Man overboard from the mount!

Mee-n-Mac · 11-06-2006, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Without getting too graphic here and assuming Mr. Sylvestre is not entangled in any underwater debris, the cold water will eventually have an "effect" on the body and it will surface on it's own exactly the same as Mr. Surrette earlier this year. There is no real time frame except that, in my experience, it will be at least 2 weeks from submersion. I add my thoughts and prayers to the family as others have previously.

BT

And that is why it's so hard on the families, they just don't know when, and even for sure if, their lost one will be recovered. Knowing the currents, if they are large enough to matter, might help but as Diver1111 shows it's just incredibly hard to "see" what's down there amongst Winni's uneven bottom and shorelines. Previously someone had a smart suggestion of using a fishing net and this might help in certain areas but I'll guess that most of the bottom is so full of snags that it's not practical. A higher resolution SSS might be possible but probably only with the Navy's budget. Prior mention of cadaver sniffing dogs to locate victims, even when underwater, makes me wonder if some "artificial nose" couldn't be manufactured and incorported onto a towfish or ROV ? A swarm of divers searching the bottom would probably work but wouldn't be practical so that makes me wonder about a swarm of ROV's (working ceaselessly) couldn't somehow be utilized (probably just as impractical as the diving team) ? It's a good thing this type of loss and recovery isn't very common here but at the same time that, and the obstacles mentioned previously, contrive to hinder any forward progress on how the whole recovery process might be made to work better. If it were easy to do so, it would have been done already. Still I keep it on a back burner in my brain so that perhaps some confluence of info might give me some magic insight as to what could be done.

jrc · 11-06-2006, 07:38 PM

I don't know where I read it, maybe here. The general rule seems to be, that after a person drowns and sinks. Some time later, usually a week to a month depending on environmental issues, the body floats to the surface. After a some number of days on surface the body will sink again. At that point it's gone forever, unless someone go down and finds it. This time of year the lake is deserted. There's a good chance that no one will see it and it might be lost forever.

I don't know the technology involved with an artificial nose, but if the chemical compounds of a body are distinct enough, I'm sure technology could be designed. There are bound to be a lot of false alarms, humans are not the most numerous organisms to drown in the lake.

Is it just me, or is three drownings a lot for one year?

Pineedles · 11-06-2006, 08:26 PM

I'm sorry, but all this leaves me a bit heartsick.

11-06-2006, 08:26 PM	#3
Pineedles Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Moultonborough & CT Posts: 2,545 Thanks: 1,072 Thanked 668 Times in 367 Posts	Heartsick I'm sorry, but all this leaves me a bit heartsick.

11-06-2006, 07:38 PM	#2
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	I don't know where I read it, maybe here. The general rule seems to be, that after a person drowns and sinks. Some time later, usually a week to a month depending on environmental issues, the body floats to the surface. After a some number of days on surface the body will sink again. At that point it's gone forever, unless someone go down and finds it. This time of year the lake is deserted. There's a good chance that no one will see it and it might be lost forever. I don't know the technology involved with an artificial nose, but if the chemical compounds of a body are distinct enough, I'm sure technology could be designed. There are bound to be a lot of false alarms, humans are not the most numerous organisms to drown in the lake. Is it just me, or is three drownings a lot for one year?