We lost a guy at sea last week
Discussion
My ship works alongside three others in the Gulf of Mexico, and last week we had a small boat turn over whilst transferring some guys between ships. Four guys went into the water, only three came out.
We had the US Coast Guard out there with a plane and helicopter for three days, and 13 ships were all searching at one point, but we never found a sign of the guy.
I wasn't going to post about it as I'm not really allowed to say too much, as an investigation is ongoing, but in light of the other chopper crashes and stuff there does seem to be a lot of it going about just lately.
For the last two days I have been up in Stockton on Tees, doing my three-yearly offshore training, and HUET (Helicopter Underwater Escape Training) at the Nutec facility there. Usually I hate being dunked upside down, in a mocked up helicopter shell, in a pool full of freezing water, and having to escape, whilst water pours into your upturned nose and your seatbelt refuses to undo....
Strangely enough, I quite enjoyed doing it this time.
We had the US Coast Guard out there with a plane and helicopter for three days, and 13 ships were all searching at one point, but we never found a sign of the guy.
I wasn't going to post about it as I'm not really allowed to say too much, as an investigation is ongoing, but in light of the other chopper crashes and stuff there does seem to be a lot of it going about just lately.
For the last two days I have been up in Stockton on Tees, doing my three-yearly offshore training, and HUET (Helicopter Underwater Escape Training) at the Nutec facility there. Usually I hate being dunked upside down, in a mocked up helicopter shell, in a pool full of freezing water, and having to escape, whilst water pours into your upturned nose and your seatbelt refuses to undo....
Strangely enough, I quite enjoyed doing it this time.
Bushmaster said:
No lifejacket?
The GoM is pretty warm so it wouldn't be like ditching in the North Sea...as long as you stay afloat that is.
He had a life jacket on, so should have floated straight to the top, but something obviously didn't work as it was meant to. We knew where he should have been, right by the other three guys, but he just wasn't there.The GoM is pretty warm so it wouldn't be like ditching in the North Sea...as long as you stay afloat that is.
King Herald said:
Los Palmas 7 said:
That's really bad news mate.
I mean, Stockton On Tees? Really?
Tell me, are any shops in that town actually open, or is it early closing on Mondays? I mean, Stockton On Tees? Really?
Be safe.
Probably went through the bow (or stern) thruster, nice minced sea food for the fishies.
Worked offshore for 4 years after leaving uni. Loved doing my sea ticket, particularly the helicopter dunk and the fire-fighting.
That was until a mate got sucked four miles up an underwater pipe with only 20 mins of air in his tank !!! And anothe connected to the wrong tri-mix and died instantly.
You are pretty small compared to the huge engineering they use offshore.
Worked offshore for 4 years after leaving uni. Loved doing my sea ticket, particularly the helicopter dunk and the fire-fighting.
That was until a mate got sucked four miles up an underwater pipe with only 20 mins of air in his tank !!! And anothe connected to the wrong tri-mix and died instantly.
You are pretty small compared to the huge engineering they use offshore.
MK4 Slowride said:
Jesus, that has got to be one of the worst ways to die out at sea like that 
You said they fell transferring from one boat to another. Is it possible he could got caught up in the propellors?
The boat was on the painter being towed alongside the mother vessel, at 5 knots, flipped over, and the guy was apparently seen bobbing to the surface a couple of times, then went down never to be seen again. I'd guess the life jacket failed, otherwise there is no way he could go under.You said they fell transferring from one boat to another. Is it possible he could got caught up in the propellors?
King Herald said:
Los Palmas 7 said:
That's really bad news mate.
I mean, Stockton On Tees? Really?
Tell me, are any shops in that town actually open, or is it early closing on Mondays? I mean, Stockton On Tees? Really?
(I don't live there, just have the misfortune to work on the other side of the river from it!)
Bushmaster said:
Sounds like either the LJ failed, or he fell out of the LJ as not wearing it properly, or a f
king great shark ate him.
In all seriousness, is the GoM not full to the brim of Makos and suchlike? Could it have been a shark? I would have thought that unless you were unconscious, it wouldn't be too difficult to tread water in the GoM...king great shark ate him.Sorry to hear about it - must have been a s
t thing to be part of...
TVR Moneypit said:
King of Dings said:
That was until a mate got sucked four miles up an underwater pipe with only 20 mins of air in his tank !!!
I just cant get my head around how crappy that must have been to be that poor bloke.
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