles southwest of Cabo Rojo in the Caribbean Sea.
Watchstanders at Sector San Juan coordinated medevac arrangements and directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter to rendezvous with the cruise ship. Once on scene, the Coast Guard Jayhawk aircrew deployed their rescue swimmer aboard the cruise ship, who prepared the patient for a litter hoist and ensured he was safely hoisted aboard the aircraft.
Photo of medevac courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard
“It was a great team effort on all fronts,” Cmdr. Raymond Jamros, MH-60T Jayhawk aircraft commander for the case. “We appreciate the coordination between the air station, sector and Royal Caribbean. The effective coordination and communication allowed us to get on scene in a timely matter and transport the patient to higher medical care.”
The Coast Guard aircrew transported the patient to the La Mercedita Airport in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where awaiting local Emergency Medical Service personnel received and transported the patient to a local hospital.