USCG Life-Saving Blood Air Drop

ALAMEDA, Calif.— A Coast Guard aircrew flew approximately 1,000 miles to airdrop a container of life-saving blood to a cruise ship west of San Francisco, Wednesday. Personnel aboard the cruise ship Oosterdam contacted the Coast Guard at approximately 9:45 a.m. requesting medical assistance for an ailing passenger. The ship's onboard doctor treated the 68-year-old woman for internal bleeding. A Coast Guard flight surgeon was consulted and recommended an airdrop of blood. At approximately 5:01 p.m., Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircrew from Air Station Sacramento, Calif., successfully dropped two units of blood, received from a local blood bank in Sacramento, via parachute, to medical personnel aboard the Oosterdam. The cruise ship will maintain communication with the Coast Guard until its pulls into port in Vancouver, Calif., on Saturday.