MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

High seas medical evacuation of two “QE 2” passengers

A dramatic high seas medical evacuation of two tourists from the “Queen Elizabeth II” was successfully performed Thursday mid day by a helicopter belonging to the Uruguayan Air Force 200 miles southeast of Montevideo

The Eurocopter Dauhphin helicopter operating at the edge of its autonomy was unable to land in the cruise vessel because of strong winds but finally lifted the two passengers, a Briton and an Austrian with a heart condition and a bowel hemorrhage, who are recovering in Montevideo's Police Forces Hospital.

"It was a risky operation, not only because of the fuel autonomy of the helicopter, but because it was too windy, forcing the chopper to hover while two of our rescuers from the deck of the vessel helped lift the patients", said Uruguayan Air Force spokesperson Jose Luis Vignoli.

However, "the whole operation was accomplished within the necessary safety and security conditions for this type of medical evacuations", underlined Vignoli. The helicopter which carried a crew of three, plus two rescuers and a doctor was escorted by a Uruguayan naval support aircraft.

The day before "Queen Elizabeth II" was returning from the Falkland Islands and heading for Rio do Janeiro and at approximately 600 miles south of Montevideo contacted Uruguay's Search and Rescue Coordination centre requesting medical help, revealed Uruguayan Navy captain Fernando Franzini.

"In consultation with Uruguayan naval doctors the cruise vessel's medical team decided that the following day, Thursday, given the condition of the patients, they would be evacuated to Montevideo".

"The whole operation has been a success and the two patients are recovering favourably, which means we managed a good coordination, and experience, with the Queen Elizabeth II", concluded Captain Franzini.

The two passengers are Briton Edgard Thompson, 52 who suffered a stroke, and Austrian Josef Restatter, 49 with bowel haemorrhage.

A regular South Atlantic summer cruise operator and for thirty years the flagship of Cunard, "Queen Elizabeth II" was built by John Brown and Co in Scotland and her maiden voyage Southampton/New York took place May 2, 1969. She was re-engined between November 1986 and April 1987 by Lloyd Werft, Bremenhaven, Germany, and underwent refurbishing at the end of 2001.

The vessel is 963 feet long, 105 feet wide and has a 32 feet draft. Her displacement is 70,327 tons with accommodation for 1,790 passengers and 900 crew, and has a cruising speed of 28,5 knots, making her one of the fastest cruise vessels.

A false bomb threat in 1972 while she was sailing from New York to Southampton, led to a massive search with support from a special team of experts who parachuted in mid Atlantic. The perpetrator of the false alarm was finally arrested by the FBI and the incident inspired the film Juggernaut.

In 1982 she was converted to transport troops during the South Atlantic conflict with Argentina carrying 3,000 fully equipped soldiers to the Falklands.

Photo: Leonardo Maine - El Pais