Man

Long voyage sends a

board My heart sank to think that we might have lost a
man. In three decades of seafaring, this was my first man
overboard experience. My hands were trembling and my
troubled seaman over heart pounding as I brought the binoculars to my eyes,
searching in the direction indicated.

the edge For several days the QMED had been displaying
strange behavior. The captain had thought the matter
-
By William R. Cam Reprinted by permission from
serious enough to suspend him from duty and confine him
to his room. A round-the clock watch had been posted in
Professional Mariner
the passageway outside. In spite of these precautions, he

T he dreaded cry of "man overboard" echoed from

the main deck of the Stonewall Jackson on
Halloween day, 1995.
had burst from his room-literally running over the man
on watch-and ran out onto the main deck and aft down
the port side. Luckily, Chief Electrician Eddie Johnson
We were on the long homeward leg of voyage 79, en saw him and took off in pursuit. But before Johnson was
route from the Far East to New Orleans via the Cape of able to catch him, the QMED vaulted over the rail and into
Good Hope. We passed the Cape on October 22nd and the sea. Johnson threw a life ring over the side and
were some 50 miles from the lonely Fernando de Noronha sounded the alarm, yelling loud enough to be heard on the
island group. We had been steaming for 20 uneventful bridge about 400 feet forward. Another man saw what had
days and had another week to go before reaching our transpired and threw a second life ring over the side.
destination. At something like 12,500 miles, and almost a Saul Becker was watch officer on the bridge. He
month of continuous steaming, the passage might have heard Johnson's man overboard call from the port side and
been some kind of a distance record for a LASH ship. immediately had the quartermaster put the helm hard over
For many of us, this long sea passage was a rare and to port, sounded the man overboard signal and got a
welcome interlude after two months of frequent port calls position off of the GPS. Capt. Curlis was on the bridge
and long, hectic hours of cargo work. But for some it almost immediately. He quickly assessed the situation and
wasn't so welcome. A few men were beginning to show decided to continue the hard turn to port.
the strain. They were testy and anxious to get the passage When I first joined him, I assumed that we were
over and set foot on shore. There was one man who was doing a Williamson turn. So at first, I was a little confused
literally driven beyond his ability to cope. as to how the man could be off our beam. But as soon as I
As second mate, I had been off watch since 0800 and saw our wake, I realized that the captain was making a
was correcting charts in my room when the general alarm single turn to port.
sounded at 1039. I heard loud voices from the bridge, one Within seconds I had spotted one of the life rings in
deck above, and almost immediately I felt the ship heel to the ship's wake. It was almost right on the port beam. At
starboard. I slipped my shoes on, grabbed my life jacket that point we had already turned about 150 degrees or so
and radio and bounded to the bridge. The quartermaster from our original course and were probably a little less
had the helm hard over to the left. The air was electrified than half a mile from the life ring.
with tense excitement. The captain, Michael Curlis, was The captain was doing the right thing. Had we been
airily on the port wing of the bridge shouting orders. When doing a Williamson turn, we would still have been moving
he saw me he told me to grab a pair of binoculars and get away from the victim at the rate of almost 20 knots. Then
on the wing with him immediately. as we turned back to starboard to come about onto a
"Who's overboard sir?'I asked. reciprocal course, the victim would have been out of sight
" The QMED (qualified member of the engine of the vessel for several minutes. Also, we would have
deparment)," he said, pointing a little aft of the port beam. been almost a mile away by the time we were again
" See if you can spot a life ring right about there!" coming around. As it was, not only was I able to spot the

10 AMVER BULLETIN
life ring quickly, but I was able to keep it constantly in he made no effort to swim closer.
sight as our turn brought it quickly around on the bow. The captain ordered the chief mate to ready the
I kept my arm extended in the direction of the life starboard lifeboat for launch. I remained on the main deck
ring as the captain expertly maneuvered the ship, slowing keeping the man in constant sight with the binoculars as
engines and easing the helm, until the life ring was close the captain kicked the vessel ahead, turning to starboard to
on the port bow. create a lee.
Soon we spotted the second life ring to the right of The man drifted aft and farther from the ship until he
the first, and the captain stopped the vessel almost exactly was difficult to see. Conditions, though far from being
between them. We had come back to our own wake at severe, were not quite ideal. There was an easterly force
nearly a right angle and the time that had elapsed could not four breeze blowing, a slight to moderate sea and a low
have been more than about four minutes from the time of northeasterly swell.
the initial full-left rudder command. The first ring spotted, Soon Pospisil and crew had the lifeboat launched.
as it turned out, was the second ring to be thrown over- Since I was in charge of No. 1 lifeboat during abandon-
board. ship drills, I had a slight tinge of envy at not being among

T he captain ordered the third mate Gary Tober, to the crew. At the same time, however, I was also glad to be
get some men and clear the starboard lifeboat
for lowering when we were about halfway round in our
spared this particular duty. In any case, it appeared that
retrieval of the victim was now only moments away.
turn, so we were ready to lower a boat by the time we The captain directed the boat toward the man by
stopped. But spotting radio. Soon the boat was close
bright-orange life rings is to the victim and his rescue
not quite spotting the seemed imminent.
man-and it had become Then something totally
apparent that neither ring "I crossed over to starboard, unexpected happened. The
had our man hanging onto victim refused to be rescued!
it. Our hearts sank once sure enough there was our When the lifeboat made an
again as the possibility hit
home that he had already
lost QMED only a hundred approach to him, he swam
away. The boat then made a
gone down to a watery feet off the staboard beam. " wide swing and another
grave. I remained on the attempt. But each time it
port wing of the bridge
looking for a bobbing head -- William Carr,
approached, the victim evaded
the rescuers' hands and
as the captain, Becker, and Second Mate of the paddled frantically out of reach
Chief Joseph Pospisil Stonewall Jackson of his saviors. He had other
searched from the starboard plans, and other ideas of
side. Soon the captain salvation. He was "going to
yelled "There he is!" paradise," he said, and if anybody came in the water after
I crossed over to starboard, sure enough there was him, he'd "take them to paradise too!"
our lost QMED only a hundred feet off the staboard beam.
His head looked pitifully small and insignificant in that A pparently nobody in the boat was eager to join
him in paradise, since no one jumped in to
vast body of water, but it appeared he was not in imminent thwart his planned journey. The chief mate was aware that
danger of slipping beneath the surface. We were all greatly a man in the QMED's state of mind might well possess
relieved to see our man alive. He had not yet found either near-superhuman strength, and he feared that two might be
life ring, so he was treading water, but he was there! Now lost rather than one saved.
the problem was getting the man back aboard the ship. I listened to the transmissions between the captain
The captain sent the chef mate and me down to the and the chief mate and witnessed the growing frustration
main deck to rig the starboard pilot ladder. We gathered of both parties. I returned to the bridge to observe the
some men as we went and soon had a ladder over the side. operation from there.
The QMED at that time seemed within easy swimming The captain's increasing frustration was apparent. At
range of the foot of the ladder and was swimming towards one point he turned to me and asked if I had any sugges-
the ship. It looked as though he would be there in a matter tions. "Nothing short of putting a man in the water, sir, " I
of seconds.. Our immediate problem seemed to be how we said. But he wasn't ready to put a second man at risk.
would get a weakened 180 pound man 25 feet up the side The chief mate and boat crew tried every means of
of the vessel. We sent men for a stretcher and some persuasion they could think of to no avail. The captain's
gantlines. However, at that moment, the man in the water frustration continued to grow. He ordered me to go down
spotted one of the nearby life rings and swam to it. After to the forecastle deck and make sure the boat painter was
he grabbed the life ring, instead of resuming his effort to properly rigged and ready to retrieve the boat as soon as
get to the ship he seemed to lose interest in rescue. In fact, the QMED was saved, though the prospects were less

AMVER BULLETIN
positive than the order would indicate. I did as I was told service was available at all, it would still take too long.
and resumed monitoring the radio from two decks below I headed for the bridge to volunteer, half afraid that I
the bridge. From my vantage point the boat's activities might be biting off more than I could chew. In my bra-
resembled a dog vainly chasing its tail. For almost half an vado, I thought I was going to be the only volunteer. But,
hour the chief mate and the boat crew cajoled and per- much to my relief, I need not have worried. I literally had
suaded, pleaded and begged, but got no results. The boat to stand in line! The third assistant engineer, David Cake,
made pass after pass, but the victim simply would not be was first in line, followed by OS Armando Medina. And
rescued. Instead he ranted, raved and gave no signs of soon there were two others.
cooperating. When the boat came
Being a religious
-
alongside, half a dozen crew
person, acutely troubled and came back aboard the ship,
obviously suicidal, the victim and as many new men, plus
spoke about God and heaven, several more, descended the
saying such things as, "I'm pilot ladder with extra
going to paradise! My God heaving lines to use as man
I
will look after me!" Then, I WlLLlAMSON TURN ropes and safety lines.
pointing to first one and then
another of the boat crew, "Not
your God, or your God ...or
\
\
\
\
\
\
N ot surprisingly,
when the boat had
left the victim alone and
your God, but my God!" returned to the ship, his idea
He also had personal of the way to paradise
problems: woman trouble. seemed to be in our direction,
Apparently he'd received a
"Dear John" letter while the
ship was in Singapore.
Grasping at whatever he could
to break the stalemate, the
he
I
s~ghmdbelltemga\
about this p n t In our twn
and were able to Lee0 it ~n
constant vlew therafter
At th~spcint we were
I '\!
so we didn't have far to go to
get to him when we cast off.
But he still wasn't willing to
be picked up. Far from
seeming fatigued or near
captain found out what his probably only a lime mwe submission, he actually
than the dstance of ow
girlfriend's name was and "advance"hom the v~ctim looked formidable.
passed the information to the SIMPLE ROUND TURN
He grasped the life ring
chief mate. When the mate in a peculiar manner that
told the QMED that his allowed him to raise himself
girlfriend needed him, MmOvEhoud Y(
abnormally high out of the
mentioning her name, the water as he paddled, crab-
QMED became more agitated like, away from the boat. His
and enraged than ever. "How back and neck were arched,
do you know her name?" he his head thrown back, giving
demanded of the mate. his body a rigid and imposing

T he question in all of
our minds was
"how long can this guy hold -
appearance. His eyes were
wild-looking and alert. He
had the appearance of an
Ir1 the case of the Stonewall Jackson. advance at full
out?'It seemed that he had speed is about 2,320 feet, and it takes about one animal cornered and at bay. It
unlimited stamina. Any minute 45 seconds to alter course 90 degrees. A was not surprising that no
moment, when at a "safe" Williamson turn would have taken the vessel more one in the original crew had
distance from the boat, he than 4,640 feet from the victim and several minutes been eager to tackle him in
longer to return to the man overboard location.
might just disappear. It was the water without some
becoming painfully obvious that someone was definitely backup. James Adaire, an AB, later said he had kicked off
going to have to go into the water and grab him, and the his shoes just in case the mate asked someone to go in, but
sooner the better. But, in absolute frustration, the captain said the heavy water light attached to the life ring (poten-
ordered the mate to work slowly back towards the ship. tially a dangerous weapon in the victim's hands) prevented
The mate then said some of the crew were seasick him from volunteering to go it alone.
and needed to be relieved. Capt. Curlis told him to bring I had noticed at fire and boat drills that the young
the boat back to the pilot ladder. I decided to offer my QMED seemed like a mild, unassuming young man. But
swimming services in order to break impasse. The captain now, for the first time, I realized this was a pretty big,
was by then seriously beginning to consider the desperate well-muscled fellow in very good physical condition.
measure of calling for shore assistance. But the Brazilian Ominously, he showed no signs of weakening or relenting
coast was almost 2 0 0 miles away. If helicopter rescue in his determination to evade capture. He knew something

12 AMVER BULLETIN
was up. The boat crew was different, and three men were There are two simple but important lessons to this
sitting right on the gunwale as if to spring at him. Other experience. First is the fact that the quickest and most
new faces were engaged in suspicious activities like practical way to get back to a man overboard, under
coiling lines. The chief mate maneuvered the boat and the favorable conditions, is a simple round turn rather than a
chief engineer stood by to give us our jumping orders. Williamson turn. Because the Williamson turn maneuver is

S oon our uncooperative quarry had crabbed his posted on the bridge of all of our ships, many ships'
way to the ship's side at the stem. He tried to get officers believe it is the peferred maneuver on all man
around the stem into the choppy water on the other side, overboard occasions. This is not the case. To quote the
but the mate maneuvered the boat to head him off. We had Merchant Marine OficersJHandbook,by Edward A.
him cornered. Turpin and William A. MacEwen (my 1965 edition),
When the chief gave the word, all five swimmers "Experience has indicated that the (Williamson) turn takes
went over the side. Cake was point man and the real hero approximately 5 minutes longer than a standard turning
of the swim team rescue. Having gotten to the victim first, circle, and, for that reason, it should not be used if it is
he quickly got his arm around the QMED's neck from possible to keep the victim in sight...however, that is up to
behind. The rest of the swimmers pressed in closely to the 'seaman's eye' of the conning officer."
make escape impossible. In what must have been less than
a minute, we had the victim at the boat's side. Several
members of the boat crew grabbed hold and pulled as we
T he Williamson turn was developed primarily for
nighttime and/or rough weather conditions,
providing a relatively accurate means of returning to track
pushed him up from on a reciprocal course
below. The nightmarish for a search. As in the
ordeal was over. Our "Because the Williamson turn case above, the round
man didn't struggle or turn permits staying
cause any problem once maneuver is posted On the bridge closer to the man
in the boat, and after the
lifeboat was recovered
of all of our ships, many ships' man sooner,sighting
"Verb"d9 and thenthe

the ship was quickly officers believe it is the loreferred keeping the man or
underway again. ~ e f o r e object in constant sight.
beinn disembarked from maneuver on all man oierboard The second lesson
the boat, the wayward occasions. This is not the case. " when athere is that are times
QMED was handcuffed
as several of us clus- --William Carr
man overboard
rescue requires rescuers
tered around him to Second Mate of the to get into the water.
prevent another attempt Stonewall Jackson Lifeboat and man
to jump overboard. overboard drills on
After exiting- the merchant vessels
lifeboat he was quartered in a passenger room next to the seldom address this contingency.
chief mate's office. A 24-hour suicide watch was posted in Many otherwise good seamen have a natural and
the room with him. Initially he was cuffed to the bunk to understandable fear of getting into the water in the middle
prevent another escape attempt. After the first day or so, of the ocean, so it cannot be assumed that there will
the engineers had fabricated a secure "brig door" out of always be willing swimmers in every lifeboat crew. So, it
angle iron and heavy hardware cloth. After that the man would seem important that potential volunteer swimmers
was released from his handcuffs and the watchman were for such emergencies be sought and designated at the
posted outside where the patient could be observed. We beginning of each voyage. Perhaps, at the first lifeboat
had resumed our passage at 1234, having lost less than two drill of each voyage, healthy, experienced swimmers for
hours. But the ordeal had seemed to last several hours emergency rescues should be recruited to serve as part of
longer. any rescue boat crew during the voyage. Had we been
It certainly wasn't a record-breaking man overboard prepared in this manner, time and effort could have been
recovery timewise, but then it wasn't the run-of-the-mill saved.
rescue either. The QMED became a model prisoner and
gave no more trouble, although he was kept slightly
sedated under the radio direction of shore doctors. When not rescuing errant swimmers William Carr
Four days later, approaching the Galleon Strait, we sails as second mate in the Mastel; Mates & Pilots union.
were diverted by the company to Port of Spain, Trinidad, He is a Navy veteran and has served in merchant marine
to put our patient ashore. That was on Saturday, November since 1967.
4th. We then resumed our passage once again, arriving at
New Orleans on November 9th and concluding a rather
eventful voyage 79.

AMVER BULLETIN 13