To read “Part Three”, click HERE.
Without
a PFD and after “about one hour clinging to the bow of the boat...The female
victim [who] had a much smaller build than did her partners...lost
consciousness and her grip on the hull”.1
“Unconsciousness
and death” - - You have 1 hour...
Staying put...
If
you stay put, how long can you last before you lose consciousness and how can
you conserve your body heat, so you survive until rescue?
The
amount of time that you can survive depends mostly on the temperature of the
water, the colder the water the less time you have. But it also depends on what you are wearing,
whether you have a small, average, or large build and what you do to conserve
heat.
If
you have time before you go into the water, put on as many layers of clothing
as possible, and don’t forget your feet. Also cover your head, neck, and hands. Your outer layer should be as watertight as
possible. Fasten clothing, tighten wrist
and waist drawstrings to keep cold water from flooding in and out beneath your
clothing. If an immersion suit is
available, put it on over your clothing.2
Try
to limit your movement, thrashing, swimming, letting your head get wet, all
increase cooling and decrease survival time.
Your body will tend to turn towards the oncoming waves, with your legs
acting as a sea anchor. Keep your back
to the waves, even if you must paddle gently. This may increase heat loss, but you need to
protect your airway from wave splash. Conserve
heat by using the H.E.L.P position or by huddling, but remember huddling only
works in calm water, without waves.
Your
body position in the water is very important in conserving your body heat. If you are wearing a lifejacket or dry suit, float
as still as possible, with your legs together, elbows close to your side, and
arms folded across your chest. The H.E.L.P
or huddle positions lessen the exposure of the body surface to the cold water
and increase your survival time.
As
you cool down, you will face the symptoms of hypothermia, including shivering,
loss of muscle strength and dexterity, mental disorientation and finally
unconsciousness. And even before
unconsciousness sets in, you might drown.
Typically, an immersion victim, who is wearing a PFD, but becomes unable
to keep their back turned to the waves, inhales water from the next wave, and then
drowns despite being conscious and wearing a life vest.
“You have one hour of consciousness after going in.”3
I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
to leave a comment on either site. I
announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at
bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.
That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Notes
1
From
“Person in the Water!!”, by Mark Dobney
2
From a Guide for Cold Water Survival, by International Maritime
Organization
3. “How to survive a fall
through the ice”, by Rena Sarigianopoulos.
Sources
Auerbach,
Paul S.; “Wilderness Medicine E-Book”, page 1502, https://books.google.com/books?id=tdTInPqMCjMC&pg=PA1502&dq=able+to+swim+approximately+800+m+in+10+%C2%B0C&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKm-KUg_OFAxXbLFkFHbNBBvwQ6AF6BAgLEAI#v=onepage&q=able%20to%20swim%20approximately%20800%20m%20in%2010%20%C2%B0C&f=false,
accessed May 3, 2024
Dobney,
Mark; “Person in the Water!!”, On Scene,
Fall 2006, page 11-12,
Ducharme, Michael B., Ph.
D. and Lounsbury, David S. M., Sc.D., “Swimming: An Option for Self-Rescue in
Cold Water”, On Scene, Fall 2006, page 19-21,
Ferrell,
Jesse; “Weather maps from the night the Titanic sank”,
AccuWeather, April 12, 2022, https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/weathermatrix/weather-maps-from-the-night-the-titanic-sank/1173542#:~:text=Although%20the%20weather%20itself%20didn,certainly%20contributed%20to%20the%20tragedy,
accessed April 27, 2024
Hamilton,
Terry; “Hypothermia is a Major Cause of Winter Drowning Deaths”, Spartanburg
Herald-Journal, Dec 8, 1979, page B-9, https://books.google.com/books?id=Wm0sAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA30&dq=survival+shelter+lost&article_id=6980,2137795&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjD49-L7vGFAxWrD1kFHRj8D9E4UBDoAXoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=survival%20shelter%20lost&f=false, accessed May 3, 2024
International Maritime Organization; Guide
for Cold Water Survival, [London, 2012], https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/CG-5R/nsarc/MSC1Circ1185a%20-%20Guide%20to%20Cold%20Water%20Survival%20(113012).pdf, accessed May 18, 2024
Joiner, William C. SSGT;
“Cold Water Immersion”, Aerospace Safety, United States Air Force,
Volumes 34, Number 1, January 1978, page 6 to 7, https://books.google.com/books?id=BDf0AAAAMAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=RA12-PA7&dq=water+chill+without+anti+exposure+suit&hl=en#v=onepage&q=water%20chill%20without%20anti%20exposure%20suit&f=false,
accessed April 24, 2024
Kalkomey Enterprises,
LLC; “Stages 1 and 2 of Cold Water Immersion”, [© 1998–2024], https://www.boat-ed.com/canada/studyGuide/Stages-1-and-2-of-Cold-Water-Immersion/10119902_114125/,
accessed April 27, 2024
Mathews,
Blake; “How weather helped sink the Titanic”, April 10, 2018, https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/how-weather-helped-sink-the-titanic/285-537036316#:~:text=The%20lookouts%20along%20with%20the,lethal%20temperature%20for%20any%20person,
accessed April 27, 2024
Moore, Maggie; “From the
archives: Heroes pull people from icy Potomac after 1982 jet crash”, January
12, 2024, Channel 4
Washington, [© 2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC.], https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/from-the-archives-heroes-pull-people-from-icy-potomac-after-1982-jet-crash/3513565/, accessed May 11, 2024
Navigation Center; “How
Large Was The Iceberg That Sank The Titanic”, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, United States Coast Guard, https://web.archive.org/web/20140105034754/http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=iipHowLargeWasTheIcebergThatSankTheTITANIC,
accessed April 27, 2024
Parchman, Greg, Capt.;
“So, Let Me Get This Straight-High Body Fat is a Good Thing?”, Approach,
Volume 41, Issue 2, March -April, 1996, page 18 to 20, https://books.google.com/books?id=LQNQRzJjOoQC&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA20&dq=water+chill+without+anti+exposure+suit&hl=en#v=onepage&q=water%20chill%20without%20anti%20exposure%20suit&f=false,
accessed April 24, 2024
Titanic
Inquiry Project; “United States Senate Inquiry: Day 4 - Testimony of Herbert J.
Pitman”, [Copyright © 1998-2017: Titanic Inquiry Project], https://www.titanicinquiry.org/USInq/AmInq04Pitman03.php,
accessed April 27, 2024
Titanic’s Officers;
“Second Officer C.H. Lightoller – Sinking and Collapsible B”, © 2024
TitanicOfficers.com, https://www.titanicofficers.com/titanic_04_lightoller_08.html,
accessed April 27, 2024
United
State Coast Guard; “Cold Water Survival & Hypothermia–You May Not Know As
Much As You Think”, https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5p/CG-5PC/CG-CVC/CVC3/notice/flyers/Cold_Water_Survival_Hypothermia.pdf,
accessed April 27, 2024
Warren, Elizabeth G.,
SSGT; “Hypothermia: Missing in the Atlantic”, Flying Safety, November
1983, pages 12 to 15, https://www.safety.af.mil/Portals/71/documents/Magazines/FSM/1980s/198311%20-%20FlyingSafetyMagazine.pdf,
accessed May 4, 2024
Wikimedia; “Jack Thayers
description of the sinking of RMS Titanic”, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thayer-Sketch-of-Titanic.png,
accessed April 27, 2024
Wikimedia; “The iceberg
suspected of having sunk the RMS Titanic”, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Titanic_iceberg.jpg,
accessed April 27, 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment