Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] escape & rescue

[Jeff Post <jeffpost@rawbw.com>]

Hi Doug,

I'll tell you what I know:

I can't speak specifically about the drift net problem, however, based on the
experiences of a neighbor of mine sailing from San Francisco to Hawaii,
abandoned nets seem to be a huge problem. I wonder how all the commercial boats
are dealing with all these nets that must be clogging their props.

The policies of the Coast Guard in recent times has been to defer to private
towing companies when you are NOT in imminent danger. If lives are threatened or
a vessel is in imminent danger, they will dispatch resources for search and
rescue. I haven't heard anything about them not conducting search and rescue
missions post 9-11.

A better question to pose is this. Are they equipped to rescue submerged
vessels. I don't know that their usual resources of helicopters, 41 foot
vessels, and large cutters are prepared to assist in underwater search and rescue.

Regards,
JP


Quoting SeaLordOne@aol.com:

> Shipmates,
> 
> I would like your views on escape and rescue.  
> 
> As to the original "caught in a net" problem, I have the impression that the
> average psub would lack the power or bouyancy to escape a large net.  These
> new mega nets, do they call them drift nets?, are many miles long and many
> tons heavy.  About 10 years ago I read of a section of net three miles long
> that had broken off and was killing porposes off the US coastline. I don't
> see how anything short of Carsten's U-Boat could survive an encounter with
> that much net.  Does anyone know any more about these mega nets?  Are there
> still large sections floating loose out there?
> 
> Then comes rescue.  Who is going to come to our rescue?  I get the impression
> from reading the paper that the U.S. Coast Guard has been largly re-purposed
> for homeland security, and that private boat towing firms are the closest
> thing to a "rescue operation" most boats see these days.  Do you still think
> the Coast Guard would/could help us?
> 
> Doug Farrow
>