New Cold Water Survival Equipment
Authors: Buxton Ralph 
Published: October 2008

Prompted by the possible extension of the shipping season on the Great Lakes into the winter the U.S. Coast Guard investigated the effectiveness of survival equipment on ships. Systems analysis of the problems revealed that man-overboard fatalities exceed ship-abandonment fatalaties that are due to personnel in the water. A computer simulation of a hypothetical Great Lakes winter-season ship sinking casualty indicates that current survival systems will save 28 percent of the crew. In order to raise the percentage saved, improvements are needed, not only for group survival craft such as lifeboats and liferafts, but also individual survival equipment. An individual survival system was developed that provides man-overboard protection and a ship-abandonment mode for individuals. The system consists of a work jacket and a ship escape system. The work jacket has been tested with human subjects in 30°F water, 20 °F air, and 20-mph winds. Tests were terminated after 42 minutes because of subject's discomfort. The ship escape system was tested under similar conditions, and the test was terminated after 4 hours, although survival time can be extrapolated to 8 to 10 hours.

INTRODUCTION

Navigation on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway is historically suspended every winter from about mid-December until early April because of the adverse effects of weather and ice. As a result, commerce and industry served by this waterway system resort either to expensive stockpiling of materials to carry them through the winter months, or moving cargoes via more expensive modes. In recognition of the potential benefits of an extended navigation season, Congress, in the 1970 River and Harbor Act authorized federal agencies to investigate the feasibility of extended the navigation season on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System. A demonstration program was established to include ship voyages extending beyond the normal navigation season. The ultimate goal of the program is to demonstrate the practicality of year-round navigation through tests of new and innovative methods of facilitating commercial ship movements while minimizing any concurrent adverse effects.

One of the possible adverse effects is the increased danger to crewmen in the event of a man overboard or ship abandonment due to vessel casualty. The cold environment increases the danger of coldwater shock and hypothermia, both of which can lead to death.

The USCG is the government agency charged with responsibility for regulation of survival equipment on merchant ships. Traditionally, the lifeboat and liferaft have been the first line of recourse in the event of ship casualty, and both of these group survival craft give good protection in temperate waters. Sometimes survivors are forced to abandon ship by first jumping overboard with life jackets, and then swimming to lifeboats or liferafts. In cold water, this course of action is extremely precarious and has a higher risk than the same action in temperate waters.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the methodology that went into the development of an individual survival system and to present the results of development and tests.