Christopher W. Clavin still missing
USNI News reports that Fire Controlman 2nd Class Christopher W. Clavin who fell overboard from his ship, the USS Normandy (CG 60) a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, on Tuesday is still missing bout 80 miles of the coast of North Carolina.
“Every Navy and Coast Guard member participating in this operation is dedicated to finding our lost shipmate. Our thoughts are with Petty Officer Clavin and his family during this difficult time,” said Adm. Phil Davidson, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces in a statement.
Along with Normandy, carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), U.S. Coast Guard medium endurance cutter USCGC Forward (WMEC-911), destroyers USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) and USS Mason (DDG-87) are searching for the missing sailor.
Category: Navy
Let’s hope that by some miracle, he’s found alive.
Amen.
I hesitated to ask the obvious question of “Is it even realistically possible to survive the fall off a ship?”
Google answered that for me.
It is survivable.
http://www.fredericksburg.com/local/man-overboard-stafford-sailor-recalls-fall-off-navy-carrier/article_a20c1786-1225-55f4-9ec1-45bb6d95c49a.html
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/what-happens-when-someone-falls-off-a-us-navy-aircraft-carrier-10326549.html
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https://www.quora.com/What-happens-when-a-person-falls-off-a-US-Navy-carrier
I’ve seen recoveries from getting blasted off a flight deck (80 ft +/- drop)and even punching out of a plane that was trying to skitter overboard (pilot snagged the bow when he came down). Also a ship I was on picked up a sailor from a ship that had simply walked overboard in a state of altered mental status and poor judgement.
Alos been out there unable to find a trace of someone overboard, a downed fixed wing and a downed helo.
The open ocean is a vast and unpredictable place.
I like’s this quote from the third article..
” Another incident was a deck ejection from an S-3 at night. While the NFO (Naval Flight Officer) ended up hanging in his chute from some of the antennae on the island (inspiring his new callsign, “Swinger”), the pilot (and squadron XO) ended up behind the ship.”
At least a ground-pounder has a chance to walk out.
The ocean is too big for me to swim across.
Prayers for him and his family.
I saw an Airframes Trouble-Shooter from VA-176 get blown over the side after he ignored handsignals telling him a bird was going to turn on him. The A-6 had to go almost to full military power to get over an arresting gear wire.
It shot that dude straight out off the deck, and then he fell the 80+ feet to the water.
I looked at my friend because I didn’t believe I just witnessed that. It was true though; because The ships whistle went off, and we made that huge turn to port to bring the FID about. After mustering, I went back on deck and saw the dude get off the Helo with the Rescue Swimmer. He had a sheepish look on his face and dye marker all over his Jersey and greens.
He later wrote an article (probably ordered to) in Mech Magazine (safety mag) describing the experience. He said when he hit the water he just kept going down. He inflated his float coat, but that only slowed his descent.
It wasn’t until he dropped his tool pouch that he rose to the surface, and saw a helo and Destroyer almost on top of him for rescue.
In the late ’70s a disgruntled sailor on the Bryce Canyon, during a dependent’s cruise to Maui from PH, made a showy departure in an effort to secure a discharge. The ‘man overboard’ response was fairly timely and the sea state was a nominal 0-1 foot swell but they lost sight of him and his body was never recovered to my knowledge. Discharged? Not what he had in mind, I’m sure.
It is, but if it is garbage day. All kinds of “Friends”, the toothy kind, follow the ships sometimes.
Some of the bigger ships also have scoop injection amidships. Fancy name for sea water intakes, that can be 48″ in diameter. Then there is always the Screws(Props to you Army types), as large as 25′ and 20 tons. All this beside impact velocity, body angle on impact and water temps. 70 degree water will kill you in 2-7 hrs.
It WOULD take a miracle! There are some BIG hungry fish out there!!
In the water since Tuesday? His chances are pretty slim, I’m afraid.
I’d say so, too. It’s not a good thing.
And hopefully he wasn’t wearing “Blueberries”. . .
I hope he is found and may God be with him and his family.
Onboard USS FORRESTAL (CV-59) at the end of our Med Cruise in 1990; we had a young Blue Shirt from V3 (Hangar Bay)decide to jump overboard off Elevator 4.
We were 100 miles off the coast of Florida. We were two days from home.
This happened in the morning, and by the time I went on shift at 1800 the 1MC was still calling away time. The Helo Squadron was still actively searching with spotlights. We left that following morning for NS Mayport, and the Coast Guard took over the search.
I later heard all they found was his Float Coat….two damn days.
there’s folks who have survived the Brooklyn Bridge or the Golden Gate. Not many, but it is possible. Best of luck to him.
As a rescue swimmer, my nightmare was the head case who didn’t want to get into the helo with me. Seems my SAR School instructors thought so too, because they trained us to deal with that. Fortunately I never had to.
“Seems my SAR School instructors thought so too, because they trained us to deal with that.”
AW1Ed: How would you deal with that? Seriously, I don’t know.
Praying for you, young Sailor. If you went, I hope you did so quickly with as little suffering as possible. Blessings to you and yours
About twenty years back, a young Marine by the name of Zachary Mayo (same as Richard Gere’s character in An Officer And A Gentleman) fell off a Navy ship in the Indian Ocean. He was rescued after 36 hours adrift. At least that is the way it was reported. I think that he missed the ship when it left port, and somehow found a few fishermen that could help with this “story”.
Prayers out that they find him alive but by now the odds aren’t that good.