Death on the Potomac 1968
On a bright spring day a number of years ago eight men and a coxswain set out for a routine training exercise on the Potomac River across from George Washington’s Mt. Vernon Estate. The afternoon temperatures were approaching 50 degrees, the water was calm and 36 degrees, and they were all strong swimmers in top physical condition from the Marine Corps’ water survival program. When their boat capsized and they were thrown into the river “it was,” a Marine Corps spokesman said, “like plunging a hot poker into ice water.” None of them had a chance.
Very cold water can seize people up pretty easily. We would practise and cut holes on the ice and go in. We would be able to swim decent distances in dang near frozen water. Upon exit though, getting core temperature back up was an immediate concern.