Coast Guard Aids Passenger Aboard Cruise Ship

Coast Guard aircrews out of Mobile, Ala., worked together to locate and rescue a 59-year-old man deep in the Gulf of Mexico and have safely transported him to a Mobile hospital. A rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile airlifted Charles Patten from the Carnival cruise ship Holiday, located about 280 miles south of Mobile, and transported him to Providence Hospital. Doctors aboard the cruise ship recommended a medical evacuation for Patten who was reportedly suffering from internal bleeding and a high fever. After the ship contacted the Coast Guard, an HU-25 Falcon rescue jetcrew was launched to locate the ship. Once radio communications were established with the ship's crew, they were instructed to prepare the patient for hoist by the HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew.