What is a Williamson turn?


What is a Williamson turn? The Williamson turn is an alternative manoeuvre used to bring a ship or boat under power back to a point it previously passed through, often for the purpose of recovering a casualty at sea. It was named for John Williamson, USNR, who used it in 1943 to recover a man who had fallen overboard.


What should you do when you see a person fall overboard at night?

Here are some more man overboard tips:
  1. Never jump into the water to rescue a victim unless you're wearing a life vest and are tethered to the boat. ...
  2. If the rescue is at night, light a white flare to illuminate the area. ...
  3. Never back a boat up to a man overboard -- the propeller can be deadly.


What is the signal for a man overboard?

The alarm signal for a Man Overboard is three long blasts on the general alarm and ship's whistle. If you hear this alarm, muster on the main deck and attempt to maintain visual contact of the victim while pointing in the victims direction when in sight.


Do cruise ships stop for man overboard?

As soon as an incident happens, cruise ship crew will activate a button that pinpoints the place where the person went into the water. The ship will then stop and turn back to that area. The ship and its crew will perform a lengthy search and rescue operation, lasting several hours.


How many people live after falling off a cruise ship?

How easy is it to fall overboard on a cruise ship, and how can you survive? Between 2009 and 2019, there were 212 incidents of crew or passengers going overboard from a cruise ship, and only 48 were rescued.