Time, many other factors work against
rescuing sailor who goes overboard
By Greg Tyler, Sasebo
bureau chief
Darryl Wood / U.S. Navy file photo
Search and Rescue swimmers assigned to the guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea
perform helicopter recovery exercises during regular training in August. |
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Powerful winds, extreme temperatures and high waves are
factors that can hamper a successful recovery operation when a sailor goes overboard, said
a search-and-rescue expert here.
Also, the more time that passes after a sailor goes overboard, the less likely they
will be rescued, said Ensign Tracy Sicks, who serves on the search-and-rescue team aboard
the minesweeper USS Guardian.
Rescue workers responded immediately after a USS Kitty Hawk sailor fell from the
aircraft carrier Wednesday afternoon during operations in the Arabian Sea, Navy officials
said. The search for the sailor continued Friday.
"At first, some lookouts posted around the ship — probably on the flight deck
of a huge ship like the USS Kitty Hawk — will realize a sailor has gone overboard and
then notify the bridge," Sicks said.
"Then the bridge initiates the movements. On a small ship like ours we would put a
small boat over the side, but the Kitty Hawk would go straight to helicopters."
Sicks said a helicopter rescue team immediately would jump into their gear, including
the pilots and two search-and-rescue swimmers.
"The ship would then turn in the same direction in relation to which side of the
ship the man fell over to avoid having the man get caught in the screws [propellers]. Then
the helicopters would quickly go."
Once they take off, they go straight to the man, Sicks said.
The search-and-rescue swimmers are like emergency medical technicians in the water,
Sicks said.
"In fact they are qualified in EMS, and they immediately check to see if the man
is injured," he explained. "It’s a long fall from a ship like the Kitty
Hawk to the water, so the man could be unconscious or even have broken bones, like a
broken neck."
If the man overboard is injured, the swimmers place him in a rescue litter and lift him
to the helicopter. If he is not injured, swimmers place the man in a strop, a padded strap
that goes under the armpits, and lift him to safety.
Sicks said medical teams would be waiting on the flight deck.
"Even on a ship as big as the Kitty Hawk, I would say the chances of being rescued
are at about 90 percent," Sicks said. "But as soon as you start looking at other
factors, the percentage begins to rapidly decline.
"If the ship is unable to locate the man overboard very quickly the chances of
being rescued drop dramatically. In cold waters, hypothermia is a major concern," he
said.
In warm waters, sharks are a danger.
"On our small ship, when a man is overboard in warm water we actually post a shark
watch with a rifle. I’m not sure how the Kitty Hawk would handle a situation like
that."
And the weather conditions, Sicks said, "can make things really bad."
"A small storm, lightning, strong winds, large waves … all these factors can
make it really hard on the helicopter, and really hard on the visibility in order to find
the man.
"And the more time that passes … that is definitely not a good sign," he
added.
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