Coast Guard Airlifts Carnival Luminosa Passenger With Stroke Symptoms
The ship was about 45 miles offshore when a Coast Guard crew from Humboldt Bay arrived by Dolphin helicopter and flew the woman to Mendocino Coast Hospital in Fort Bragg.
A 51-year-old Carnival Luminosa passenger was medically evacuated by the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday, July 16, about an hour after the ship departed San Francisco on a four-day Baja Mexico cruise. The woman was experiencing symptoms of a stroke when the ship requested assistance. The helicopter hoist took place in 40 mph winds and seas of up to 10 feet.
Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders received the medevac request at 5:10 p.m., shortly after Carnival Luminosa’s 4 p.m. departure. The ship was about 45 miles offshore.
Coast Guard hoist conducted in rough conditions
The Coast Guard crew dispatched from Humboldt Bay flew an MH-65 Dolphin, a twin-engine short-range recovery helicopter. Personnel descended onto Carnival Luminosa, assessed the patient with the ship’s crew and then hoisted her into the aircraft.
The passenger was flown to Mendocino Coast Hospital in Fort Bragg, California, for further treatment. She was later described as being in stable condition.
The Coast Guard shared video of the rescue on social media. For co-pilot Lt. j.g. Nathan O’Brien, the mission was his first credited life saved as a Coast Guard aviator.
Carnival Luminosa continued its Baja sailing
Carnival Luminosa, the former Costa Luminosa, continued its itinerary after the evacuation. The ship was scheduled to call at Ensenada, Mexico, on the morning of July 18 and depart later the same day before returning to San Francisco on July 20.
The July 16 evacuation was one of several Coast Guard medical responses involving Carnival ships this year. On the same day, a pregnant passenger with complications was taken by Coast Guard boat from Carnival Sunrise off Florida, while separate March rescues involved Carnival Valor and Carnival Jubilee.
