Man Overboard!!

[Alpo]

Do they launch boats to go back and search, or do they turn the ship around?

 

I'm sure that, in the Navy, they'd launch a helicopter, but your average cruise ship probably doesn't carry them.

 

And for the curious, Tarzan #2, The Return of Tarzan.

[Joke 'um]

In the Navy, it's "all of the above."

"Man Overboard" is announced on the 1MC.

All hands go to their division's designated place and a muster is held to see who, if anyone, is missing.

The ship conducts a series if turns designed to bring it back to exactly where it was when the man went over.

The ready boat, usually the motor whaleboat, is launched.  Helos launched, if present.

Any ships nearby will divert to help with search, if needed.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

In the movie "Flags of our Fathers" they show a large convey heading to Iwo Jima. Man falls over board and they did nothing. It was explained that if they slow or stop to rescue someone they are a t risk of submarine having a sitting target. A movie I know but it seems to make sense. Loose one save hundreds!

Ike

[Alpo]

In the movie Once Upon a Honeymoon, Ginger Rogers is married to an Austrian Baron who turns out to be a Nazi. At the end of the movie she and Cary Grant are on a boat going back to the States, where she will then go to Reno and get divorced from the Baron so she can marry Cary.

 

The Baron is also on the boat, and decides to solve the problem of his annoying wife by throwing her overboard. He's the one that ends up taking the dive.

 

Ginger tells Cary that the Baron fell overboard. He goes and tells the captain. Lots of horns and whistles blow, and the ship turns around and starts going back the other way.

 

Cary asks Ginger if she thinks the Baron will still be afloat, and she says probably not, since he does not know how to swim.

 

Cary relays this info to the captain, more horns and whistles blow, and the ship turns back around and continues on to the States.

 

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

4 minutes ago, Alpo said:

In the movie Once Upon a Honeymoon, Ginger Rogers is married to an Austrian Baron who turns out to be a Nazi. At the end of the movie she and Cary Grant are on a boat going back to the States, where she will then go to Reno and get divorced from the Baron so she can marry Cary.

 

The Baron is also on the boat, and decides to solve the problem of his annoying wife by throwing her overboard. He's the one that ends up taking the dive.

 

Ginger tells Cary that the Baron fell overboard. He goes and tells the captain. Lots of horns and whistles blow, and the ship turns around and starts going back the other way.

 

Cary asks Ginger if she thinks the Baron will still be afloat, and she says probably not, since he does not know how to swim.

 

Cary relays this info to the captain, more horns and whistles blow, and the ship turns back around and continues on to the States.

 

 

1942 movie.....not a lot of concern for drowning Nazis.......

 

LL

[Trailrider #896]

Starboard engine ahead, Flank! Port engine reverse, Flank!  Oops! Hit him with the blade from one of the screws!  Oh, well, them sharks have to eat too!

[Nubbins Colt #7802]

There is a world of difference between saving a Sailor who belongs on your ship in the peacetime Navy and saving one when you are under intense threat, never mind in a war flotilla headed to a fight.   

 

But this does remind me of one of my brief ship mobilizations.  We were headed out of San Diego Bay on the USS Coronado (AGF-11), I THINK this was 2003 but I am uncertain, when the typical "man overboard" drill commenced.  However, it was not a drill and we quickly learned it was not a man overboard.  Some wiseacre in a small sailboat decided to NOT get out our ship's way (or he thought he could beat us - he was wrong!).   CRUNCH!!!!!!!!  The man overboard was this genius, and  - in my best high pitched voice -  AND HIS LITTLE DOG, TOO!!!  Happily, we rescued the dog.  Happily for the dog, we rescued his hapless owner.  As I recollect, we heloed him off the ship - I am not sure but I do think he was arrested when they got him to shore.  What a moron!    

[Alpo]

Well you know, Nubbins. A vessel under sail has the right of way over a vessel under power

 

Legally, y'all shoulda got outa his way.

 

 

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

Yes, the sailboat has right of way.   "But tonnage, always wins!"

[Sedalia Dave]

Man overboard rescue turns

[Sedalia Dave]

 

6 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Well you know, Nubbins. A vessel under sail has the right of way over a vessel under power

 

Legally, y'all shoulda got outa his way.

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Cliff Hanger #3720LR said:

Yes, the sailboat has right of way.   "But tonnage, always wins!"

 

Generally vessels under sail have the right of way but not always. Many a sail boat owner has learned this lesson the hardway. If they are lucky it only costs him/her their sail boat.  

Right of Way Rules

 

Quote

 

Motor vs. Sail: A motor boat is any vessel using an engine regardless of whether it is a sailboat or a motorboat. A sailboat is considered to be a motorboat even if the Sails are up as long as the engine is running. A sailboat that is sailing generally has the right of way over motorboats. But there are some exceptions.

 

Large motor vessels are given the right of way in channels where it is difficult for them to maneuver. In the case of ships, the whole San Francisco Bay is considered to be channeled so that ships always have right of way in the Bay.

 

In narrow channels such as Redwood Creek, motor vessels as small as 65 feet may be limited in maneuverability enough to make them the "stand on" vessel.

 

Motor vessels that are restricted in maneuverability due to the special job they are doing are "stand on" This could be anything from towing nets to dredging, pile driving, or tending buoys.

 

Motor vessels don't have to give way to sail boats that are motoring when the rules for motorboats give the motor vessel right of way. (When motoring, a sailboat is treated like any other motorboat.

 

If a motor vessel is experiencing some kind of difficulty restricting its maneuverability, it is given right of way.

 

If a sailboat is overtaking a power boat, the power boat has the right of way.

 

 

 

[Pat Riot]

6 hours ago, Joke 'um said:

In the Navy, it's "all of the above."

"Man Overboard" is announced on the 1MC.

All hands go to their division's designated place and a muster is held to see who, if anyone, is missing.

The ship conducts a series if turns designed to bring it back to exactly where it was when the man went over.

The ready boat, usually the motor whaleboat, is launched.  Helos launched, if present.

Any ships nearby will divert to help with search, if needed.

What he said ^^^^

 

My ship didn’t have a helo and we launched a Motor Whale Boat. I was the duty gunner on the whale boat. It was my job to keeps the sharks away from the person in the water. 

We rescued 2 men that went overboard on 2 different occasions. One jumped to try to swim to Sicily. Idiot. He didn’t want to be rescued so he was forcefully “rescued”. No, I didn’t shoot him.

The 2nd time the guy managed to fall overboard and didn’t get into the screws even though he fell up near the bow. He was one lucky Boatswain’s Mate.

 

The times that we assisted other ships with men overboard we didn’t find them. Twice we searched for guys that got blown off the Carrier and once a guy drove a forklift off the Carrier deck. One of the guys that got blown off was rescued by helo. The other was never found and the forklift guy wasn’t found either. He was belted into the seat and rumor had it that he committed suicide.

 

We also assisted in rescuing a pilot that skipped off the deck and crashed his plane. Luckily he made it. The plane sunk like a rock.

 

 

[Alpo]

13 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Generally vessels under sail have the right of way but not always. Many a sail boat owner has learned this lesson the hardway. If they are lucky it only costs him/her their sail boat.  

Mad Magazine, 50 or so years ago. Two guys at an intersection, and one is leaning out the car window yelling at the other one. "I had the right away!"

 

Next frame the other one is saying, "What do you mean you had it? I was going straight and you were turning left."

 

Last frame, the view has pulled back and you can see each guy has a trailered boat. The "straight ahead" guy has an outboard and the "left turn" guy has a sailboat.

 

The "left turn" guy says, "Sail boats have the right of way over motor boats!"

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

Right of way is much more than just the rules.

 

Maneuvering a 22' sailboat, under sail, out of the path of a large ship is difficult, especially if visibility is compromised, winds are irregular, currents are adverse, or traffic is heavy.  On at least two occasions, I have had to run for my life from container vessels.  My little sailboat is a tiny speck on their radar (if anyone is watching it), and probably not visible at all from their bridge.  Even with an early sighting and a correct estimation of course and speed, they can be on top of you before you know it.  And no matter what the rules may say, it has been my general experience that large ships either ignore the rules or have no idea that I'm in their way.  

 In these situations, I tend to look for shallow water, where they can't go.  As long as they don't catch me in the middle of the bay, I can run and hide.

 

LL

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

1 hour ago, Cliff Hanger #3720LR said:

Yes, the sailboat has right of way.   "But tonnage, always wins!"

There's no replacement for displacement.

 

It's true in motors and in boats (or ships if you want to all nautical about it).

[Joke 'um]

Upon seeing a light ahead, a ship sends the signal, "Turn to starboard, I have the right of way."

A reply is received, "You turn to starboard."

An angry CO responds, "You turn to starboard, I am a Captain."

And receives, "You turn to starboard, I am a Seaman."

"YOU turn to starboard, I am an aircraft carrier."

And finally, "You turn to starboard, I am a lighrhouse."

[Trailrider #896]

3 hours ago, Nubbins Colt #7802 said:

There is a world of difference between saving a Sailor who belongs on your ship in the peacetime Navy and saving one when you are under intense threat, never mind in a war flotilla headed to a fight.   

 

But this does remind me of one of my brief ship mobilizations.  We were headed out of San Diego Bay on the USS Coronado (AGF-11), I THINK this was 2003 but I am uncertain, when the typical "man overboard" drill commenced.  However, it was not a drill and we quickly learned it was not a man overboard.  Some wiseacre in a small sailboat decided to NOT get out our ship's way (or he thought he could beat us - he was wrong!).   CRUNCH!!!!!!!!  The man overboard was this genius, and  - in my best high pitched voice -  AND HIS LITTLE DOG, TOO!!!  Happily, we rescued the dog.  Happily for the dog, we rescued his hapless owner.  As I recollect, we heloed him off the ship - I am not sure but I do think he was arrested when they got him to shore.  What a moron!    

Wonder if he likes to try to beat the train at the grade crossing?  

[Yul Lose]

Some 20 years ago or so I took my two sons out on a 3 day deep sea fishing boat called the Bright And Morning Star out of a landing down in San Diego. On the morning of the second day my oldest son, who’s a Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps now,  came up to me and said “ Hey Dad I think that boat is sinking”! Sure enough there is a six pack charter boat going nose up. I told one of the deck hands, who just shrugged his shoulders and I told my son to go up and tell the captain. The captain immediately sounded the siren and called all hands on deck. We turned and came up on the boat and pulled the captain, a deck hand and five fishermen onto our boat. 

 

The crew wrapped them in blankets and we headed to San Diego. After a few hours a Coast Guard Cutter met our boat and the rescued fishermen and the crew were transferred over via skiff. End of story? Almost.

 

About four years ago we had all of the old Mexican tile removed from our house and new ceramic wood looking flooring installed. The lead man of the tile removal crew seemed very familiar and at the end of the second day I remembered where I knew him from, he was the captain of the boat that sunk. So I asked him if he was still fishing and he said that he was and asked me why I asked so I told him and sure enough that was him. He told me that the reason the boat sunk was that they were catching so many yellow fin tuna that they were throwing them in the engine compartment and one of the engine intake got knocked off by the flopping tuna and the engine compartment took on so much water that it sunk the boat. I’m no sailor but I’ve asked others about that and they say it’s entirely possible.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

21 hours ago, Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 said:

Right of way is much more than just the rules.

 

Maneuvering a 22' sailboat, under sail, out of the path of a large ship is difficult, especially if visibility is compromised, winds are irregular, currents are adverse, or traffic is heavy.  On at least two occasions, I have had to run for my life from container vessels.  My little sailboat is a tiny speck on their radar (if anyone is watching it), and probably not visible at all from their bridge.  Even with an early sighting and a correct estimation of course and speed, they can be on top of you before you know it.  And no matter what the rules may say, it has been my general experience that large ships either ignore the rules or have no idea that I'm in their way.  

 In these situations, I tend to look for shallow water, where they can't go.  As long as they don't catch me in the middle of the bay, I can run and hide.

 

LL

 

Loophole, have you ever read Justin Scott's The Shipkiller? 

 

A good read, as I recall from forty years ago when I was doing a bunch of sailing.  We dodged a lot of ships in and around San Francisco Bay.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Some things never get forgotten.

 

USAREUR driver's manual 1966

Quote

Here lies the body of Jonathan Gray

He had the Right of Way

He was right, dead right,

But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.

 

[Nubbins Colt #7802]

Sidebar - and you can look this up - sadly, as you know, collisions at sea occur too often, whether it's military vessels or commercial vessels or pleasure boats.  But one of the weirdest events that I ever heard about was a submarine at periscope depth that did not/could not see fishing lines or net that were caught by the mast  and then dragged some boats behind the sub and they sank.......

 

 

[Pat Riot]

When I was aboard my ship I almost went overboard twice. Once when playing “string volleyball” on the main deck. Went back for a shot, the small of my back hit the helo net railing and over I went. A nuke engineer caught me by my gym shorts and held on while others came to my rescue. Thank God for that nuke. I was eyeballing the whitewater where the screws were churning.

 

The second time our idiot Torpedoman left the tubes swung out on the starboard side and it was dark. I walked out the aft starboard main deck door and walked, like I always did, to the torpedo tubes so I could get my night eyes. As I was thinking to myself “Odd, the tubes should be right he...” a hand slapped me in the chest. There was a Bosun standing there making sure no one fell overboard. I went back into the skin of the ship and called the bridge. The Torpedo Man went from E-6 to E-5 the next day at Captain’s Mast.

 

I made sure both those gents were thanked properly with plenty of liquid libation when we hit the next ports after those incidents. The first one happened after being on the ship less than a month. The second was 2 years later. 

[Chantry]

On 4/30/2019 at 12:23 PM, irish ike, SASS #43615 said:

In the movie "Flags of our Fathers" they show a large convey heading to Iwo Jima. Man falls over board and they did nothing. It was explained that if they slow or stop to rescue someone they are a t risk of submarine having a sitting target. A movie I know but it seems to make sense. Loose one save hundreds!

Ike

 

I know the North Atlantic convoys would have a rescue ship assigned and it would be at the back of the convoy:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convoy_rescue_ship

 

It seems likely that a destroyer or destroyer escort would serve a similar role in the Pacific.

[Dustin Checotah]

On 4/30/2019 at 4:59 PM, Alpo said:

Well you know, Nubbins. A vessel under sail has the right of way over a vessel under power

 

Legally, y'all shoulda got outa his way.

 

 

The ship that I was on took about 1/4th of a mile to stop with a crash back. That is all engines to back emergency. Four astern engines at about 17,000 HP each.