'fell from the flight deck of Kitty Hawk into the water'
Any navy persons out there to tell me how many feet that would be?
At least 90 feet...I heard the Navy was working on a salt water activated GPS beacon for this very reason.
I heard it said 60 feet. Another report says 120, though I think that probably includes the number of feet under water.
My son is on the destroyer, USS Lassen, one of the ships helping in the search.
My heart is breaking for Airman Doyle's family.
I've looked down to the sea from the flight deck of four aircraft carriers and it is about 60 feet give or take a few. Furthermore, if the ship is underway at a fairly decent rate of speed, the fall would be like hitting concrete.
To be on the flight deck, this airman should have been wearing a cranial (helmet) and a float-coat. A float-coat is like a life-preserver that self-inflates when it contacts salt water. It is equipped with a bright green die-pack that dissolves in the water and is impossible to miss during daylight. The float-coat is also equipped with a whistle and a strobe light. If he was wearing a float-coat, he would have been located instantly.
I hate to say this but there is a little thought in the back of my head that this might not have been an accident -that he might have removed his float-coat and jumped overboard. He wouldn't be the first person to do so. It happens all the time.
It should be between 75 and 90 feet. Depending on where he went over, he could have been caught in the screws or one of the condenser intakes.