Man on cruise ship medevaced to Maui via Navy helicopter

A Navy helicopter crew medevaced a 72-year-old man from the cruise ship Radiance of the Seas, 170 miles offshore, and took him to Maui for medical treatment, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Wednesday.

A report of abdominal distress for a male passenger aboard the ship was received at 5:18 p.m. Tuesday by the Coast Guard’s Joint Response Coordination Center in Honolulu.

A duty flight surgeon with the center recommended the man be seen by a general surgeon within 24 hours.

Then, a crew aboard a Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopter from Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, was dispatched to the scene, hoisted the man aboard and flew him to an awaiting ground ambulance crew on Maui, officials said.

The crew serves with the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37.

“This case illustrates the importance of our partnership with the Navy,” said Lt. Duane Zitta, command duty officer at the Joint Response Coordination Center. “In the remote Pacific, long-range capable search-and-rescue assets are vital to getting people to a higher level of medical care as quickly and safely as possible.”