Working Conditions Aboard the Celebrity-Solstice

**Coast Guard Carries Out Medevac Operation from Celebrity Solstice Near Oahu** On April 23, 2026, a critical medevac operation took place approximately 58 nautical miles off the coast of Oahu, involving the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy. This coordinated effort was initiated after the cruise ship **Celebrity Solstice** alerted the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Honolulu about an ailing passenger in need of immediate medical attention. The call for assistance came in on April 22 at 3:19 p.m., when watchstanders received an urgent request regarding a passenger facing a serious health crisis. Following a consultation with a duty flight surgeon who recommended a medevac, the Coast Guard established ongoing communication with the **Celebrity Solstice** crew to effectively monitor the patient’s condition as the vessel navigated toward Oahu. A swift response was provided by an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, who were able to hoist the 78-year-old male passenger and transport him safely to Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, where he was reported to be in stable condition. Additionally, an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter from the Navy’s Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 played a crucial role by providing aerial communication support and oversight during the entire medevac operation. For further details, including video footage of the operation, you can visit the official Coast Guard news release: [U.S. Coast Guard Press Release](https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4470788/coast-guard-medevacs-cruise-ship-passenger-offshore-oahu/)

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 40-year-old woman who fell overboard from the 'Celebrity Solstice' in the morning of May 17, 2022, near Eldred Rock in the upper Lynn Canal. The captain of the ship reported the incident after a cruise ship camera showed the woman going overboard at approximately 3 a.m. as the ship sailed from Juneau to Skagway. The search lasted about nine hours and included a helicopter from Sitka, a response boat from Juneau and the crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter 'Chandeleur', based in Valdez. The negative results, coupled with an estimated survival time of 6.19 hours in the water, led the Coast Guard to suspend the search. The cruise ship was on the fourth day of a week-long round-trip cruise from Seattle.

The "Celebrity Solstice" was forced to turn around and return to port in Seattle on July 19, 2019, after suffering a power outage shortly after the departure. She was headed to Alaska when the power suddenly went out. The ship was advised to return to port even though the power did come back on. The Solstice was escorted by the United States Coast Guard. None of the 4,321 passengers were injured or in any danger but the ship was required to get a classified inspection before it could go back into service. The ship has since departed for its itinerary and its first port of call in Anchorage where it was scheduled to arrive on July 21, with further stops in Juneau, Tracy Arm Fjord, Skagway and Victoria.

A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced a woman from the "Celebrity Solstice" near Noyes Island, west of Craig, Alaska, on May 30, 2018. Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received notification from the captain of the vessel who reported that a woman was suffering symptoms of a heart attack. A flight surgeon for the 17th Coast Guard District recommended a medevac, and Sector Juneau watchstanders directed the launch of an Air Station Sitka helicopter crew. The Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the 61-year-old woman and transported her to Ketchikan, Alaska, where a Guardian Flight crew was waiting for transport to higher medical care. Weather at the time of the hoist was 5-mph winds with 10 miles of visibility. Report with video: https://www.ktoo.org/2018/05/31/watch-coast-guard-medevacs-woman-from-cruise-ship-near-craig/