Coast Guard Cutter Healy Deaths

[ClevelandDiver]

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.

Some manufacturers, such as Poseidon, make a cold water kit that consists of rubber cover that goes over the opening in the first stage; which is filled with alcohol or other liquid that has a freezing far below that of salt water. The liquid is sometimes referred to as anti-freeze as that is the function that it performs. My LDS owner recommends Bacardi 151 proof, seriously that is what he said.

http://diver.net/capture/musac.cs.man.ac.uk/regs/models.htm

Open link, scroll down to Poseidon:
...........To be expected from Swedish kit, the unit is cold water tolerant and designed to operate down to 6C without any add-ons. Below this, a simple rubber cap filled with anti-freeze, is added.


http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=159966

Mares uses a liquid silicone type oil.

 

[vablackwater]

My deepest sympathies to the family, friends and shipmates.

 

[rjack321]

It is the family's choice to keep or release any information they want.

Personally I don't really need to know the details. But this accident happened to 2 members of our military, while on duty on a taxpayer funded ship. There doesn't appear to be anything classified about the mission. The public has every right to expect transparency about this incident.

 

[DennisS]

Once they determine the cause of the accident, I'm sure there will be safety notices, "lessons learned" and lots of other warnings to prevent it from happening again. They really don't like losing personell and don't want a repeat. There will be lots of diving rule changes and piles of paper generated.

 

[Rick Murchison]

It is the family's choice to keep or release any information they want.

Personally I don't really need to know the details. But this accident happened to 2 members of our military, while on duty on a taxpayer funded ship. There doesn't appear to be anything classified about the mission. The public has every right to expect transparency about this incident.

There are two investigations into mishaps like this.
The "Mishap Investigation" produces a privileged, limited distribution document that may only be used for safety purposes. It is accident analysis - identifying hazards and making recommendations to ameliorate or avoid them. Statements made to the mishap board cannot be used in legal proceedings or for administrative disciplinary action, only for safety. FOIA will not get this report. The reasoning is that if witnesses and survivors can be assured that what they say will never see the light of day outside the safety community, they'll be more likely to tell their story without any "self protecting" reservations.
The "JAG Investigation" is conducted with all the legal protections to witnesses, and can be used for disciplinary action, or even as a basis for convening a court (through appropriate legal steps). The JAG investigator cannot look at the Mishap report, but the Mishap board can look at anything and everything the JAG investigator has. FOIA can get the JAG investigation (less any classified portions - which in a diving mishap like this one there wouldn't be any).
As a practical matter, the factual information in the JAG report and in the Mishap report are essentially identical, unless there is some very strange circumstance.
Rick

 

[hilti]

I own two Posideon jetstream regulators, the first stage has a rubber cap that seals and is filled, in my case with vodka. This is tragic, I doubt that there was a freeflow problem as these regulators have a two position lever that makes it very difficult for them to freeflow in cold, or other, waters. The regulators will freeflow in very cold water during initial entrance, but that lever has always worked (for me at least) to stop any freeflows. From pure speculation I wonder if the air in the tanks was bad, or if panic created a problem~ diving under Ice is a ceiling environment, and requires that careful mindset and rethink to all of those types of dives. I'm just speculating, I have alot of cold water diving experience specifically with Poseidon equipt. (I trust this gear completely) I hope this comes to rest sooner than later for the families, for which I express my deepest condolences. Anyone who passes in service to this country is a hero as far as I'm concerned. Jim

 

[akscubaduck1]

I live here in Alaska and have talked to 7 or 8 coasties, nobody's talking or knows anything. My prayers are with the family's of the two divers.

 

[Doubles]

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,119368,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl

According to this article Lt Hill had an uncontrolled descent to 189fsw even though the dive plan called for depth of 20fsw.

The report also indicates that both divers tanks were empty or nearly empty when they were pulled from the water.

They had to have had very small tanks since the article said they would have had 30 minutes of air at 20 feet and 10 minutes at 180.

Many questions still remain unanswered; however the article mentions that the results of the inquiry are expected to be published early next year.

There isn't any mention of Petty Office Duque. The article also mentions that at third diver started the dive but aborted immediately for an unknown reason. This fact was not previously released.

It's obvious something went wrong right away, we can't speculate and can only hope the results of the inquiry will reveal this information along with procedural changes to prevent future incidents,

 

[Rick Murchison]

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,119368,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl

According to this article Lt Hill had an uncontrolled descent to 189fsw even though the dive plan called for depth of 20fsw.

The report also indicates that both divers tanks were empty or nearly empty when they were pulled from the water.

They had to have had very small tanks since the article said they would have had 30 minutes of air at 20 feet and 10 minutes at 180.

Many questions still remain unanswered; however the article mentions that the results of the inquiry are expected to be published early next year.

There isn't any mention of Petty Office Duque. The article also mentions that at third diver started the dive but aborted immediately for an unknown reason. This fact was not previously released.

It's obvious something went wrong right away, we can't speculate and can only hope the results of the inquiry will reveal this information along with procedural changes to prevent future incidents,

One thing's for certain, Master Chief... there are some major FUBARs associated with this one. Two lives already lost and one career ruined. There will be more.
Rick

 

[Wildcard]

From CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/22/diver.deaths.ap/index.html
30 minutes at 20 feet and 10 at 190? Hummm??? Something is amiss here.