Working Conditions Aboard the Queen-Elizabeth

**Title: US Coast Guard Conducts Medivac Operation Off Humboldt Bay for Cruise Passenger** On May 2, 2026, a medical emergency at sea led the US Coast Guard to conduct a successful medevac operation approximately 45 miles southwest of Shelter Cove. The renowned cruise liner, the 'Queen Elizabeth,' reached out to the Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay at 8:47 a.m., signaling urgent assistance for a passenger in critical health. After receiving the distress call, watchstanders quickly engaged in discussions with a duty flight surgeon, who advised a medevac given the seriousness of the passenger's condition. This prompted the dispatch of a dedicated aircrew, who maintained ongoing communication with the ship's team to ensure the patient’s well-being during the operation. A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay, operating an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, executed the hoisting procedure to rescue the 45-year-old man, who was in unstable condition at the time of retrieval. Following the successful extraction, the aircrew transported him to St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka for immediate medical care. For further details and footage of the rescue operation, visit the official Coast Guard press release at: https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4476336/coast-guard-medevacs-cruise-ship-passenger-southwest-of-shelter-cove/.

The 'Queen Elizabeth', en route from Sydney to Bali with 2100 people on board, encountered a Covid-19 outbreak and was diverted to Fremantle on Nov 26, 2022. There was an elevated level of transmission on board. The ship had left the port of Sydney on Nov 15, a 17-day tour, stopping at Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas, and Darwin, but will cut short the final week of its tour and head straight to Fremantle with an ETA as of Nov 30.

On April 18, 2022, a medical evacuation was carried out from the 'Queen Elizabeth', en route from Southampton to Cartagena. An 87-year-old woman had to be taken off with a broken femur. Salvamento Marítimo deployed the SAR vessel 'Salvamar Denébola' for the medevac. The patient was taken aboard, along with the ship's doctor and a nurse, and further on to Algeciras for medical treatment. Photos: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1516111419560845327

The Cunard Line has canceled cruises of the 'Queen Elizabeth' on July 8, 2021, after news broke that an unspecified number of crew members boarding the ship had tested positive for COVID-19. The Carnival Corp. subsidiary's return to service is now scheduled for Aug. 13. Five sailings were canceled. While the cruise line worked with health officials to take immediate steps to avoid a COVID-19 outbreak on board – including limiting new crew who were joining the ship and implementing contact tracing and isolation – Cunard was unable to finish its preparations to resume sailing. The ship had been scheduled to sail with passengers for the first time July 19.