Nine in a liferaft with no Mayday: canopy, sea anchor and which distress device first
You are one of 9 survivors from a sinking 80 m offshore supply vessel. You have boarded a 16-person inflatable liferaft, but the canopy is not closed, the sea anchor is still stowed, and the raft is drifting fast across a 2 m sea. Two survivors are seasick, one has a deep scalp laceration bleeding steadily, and one is unresponsive but breathing. Equipment on board: one handheld VHF (battery 80%), a SART, an EPIRB that was carried from the bridge but not switched on, 6 red hand flares, 2 parachute flares, a first aid kit, and 1.5 L water. The ship sank 20 minutes ago; no Mayday was transmitted. There is a shipping lane 30 nm east. You have no GPS. Wind is onshore toward a rocky coast 8 nm away.
1. Give the order of actions for the first ten minutes and explain why each item sits where it does.
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- Close the canopy. Spray and wind cause most heat loss and make the raft uninhabitable; this is first because it protects everyone at once.
- Stream the sea anchor. You are drifting toward rocks 8 nm away; the anchor slows drift and keeps the raft bow to the sea, reducing broaching and seasickness.
- Headcount - 9, identify who is missing, and cut the painter if it is still attached.
- Casualties: direct pressure on the scalp wound; recovery position for the unresponsive breathing man; seat and insulate the seasick.
- Distress: activate the EPIRB, switch on the SART, radio on Ch 16.
- Lookouts, water ration, keep the raft as dry as possible.
The reasoning: canopy and sea anchor buy time and reduce injury, people come next, and the alert follows. The bleeding and the airway will not wait for the radio, but a raft broaching without the sea anchor may take the radio with it.
2. Which distress device do you use first, and how do you use the EPIRB, SART, VHF and flares without wasting them?
Read the worked answer
EPIRB first. A 406 MHz EPIRB alerts the satellite system and passes identity and position to a rescue coordination centre; it needs no operator skill once activated and it keeps working. Switch it on and keep it clear of the canopy and bodies.
SART second. It does not call anyone; it answers a 9 GHz radar. Switch it on after boarding, mount it about a metre above the water if possible, and leave it on so a searching vessel or aircraft sees a strong blip.
VHF next. Ch 16 Mayday: vessel name, position if known, persons on board, injuries, and that EPIRB and SART are active. With 80% battery, keep transmissions short and then listen.
Flares last, in the sense of when they can be seen. Parachute flare when a vessel or aircraft is in sight at distance; hand flare at night when a ship is close; smoke by day. Firing them at an empty horizon burns your only visual signal. Thirty nautical miles from a lane is within reach of a diverted ship, so the radio and beacon matter more than the flares right now.
3. How do you manage the bleeding scalp, the unresponsive casualty and the water supply with nine people on board?
Read the worked answer
Scalp laceration: firm direct pressure with a dressing, do not remove an embedded object, keep the head still if there was a fall, and watch for shock. Scalp wounds bleed heavily but usually respond to sustained pressure; release and re-check rather than lifting the dressing repeatedly.
Unresponsive but breathing: recovery position, clear the mouth, monitor breathing continuously. Near-drowning casualties can deteriorate when moved or after vomiting; be ready to give 5 rescue breaths then start CPR if breathing stops.
Water: 1.5 L among 9 is about 165 ml each. Ration it, do not give anything by mouth to the unresponsive, and give small sips to the seasick when they can hold it. No alcohol, no sea water. Insulate the wet and the seasick - seasickness dehydrates and accelerates heat loss, so the two problems compound.