Ruby-Princess

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Canadian Coast Guard successfully coordinated two separate medical evacuations from the 'Ruby Princess', which was sailing approximately 145 nautical miles west of Cape Flattery, Washington, on Aug 24. On the morning, Coast Guard Northwest District watchstanders received notification from the cruise ship that two patients onboard required immediate medical evacuations. One was a 52-year-old female passenger who had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and was on life support. The other was a 99-year-old male passenger, who was suffering from complete esophageal obstruction. The operation involved simultaneous rescue efforts coordinated between Canadian and U.S. assets, including a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and CC-295 Kingfisher aircraft from RCAF 19 Wing Comox, and a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from USCG Air Station Port Angeles. The Kingfisher aircraft provided aerial oversight and coordination throughout the entire mission. A MH-65 helicopter from USCG Air Station Port Angeles was launched to medevac the 99-year-old man. The crew successfully hoisted the patient from the ship and conducted a wing-to-wing transfer with Life Flight Network at Neah Bay, Washington. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria launched a CH-149 Cormorant from 19 Wing Comox to conduct the medical evacuation of the 52-year-old female. RCAF 909 successfully hoisted the patient and transported her to Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC. Report with video: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4285541/us-coast-guard-and-royal-canadian-air-force-medevac-multiple-passengers-from-cr/

A norovirus outbreak struck the 'Ruby Princess', sickening 103 passengers and 12 crew members during a voyage to Hawaii and Mexico, which started on Dec 2, 2024 in San Francisco. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the outbreak, with passengers reporting diarrhea and vomiting as the primary symptoms. The ship returned on San Francisco on Dec 19. While the exact cause of the outbreak was still under investigation, norovirus was identified as the likely culprit. Princess Cruises responded to the outbreak by intensifying cleaning and disinfection protocols across the ship. They also isolated sick passengers and crew members to prevent a further spread.

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a man believed to have gone overboard from the 'Ruby Princess', as it was returning to San Francisco after a voyage to Ensenada. The ship had arrived in San Francisco on Dec 2 at 6:50 a.m. following the five-day trip. Officials searched the ship several times for the missing passenge, but there was no sign of the man, a 72-year-old American citizen traveling alone. Having ruled out other possibilities, the case was being treated as a man overboard incident. The Coast Guard had started aerial searches on the afternoon in the Pacific Ocean, about 45 miles off the coast of Monterey. The effort was suspended around 5:30 p.m. pending any new developments. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection were investigating the disappearance. The cruise ship left San Francisco again on the evening for a 16-day voyage to the Hawaiian Islands.

A major search has been launched after the 'Ruby Princess' finished it cruise, and it turned out that one passenger was missing. The 72-year-old American man was nowhere to be seen when the ship arrived in San Francisco on Dec 2, 2024, at 6.50 a.m. at the end of a five-day voyage to Mexico that began on Nov 27. A search was immediately launched but he has not been found more than 24 hours. He was said to have been travelling alone. The guest had not been reported missing previously, but the ship was thoroughly searched and onboard security footage repeatedly reviewed in an attempt to determine more details. US Customs and Border Protection is now involved with investigating the incident, which may have occurred in international waters.