submarine : man overboard

disclaimer : this is a question for a plot device in a work of fiction .

ok , having got that off my chest


if a sailor fell "overboard " from a modern RN submarine [ vengance class ] while putting to sea . what would his chances of survival be ?

the real question is : would he survive the first moments , or be swept into the prop ?

i know that they wear floatation vests and are well trained - so would [ if un injured ] be capable of looking after himself till the rescue boat comes along

but lookig @ the profile of a modern submarine - very few have any guards on the prop

old WWII types have prop guards each side [ mainly to protect the prop / rudder when along side quays / tenders ] but they are there

what protection do modern boats have ?

IA,
I asked a relative who is now retired from the RN, but was a Commander on the Trident subs.

They should have on them saftey lines, which give maybe 8 to 10 feet of play, so that if they get swept off the just get hauled back in.

How ever, a few SF troops ie SBS, have been swept off the bows of a sub in his time, and yes, they have gone right through the screws and sadly died, as the sheer size and power of a moving subs wake is more than any human could ever swim against.

As for equipment, if they were on the tower, they would have on their normal duty clothes, a cold weather jacket (wind water proof) and a floatation jacket.

in the cold, death would be soon as they have no survival gear on apart from the float coat..... In the warm, it all depends on the individual and their will to survive and battle the effects of the water.

So to sum it up, if they fell of, and didn't have a saftey line, they are as good as dead if the subs moving above 10 - 15 knots.

Depends on the temperature and sea state.

Anyone in the bridge (OOD, CO, lookout) would have a lanyard. Even if they did fall or get swept into the water by a wave there are immediate procedures carried out. By putting the rudder over quickly, the ship will move away from the overboard man and hopefully not cut him up. If the guy can hold out for a few minutes, a diver will get there and save him. Chances are if it's really stormy the sub would have never been on the surface in the first place. So I think the odds of survival are very good.

Not much to say about special forces insertion other than safety is a priority.

DOH !!!!!!! " saftey lines " , thanks dark knight , i should have remembered that

If departing from Faslane/Coulport the V Class TSSBN will be escorted by one or more Clyde Marine Unit boats until ready to dive so they would be on hand to assist with any rescue.