Coast Guard Cutter Healy Deaths

[mike_s]

Just saw this on CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/24/diver.deaths.ap/index.html

In the above referenced article, it said this about their diving regulators

They also must use equipment that can handle the cold, such as breathing regulators outfitted with rubberized covers filled with antifreeze.

Is this accurate? I've never heard of a regulator filled with antifreeze.

 

[ianr33]

In the above referenced article, it said this about their diving regulators

Is this accurate? I've never heard of a regulator filled with antifreeze.

probably talking about a silicone? filled environmental seal

 

[mike_s]

probably talking about a silicone? filled environmental seal

Well that's what I was thinking they really had, but I found it odd the article indicated they had "antifreeze" in the regulator.

do they even make a regulator with antifreeze in it?


what are water temps under the ice? I assume they can't be too cold (much below 32f) as if it was it would be a solid block of ice.

 

[spectrum]

Not in any of the ice diving around here.

I believe some brands do use a diaphram and a slicone (?) fluid as part of the balancing scheme, My Sherwood Blizzards use the dry bleed for the seal. The rubberized covers and antifreeze is probably a media corruption of that. At least they didn't run out of oxygen, another media classic.

Condolences to all.

Pete.

 

[idocsteve]

Freshwater freezes at 32 degrees Farenheit, saltwater freezes at a lower temperature.

 

[Doubles]

I hope we hear more on this. Not much information about a possible cause in the article. I wonder if a F.O.I.A. request might provide more details?

I think it would be to early for an FOIA request at this point. There are few facts available to the public.

Where they dived
That they were about 10 minutes into the dive before the tenders felt something was wrong
The Capt was relieved of his command and the ship ordered to home port
The dive equipment was quarantined and sent to the Navy
That 2 differing investigations are underway
The Coast Guard has suspended diving operations in arctic waters

A month is not a long time for formal investigations of this type. This is a military incident with loss of life. It is always possible that these investigations may lead to criminal investigations. I am not saying they will, nor do I have any more information than anyone else reading this post. I am just saying it's a possibility and is a possible reason that more infomation has not yet been released.

In my 20 years of Coast Guard service I never found the Coast Guard to hold information back from the public. I believe that the inquiry findings will be released to the public. It just may be a while.

The following is a link to a web page where posts have been made by the family, friends and other military divers that new LT Jessica Hill and BM2 Steve Duque

http://www.topix.net/forum/us/TCHB1IVM9VQV70B45

The next link has some comments from the memorial service in St Augustine Fl

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1689572/posts

And these last links are to a unofficial Coast Guard site maintained by former Coasties. This page has the official internal announcement of the memorial service for LT Hill

http://www.fredsplace.org/announce/ann295.shtml

The announcement for BM2 Steve Duque

http://www.fredsplace.org/announce/ann293.shtml

May they rest in peace

 

[Doubles]

Well that's what I was thinking they really had, but I found it odd the article indicated they had "antifreeze" in the regulator.

do they even make a regulator with antifreeze in it?


what are water temps under the ice? I assume they can't be too cold (much below 32f) as if it was it would be a solid block of ice.

Salt water freezes at around 28F. This is why they use salt on icy roads. The salt lowers the freezing temp

I am thinking that there may be a communications disconnect between the news release and the reporter writing it up. A non-diver might not understand how regulators are protected from freezing and may have found it convenient to add anti-freeze to their sentence.

 

[billblack]

Condolences from myself and my family. I have two sons: one in the Navy, the other in the Army. Godspeed from us all.

 

[octotat]

My first thought when I see two divers die is bad air fill? This is awfull, two people making the world a better place, living a wonderful life. Such a tragedy. We should all honor them by diving as safe as possible. From the description of these people, that's what they would want.

 

[Lead_carrier]

I hope we hear more on this. Not much information about a possible cause in the article. I wonder if a F.O.I.A. request might provide more details?

The heck with the FOIA. In all honesty, it is the families business, not ours. Let them find out then information they need to come to grips with their loss. If it happened to be an equipment problem or something that might affect recreational divers, then yes. We do need to know but not just for the morbidity of it. I know it's human nature to want to know, that's why we all twist our necks so hard when we pass an accident. Personally, if the family finds out what they want to know and we never find out anything. I can live with that.

I don't mean for this to sound like a flame, troll or anything else and mean no disrespect to anyone but I dealt with a situation similar to this earlier this year. It is the family's choice to keep or release any information they want.