US Navy Plucks Sick Teen off Cruise Ship

[nycemt728 49]

SAN DIEGO - A teenager whose appendix ruptured at sea, hundreds of miles from help, got safely to shore Tuesday after an unusual rescue in which the Navy airlifted her from a cruise ship for emergency surgery.

Laura Montero, 14, fell ill aboard the Dawn Princess cruise ship off the coast of Baja California. The Bahamian-registered ship sent out a distress call Friday that was answered by the USS Ronald Reagan, which was on training maneuvers about 500 miles away.

Full Story from MSN.com- Navy saves teen with surgery at sea

Wow, pretty cool medivac! Congrats to the crew of the USS. Ronald Regan for a great save!

Edited December 19, 2007 by nycemt728

[Oswegowind 17]

That is flat out cool. I am sure the Navy will be using this for good press and trying to get people to sign up! I just want to know if the surgery was done on the USS RR or if she was flown into shore side?

[nycemt728 49]

That is flat out cool. I am sure the Navy will be using this for good press and trying to get people to sign up! I just want to know if the surgery was done on the USS RR or if she was flown into shore side?

From the full article:

Montero, who was on an antibiotic drip, was loaded into a litter basket, lifted into the helicopter and flown back to the Reagan for an appendectomy. Her mother stayed aboard the cruise ship.

[ryefd192 2]

The operation was done on the carrier, apparently its a common occurrence as the ships doc had done one for a sailor a few weeks earlier.

[DOC22 1]

Kudos to the Crew of the Reagan, and also to the cruise ships Captain on his decision to go with a call to the Coast Guard rather than try to make it to the closest Port.

[COMMANDCHIEF 4]

Bravo Zulu (good job) to the crew of the USS Ronald Reagan. Nothing to good for our citizens.

[cas2383 22]

Here is a link to an unusal rescue performed by the US Navy.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/navy-rescues-...S00010000000001

[ailc307 1]

Here is a link to an unusal rescue performed by the US Navy.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/navy-rescues-...S00010000000001

Very cool story! Will they get a bill for this????

[cas2383 22]

I was wondering the same thing, they sailed a US Nuclear powered aircraft carrier about 300 miles to pick up this girl, she also got a helicopter ride. Crazy.

[shac 7313 0]

thats so cool way to go us navy !!!!!!!!!!!

[xfirefighter484x 234]

This was already posted.

http://emtbravo.net/index.php?showtopic=22217

[helicopper 1,050]

Very cool story! Will they get a bill for this????

Probably not. It is paid for by all of us.

[ny10570 745]

I think in the grand scheme of military spending these days, $440 Billion in 2007, they could have let her keep the helicopter. I'm not sure a $6 million bird would hurt the taxpayers too bad.

[RescueKujo 130]

The Reagan docked yesterday here in San Diego Harbor at North Island Naval Air Station at the carrier berth. Federal Fire paramedics from the base then transferred the patient to Children's Hospital San Diego. It is said she will be discharged in time to be home for Christmas.

SoCal Warship Returns with Rescued 14 year old

10:49 a.m. December 18, 2007

SAN DIEGO – A teenager who was rescued by a Navy warship after her appendix ruptured on a Mexican cruise returned to the mainland Tuesday after undergoing surgery at sea.

The USS Ronald Reagan was conducting regular training maneuvers when it got a distress call late Friday from the cruise ship Dawn Princess asking for help with 14-year-old passenger Laura Montero of Albion, Ill.

The Ronald Reagan, which was about 550 miles away from the cruise ship, responded because it was the closest vessel with a hospital facility aboard, Navy officials said. The ship steamed overnight toward the Dawn Princess, which was about 250 miles north-northwest of the Mexican resort of Cabo San Lucas when the call went out.

A rescue helicopter took off from the Ronald Reagan around 5 a.m. Saturday to close the final 175-mile gap between the ships. The helicopter pilot said the crew arrived after a 45-minute flight and dropped a medic onto the cruise ship deck in a basket because there wasn't space to land.

Montero, who was on an antibiotic drip, was loaded into a litter basket, lifted up into the helicopter and flown back to the Ronald Reagan for surgery. Her mother stayed aboard the cruise ship.

“We practice this all the time, but this is the first time I've pulled a civilian off a cruise ship,” said the pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Leland.

Montero underwent surgery aboard ship and is expected to make a full recovery, Navy officials said.

She returned to San Diego aboard the Ronald Reagan, which arrived home as scheduled around 9 a.m.

The Dawn Princess returned to San Diego over the weekend.

[WAS967 97]

A co-worker shared a story with me recently that will make me never again go on a cruise without the traveller's insurance that they offer.

Her father became Ill and had to be treated in some backwall hospital in mexico, then airlifted back to the US for Surgery. The bill was a whopping $30,000+. All covered by the inexpensive insurance they purchased before the cruise. Now THAT's a good deal.

[Oswegowind 17]

This was already posted.

http://emtbravo.net/index.php?showtopic=22217

Dude, your link links back to this...guess you might have been tired!

[Future Fireman 4]

Dude, your link links back to this...guess you might have been tired!

Or maybe the 2 topics were merged.

Mike

Edited December 21, 2007 by Future Fireman