VIDEO: U.S. Coast Guard’s Astoria crew rescues injured man from cruise ship

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — An Oregon aircrew with the U.S. Coast Guard has rescued a 65-year-old man who was injured on a cruise ship on Thursday.

According to USCG’s Pacific-Northwest-based 13th District, the man suffered an injury while on board Holland America Line’s Koningsdam vessel. An on-site doctor suspected his injuries were also internal, and he required additional medical care in a hospital.

Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier told KOIN 6 the Coast Guard was first alerted about the man on Wednesday evening, when the boat was too far for the Astoria aircrew to conduct a helicopter rescue.

“We kept the crew of the ship on a communications schedule to continuously check in on the patient,” Strohmaier wrote in an email. “The Coast Guard created a rendezvous point with the ship at a distance where the aircrew could reach them (the helicopters’ fuel was the constraint).”

On Thursday at 3:15 p.m., officers arrived at the scene about 175 miles west of Tillamook.

Members of USCG’s Sacramento aircrew helped hoist the man into the helicopter around 3:45 p.m. They were joined by two Life Flight Network staff members, who further assisted the patient.

Strohmaier said the group arrived at Oregon Health & Science University’s Portland hospital later around 5 p.m.

The cruise ship initially departed from Hawaii, and was headed to Victoria, B.C.

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