In the latest UK MAIB Safety Digest, a case that involved a training vessel comes to highlight that lifejackets save lives and that cold water shock can cause physical reactions that increase the risk of drowning.
It was a warm sunny day and an anchored training ship had just recovered its sea boat after an exercise. While cleaning the sea boat the coxswain dropped a small engine part into the water and it began to float away. Without thinking, the officer on the ship’s deck removed their lifejacket and jumped overboard to recover the engine part.
The officer managed to swim to the floating engine part and retrieve it, but realised they