Double duty: Coast Guard rescues two cruise ship passengers at once

mercedes · January 27, 2009

What are the odds of two passengers on the same cruise ship needing a rescue at exactly the same time? Apparently not zero.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it rescued not one but two -- count 'em -- passengers on the Norwegian Star over the weekend as the ship was sailing 200 miles off the coast of San Diego.

The agency says the ship at first reported just one passenger in need of an evacuation, a 49-year-old woman with an undisclosed injury. But by the time a Coast Guard helicopter arrived at the scene the ship already had called back asking for a second medical evacuation. The helicopter was able to hoist both patients aboard at once and transport them to a California hospital.

The Coast Guard aid to the Norwegian Star could be seen as payback of sorts. Just last Monday the tables were turned when the Star responded to a call for help from the Coast Guard. A 45-foot sailboat, the Carpe Diem, was taking on water off the coast of Mexico, and the Star was the only ship nearby.

The Star was able to rescue Carpe Diem captain Donald Masingale, 65, of Oklahoma, bringing him on board and putting him up in a passenger cabin until the ship arrived in Mexico. Before he departed, Masingale reportedly thanked the crew for “the royal treatment.”

So many rescues for a single ship in a single week is, no doubt, a rarity.