A dramatic video released by search and rescue teams last week shows a helicopter hovering over the bow of a Disney cruise ship before airlifting a patient onto the CH-149 Cormorant.
While the name of the ship was not released along with the video, tracking data combined with visual confirmation of the ship in the footage makes clear what ship was involved in this rescue attempt.
On Tuesday, September 8, Royal Canadian Air Force crews from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron at 19 Wing Comox responded to a reported injured crew member aboard Disney Wonder.
The ship, which was sailing on a 7-night cruise out of Vancouver, was about 113 miles northwest of Port Hardy, British Columbia, when the Transport and Rescue Squadron was called into action.
Once the helicopter was in position, two SAR technicians worked to hoist the patient onto the helicopter, along with a member of the ship’s medical staff. The injured crew member was then flown to Comox for transfer to BC Emergency Health Services.
Public tracking data from The Cruise Globe lines up with the timing of the incident.
Around 12:35 PM the ship made a noticeable turn and headed southeast. Later, around 3:35 PM, the ship did another 180-degree turn and resumed a northwest course, consistent with the area and timeframe of the rescue operation.
You can see the full video and additional details in this report from CHEK News: RCAF helicopter rescues injured cruise ship crew member off Port Hardy.
The nature of the injury and the patient’s condition have not been released. Disney Wonder continued on its scheduled Alaska itinerary after the successful evacuation and is scheduled to arrive back in Vancouver today.
Another Med Evac at Sea
This was not the only cruise ship medical evacuation in the same area last week. Just four days later, on Saturday, September 12, the same 442 Squadron was called out again.
This time to a different cruise ship sailing about 124 miles northwest of Port Hardy. In the pre-dawn hours, crews airlifted an ill passenger, along with a travelling companion and a member of the ship’s medical staff, using another CH-149 Cormorant and CC-295 Kingfisher.
Reports identify the vessel as Celebrity Solstice, which was also on a Vancouver–Alaska itinerary at the time.
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