“Man overboard” is becoming an increasingly common cry on cruises these days. Well, no one actually screams “man overboard” but the next day, when the Coast Guard vessels are out combing the waters, the headlines sure do.
But here’s something less common. Rare, actually. Last week, authorities actually found the body of 22-year-old Elizabeth Galeana, who had — and I quote authorities here — “accidentally” fallen off Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas.
Galeana, who lived in Naples, was reported missing July 25. She was last seen while the ship was en route to Naples, Italy, from the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome. Her sister reported her missing about seven hours later.
This is, of course, tragic — but no less tragic than the many other disappearances in which a body wasn’t found.
Cruise lines can’t control what each passenger does, nor should they be expected to. But when bodies start washing ashore, then they become tangible reminders that something needs to be done to prevent this from happening again.
Even if it just means reminding passengers to stay away from the rails when they’ve had a couple of drinks.
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Actually, “Man Overboard” is part of the standard US Navy announcement in this event. The actual phrasing is approximately “Man Overboard! Man Overboard, starboard (or port) side. Away the Rescue Boat Crew. Away the Rescue Swimmer.” or words to that effect. Just thought you’d like to know.
Cruise lines are a little more discreet. Not wanting to panic passengers or attract a crowd, they usually discretely announce “Code Oscar” or “Code Mike” on the public address system and whether the rescue crew should man the starboard or port side of the ship.
As a USCG commercial vessel safety expert (ret) i cannot envision anyway that a person could accidently fall overboard from a cruise ship. the railings are four feet high. possibly a person 9 feet tall might have a high enough center of gravity. the so call accidents i have heard about were drunks that were walking on top of the railings to prove their prowess to their friends or intoxicated persons that actually opened the gates on the handrails so that they could puke over the side. neither case is accidental.