Canadian air force rescues sick passenger on cruise ship off B.C. coast

When a person on board a cruise ship off the coast of British Columbia fell ill, the Royal Canadian Air Force responded quickly to airlift the patient, a travel companion and medical personnel from the ship to waiting emergency health services.

The rescue happened on Saturday morning, when the RCAF’s 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron received a call that prompted a high-seas search and rescue mission.

A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and a CC-295 Kingfisher airplane were deployed in the pre-dawn hours to a spot 200 km northwest of Port Hardy, B.C.

The Kingfisher arrived first and coordinated the medevac alongside the ship’s captain and provided “over-watch” for the helicopter, a news release said.

At the same time, the ship’s captain steered his vessel into the wind, turned off his radar and cleared an area on the bow so the chopper could safely approach.

Two search and rescue technicians were then lowered onto the ship from the helicopter to take over care of the patient and prepare them for a transfer onto the aircraft.

The patient, their companion and a member of the ship’s medical staff, along with the technicians, were then hoisted into the helicopter. The aircraft then flew to Comox where the patient was transferred to emergency health services awaiting their arrival.