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Press Release | May 3, 2026

Coast Guard medevacs cruise ship passenger southwest of Shelter Cove

U.S. Coast Guard Southwest District Phone: (206) 815-6689

HUMBOLDT BAY, Calif. — The Coast Guard medevaced an ailing cruise ship passenger 45 miles southwest of Shelter Cove, Saturday. 

A Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew hoisted a 45-year-old man and transported him to St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. The man was reported to be in unstable condition. 

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay received a notification at 8:47 a.m. Saturday from a crew member aboard the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth requesting a medevac for a passenger experiencing a serious medical condition. 

After conferring with a duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac, watchstanders launched the aircrew and maintained regular communication with the vessel’s crew to monitor the patient’s status until the Coast Guard aircrew departed safely with the patient. 

—USCG—