Monster Waves & US Coastguard

[fireball]

Just watching MonsterWaves on Sky3 (nothing else on! and I'm also doing some coding work ok?!) - can anyone explain just why the US Coastguard deploy "swimmers" in a SAR situation? ... they literally jump into the water with no lines - swim to the casualty and then have to get the helecopter to drop a line to pick them up .... surely it would be easier just to lower them in the right place to start with?!

 

[LittleShip]

Re: Monster Waves & US Coastguard

It's a much faster way of getting assistance to the casualty!

Tom

 

[fireball]

Re: Monster Waves & US Coastguard

Hmm - ok if the casualty is a swimmer - but what if they are on a vessel? The program implied they use the same method ...

 

[StephenSails]

I wondered th same having watched another programme, I think its all yank provado. UK Rescue chaps do the best of course!

 

[BrendanS]

I've sent an email to the RN SAR peeps, asking if they can comment

 

[Spyro]

Makes a better movie

 

[fireball]

It's just the whole idea of jumping into 50' waves at 50 degrees F for the sole purpose of swimming to the person in distress (in the water or on a vessel) seems at odds to me. Why disconnect yourself from the rescue method - they are only going to have to drop down a hi-line anyway - so might as well do it in one hit... Odd these yanks! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[copterdoctor]

I read a book by an American CSAR guy, I appreciate there situationis different, but part of the thinking there was that the aircraft is not restricted by the man being on the rope. If a problem comes up the aircraft is clear of the scene.

 

[Cruiser2B]

It may also have to do with the static charge built up by the helo's rotating blades. If you lower the rescue swimmer like a tea-bag then a massive electric charge could ground through the swimmer, rendering him useless.

 

[Dyflin]

But doesn't the winchman have a trailing wire which goes into the water first? I'm sure there's a way around the static problem otherwise the poor buggers would get fried nine times out of ten /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Agree tho' that jumping into the sea in all sorts of dodgy conditions is the best way to lose your rescue diver...

 

[Cruiser2B]

No they don't trail any other wires - they would likely get tangled in the hoist wire or hang up in ships's masts. The winch operator is in no real danger as he is not in the direct path of the current.

 

[fireball]

well - I believe our boys have a grounding line that attaches to the bottom of the hoist line and extends to below the lowest part of the person on the wire ... this line is grounded in the water before approaching the vessel. The winch operator stays firmly in the helecopter ...

 

[Cruiser2B]

[ QUOTE ]
I believe our boys have a grounding line that attaches to the bottom of the hoist line and extends to below the lowest part of the person on the wire ... this line is grounded in the water before approaching the vessel.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't believe that your boys do it so much differently than our boys - at the end of the steel winch cable is a snap-hook that is either clipped to a 'horse collar' or a 'billy pugh net'. Nothing hangs lower than that as a loose wire would present a tangling hazard.

 

[fireball]

Unfortunately I don't have any footage to show you - but "our boys" do have a grounding line that dangles beneath the winch cable - I don't know if they can/do detach this if necessary ...
On all the RYA training courses I've been on we are told that the helicopter pilot will ground this line in the water before coming in. Yes - it is a tangle risk, but I assume they have a quick release or low breaking strain connection in it. Certainly not heard of a chopper crashing because of it... has anyone else?

 

[HenryB]

I knew a RN diver who was seriously injured after his winch line tangled in the rigging of the Sir Winston Churchill. The line broke (to save the helicopter) and he fell to the deck. Fortunately he survived but didn't recover full fitness and had to retire from the RN.

 

[Cruiser2B]

Our winches have guillotines - the winch operator severs the cable if necessary. And they ground the wire by dropping it into the water, and the swimmer swims to it. Not sure what they do when lowering someone to the deck of a ship; maybe they do have a detachable toggle or something. Mind you assuming the SAR swimmer is still dry, he's fairly well insulated in his wetsuit. When we do hoist transfers (transfer of stores by helo) we use a grounded metal hook with an insulated handle to grab the wire.