Man Overboard 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
On May 2002, Leading Seaman Cameron Gurr of the Royal Australian Navy was celebrating his recent promotion onboard his ship, HMAS DARWIN, by having a few drinks with friends whilst the ship was at sea. The ship was undertaking border protection duties off Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, however this did not dissuade the sailors from drinking amongst other beverages, Jim Beam & Coke. Whilst drinking at sea is not an unheard of event in the Australian Navy, it is a chargeable offence under the Australian Defence Force Disciplinary Act, and extremely dangerous. On this particular night, Cameron had to answer the call of nature at approximately 1140pm. Unwilling to traverse down 3 decks to reach the bathroom, he thought it would be a better idea to leave the compartment he was drinking in, and urinate off the deck which holds the ships small inflatable boat (itself an incredibly stupid act, as this area is within the boundary of a potential Radiation Hazard - a fact all sailors are aware of, but particularly Cameron who was employed as a Radar Technician). Whilst in this act, the ship rolled, and Cameron fell over the side into the warm, but shark infested waters. Four days of extensive searching failed to locate him, and it is presumed that in his alcohol induced state, he would not have had the necessary coordination to save himself.Submitted on 10/24/2003
Submitted by:
Steve Walker
Reference:
Australian Media May 2002
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