O/T Search underway for missing Canadian sailor

[A.W]

Fortunately this kind of incident doesn't happen often.

Search underway for missing Canadian sailor
CTV.ca News Staff

A search continues in the Baltic Sea Wednesday for a missing Canadian sailor believed to have fallen overboard.

Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal was sailing with a NATO reaction force about 50 kilometres off the coast of Poland when crew reported that leading seaman Robert Leblanc was missing, said navy spokeswoman Lt.-Cmdr. Denise LaViolette.

"The only thing that we're certain of is the last time anybody saw leading seaman Leblanc was approximately 6:30 p.m. last night, Halifax time," LaViolette told CTV Newsnet.

Officials believe Leblanc may have fallen off the ship into the frigid waters. LaViolette said the temperature of the water is approximately two or three degrees Celsius.

When Leblanc didn't report back to his job last night, LaViolette said the crew performed a muster (or a head count) before they conducted a search of the entire ship.

They still could not find Leblanc, "so they put into motion the man-overboard processes, and (enacted) a search-and-rescue mission," said LaViolette.

"The conditions remain favourable for a search. The winds are in a very calm sea state, so we're still looking for leading seaman Leblanc."

She added that four ships from the NATO reaction force and other Polish vessels, as well as three helicopters, are taking part in the search. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Gdynia, Poland is overseeing the efforts.

If Leblanc was wearing a winter jacket, which could act as a flotation device, there is a chance he would still be alive.

The Canadian frigate had been at sea for three days before Leblanc went missing after a brief stopover in Copenhagen.

With files from the Canadian Press

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/Arti ... topstories#

[Guest]

I've spent a fair amount of time at sea in the N. Atlantic and Alaskan waters.
Even if he was wearing an immersion suit and had an EPIRB attached to him (let alone only a PFD), his chances of survival are slim to nill at this point.

[chessy]

just finishing listening to the news ... search called off they say no one could survie that long in the water it is 1above freezeing i feel for his family

[Golden Eagle]

Very sad indeed.