PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Coast Guard rescued an elderly woman from a cruise ship 80 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina Saturday night.
Watchstanders in Portsmouth were notified by the captain of the cruise ship, Insignia, that a woman was experience heart attack-like symptoms.
A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City launched and arrived on scene around 6:15 p.m.
The crew hoisted the woman from the cruise ship and flew her to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk. She arrived at the hospital around 8 p.m.
The cruise ship’s nurse was also hoisted aboard the helicopter to accompany the woman to the hospital.
“The cooperation between the crew of the Insignia and our watchstanders ensured that the Coast Guard was informed of a life-threatening situation aboard,” said Lt. j.g. Dan Dunn, watchstander at the 5th District Command Center. “The crew helped the aircrew transport this woman to the appropriate medical facility in a timely manner.”
