Thursday, January 1, 2009
Off the coast of Vero Beach, Florida
An entertainer on the cruise ship, Carnival Sensation, was standing at the railing, posing for a photo, when he fell overboard. He was thrown a life ring but the crew was unable to rescue him.
Saturday, April 19, 2009
Miami, Florida
The United States Coast Guard suspended its search at 8PM for a missing cruise ship passenger who reportedly went overboard about 60 miles north of Nassau, Bahamas. The Coast Guard searched an area of nearly 590 square miles for the 39 year old man.
“Man Overboard” constitutes one of the more chilling phrases in yachting. Falls overboard account for over half of all boating fatalities. United States Coast Guard statistics show that approximately 70 percent of all fatal boating accidental deaths are caused by drowning. Of those who drowned, approximately 90 percent of the victims were not wearing their life jackets. Let these figures be a warning to practice man overboard drills regardless of the size or class of your vessel and to wear a personal flotation device when appropriate. Whether or not the law makes it mandatory, you, as a responsible person, should make man overboard training on all vessels a priority.
In the yachting industry, MOB drills are usually run by the two people who should be the most prepared to handle this emergency; the Captain or the First Officer. But, what if, the Captain and the First Mate, by some diabolical quirk of fate, both fell in the water! Who runs the drill or even more frightening, the real life man overboard situation?
I tried the following scenario with thirteen capable well trained crew. The Captain and the First Mate were missing and presumed overboard. After the drama was set, the Captain and the First Mate were no longer in the equation to give assistance or offer advice. The drill was during daylight hours in 2 foot seas with a life jacket being the target for rescue. The helmsman at the time the drill was initiated was a certified OOW (Officer of the Watch) with auto pilot experience but with minimal manual driving practice.
I have found that it is better to use a substitute for the MOB pole during drills and save the pole for an actual emergency. Mark the item that is to be rescued with large letters as in “This Life Jacket is used in MOB Drills” just in case you fail to retrieve the article. Early in my yachting career, I tried jumping overboard, for the sake of education, becoming the MOB. But, I later found that the crew had ceremoniously taken a vote on whether or not to rescue me! Now, in the effort to survive, I opt for an inanimate object.
When the alarm was called, the Watch Captain immediately pressed the MOB button. All of the crew took their positions as designated on the station bill and two sets of binoculars and eyes were trained on the victims. The bow thrusters were made ready. The medical kit was brought out and ultimately the Captain and the First Mate, who were actually 2 personal floatation devices, were retrieved and saved from sea. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that after the MOB button was pushed, the throttles were not pulled back for 4 minutes. This function should have happened instantaneously with punching the MOB. The auto pilot was used too long for maneuvering before the manual steering was engaged. No general alarm was sounded, no head count was taken, no life rings or any smoke was simulated overboard. No rescue diver was in place. No one set up the wing stations and the crew member with the highest license and hours behind the wheel did not immediately take over the helmsman position when the Watch Captain was clearly struggling. Due to the 4 minute throttle pull back delay, the vessel had traveled one and one half miles before starting the Williamson Turn, a maneuver used to bring a vessel under power back to a point that it had previously passed through. (The United States Navy Reserve claims that John Williamson developed and documented this turn in 1943 when he was rescuing a MOB.) The Williamson Turn was appropriate for this staged MOB. However, there are other appropriate turns depending on wind and sea conditions.
I believe that this worst case scenario, with the most experienced crew overboard, was a successful failure. It was a failure because it took over 14 minutes to retrieve the Captain and the First Mate. It was enormously successful because I learned, the First Mate learned and all of the crew learned the importance of cross training in preparation for the unexpected. Following the drill, a lively valuable discussion ensued.
It is important for a Captain to remember that he may be that MOB. Every Officer of the Watch should be thoroughly trained in driving the vessel in a man overboard situation. There should be ample chances to practice rescue turns without duress.
A Man Overboard drill should consist of each of the following happening in quick succession, if not simultaneously.
Ø Punching the MOB button (Every crew member should be able to find this button quickly in the dark and commit it to their long term memory. PIW or “person in water” is the politically-correct version of “man overboard”. However, the buttons on the GPS still say “MOB” so that term will probably be around for a long time.)
Ø Pull back the throttles
Ø Switch to manual steering (The command of the vessel should immediately be handed over to the crew member with the most experience behind the wheel.)
Ø Make ready the bow thrusters
Ø Make your Williamson Turn to approach your rescue victim from dead downwind holding the bow directly into the wind and stop a throwing distance from the MOB. Bow thrusters make a huge difference in this scenario. (There are several websites that explain the Williamson Turn which have some misinformation. Please refer to Chapman Piloting Seamanship and Boat Handling for the most definitive explanation.)
Ø Sound the general alarm
Ø Get a head count
Ø Run to the muster stations
Ø Keep eyes on the victim or victims
Ø Throw out life rings and smoke signals
Ø Get a rescue diver in place
Ø Set up the wing stations
Ø Launch the fast rescue boat if appropriate
Ø Position the medical kit
Ø Make your rescue
Ø Assess your victims medical status and take the proper action
If you are the man or the woman that goes overboard, hopefully you will have a life jacket on and you will have notified other crew members that you are on deck. As you are going over, try to yell help into your communicator. Research has shown that it is the person that continues to have good thoughts and the will to live that has the best chance of survival. It is important to conserve your energy. Let go of all of your wild imaginations of “Denizens of the Deep” because they are by definition only animals that happen to live in the sea. There are also “Denizens of the Forest” and even “Denizens of Ft. Lauderdale”. Think about how best to survive until you are rescued whether it is by making your clothing buoyant or through conserving body heat by holding your arms close to your chest. If you are the MOB, stay calm, stay cool, and stay collected.
In 1849, Francis Liardent, the author of The Professional Recollections on Points of Seamanship and Discipline wrote, “There are few things during the life of an officer that require more coolness and seaman-like promptitude than when the alarm is given of a man overboard.” These words hold true today not only for the rescuer but also for the person that needs to be rescued. Remember, the life you save might be your own.
May all of your MOBs be…drills!
Fair Winds and Calm Seas,
Captain Ted
|