Coast Guard airlifts cruise ship passenger who had strokes 300 miles off Hawaii coast

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USCG medevacs cruise ship passenger off the coast of Hawaii

The Coast Guard medevaced a cruise ship passenger who experienced multiple strokes 300 miles offshore Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on Feb. 27, 2025. Credit:  Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Robertson/United States Coast Guard

A 72-year-old man who suffered “multiple strokes 300 miles offshore of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii” aboard a cruise ship last week is recovering after being airlifted to a hospital, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced.

Video of the rescue shows a Coast Guard medevac helicopter hovering over the Holland America Line’s Koningsdam ship on Thursday, before it lowered a basket for the man to go into prior to being hoisted and taken to Honolulu’s Queen’s Medical Center.

Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a notice the day before that the cruise passenger had multiple strokes, and a flight surgeon recommended that he be medevaced within 20 hours, the USCG said in a press release. 

The following morning, an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point met up with the cruise ship about 60 miles south of Honolulu. 

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Video shared by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the 72-year-old man being hoisted up to the medevac from the cruise ship.  (Coast Guard video, courtesy by Air Station Barbers Point)

“By combining the skills of our crews and the specialized capabilities of our aircraft, we are able to respond to emergencies across the vast Pacific region,” Lt. Cmdr. John Stockton, HC-130 Hercules aircraft commander at Air Station Barbers Point, said in a statement. “Teamwork is critically important for medevacs, which are among the most time-sensitive and high-stakes missions we take on.” 

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View from Holland America Line’s Koningsdam shows the man being lifted into the medevac on Feb. 27, 2025.  (Coast Guard video, courtesy by Air Station Barbers Point)

The man was taken to Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, the USCG said.  (Coast Guard video, courtesy by Air Station Barbers Point)

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The Coast Guard said the man, whose identity was not made public, was in stable condition.

Holland America did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.