Survival Handbook

• Publisher: Amber Books
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781908696007
• Topic: Historia
• Subtopic: Historia militar y marítima

The Survival Handbook takes you through all the things you need to know about surviving disasters and staying alive in the wild, such as where to find water in the desert; how to build shelters from locally-available materials that will keep out the wind and rain but will also be ventilated; what plants are safe to eat and what are deadly poisonous; and what animals will pose a threat in survival situations.Packed with tips from the world's elite special forces and other survival specialists, this is a handy reference to surviving in the wild.This is a text-only ebook edition.

SURVIVAL AT SEA

The sea is pitiless when it comes to survival situations: your first mistake in a maritime emergency is likely to be your last. You must master every ocean survival technique in order to live in this unforgiving environment.

Around 71 per cent of the earth’s surface is covered by water. It is therefore imperative that you learn how to survive in this environment. Man’s natural domain is land, and that makes survival at sea for any length of time a formidable challenge. In particular, acquiring drinking water and food are serious problems for the survivor at sea, though the other dangers that the sea poses to the survivor should not be underestimated.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TERRAIN

Around the poles, the limit of the solidly frozen arctic ice pack varies in latitude from 65 to 75 degrees between February and August. In winter, in each hemisphere, there are cyclonic storms characterised by snow, winds of up to 64km/hr (40mph), temperatures as low as -50 degrees C (-122 degrees F), and gale-force winds. In summer, there are periods of calm or days with light winds. Skies are overcast, there are dense fog banks during calm periods, and rain or drizzle may last for weeks.

Around the 40 degrees latitudes in each hemisphere there is generally fair, clear weather, with temperatures of around 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) in the winter and around 21 degrees C (70 degrees F) in summer. Below a 25-degree latitude, in the heart of the trade wind belt, winds of 8-24km/hr (5-15mph) are normal. There is little difference between summer and winter, with temperatures being in the 21-27 degrees C (70-80 degrees F) range.

Between five degrees north and five degrees south in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, there is an equatorial trough of low pressure where there are no prevailing surface winds. As a result, there are shifting winds and calms. Solar heat results in violent thunderstorms.

Waterspouts (the marine equivalent of tornados) are common off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the USA and along the coasts of China and Japan. Hurricanes and typhoons occur in the warm areas of all oceans during the summer and autumn. They can last for up to two weeks.

Salinity The average salinity of the seas is around 3.5 per cent, though higher values occur at or near the surface in areas where high temperatures and strong, dry winds favour evaporation. The highest salinities occur in semi-landlocked seas at mid-latitudes, such as the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. The salt in the water makes it undrinkable and can aggravate open sores and cuts (see below).

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS

When you hit the water, try to make your way to a raft. If none is available, try to find a large piece of floating debris to cling to. Try to stay calm: a relaxed body will stay afloat. Floating on your back requires less energy than swimming face-down. Alternatively, float face-down on the surface with your arms outstretched and legs pointing towards the bottom. To breathe, raise your head and place your arms in the outstretched position again.

Cold water If the water is cold, you risk dying of hypothermia if fully immersed. You must get into a raft and insulate your body from the cold bottom of the raft. If there isn’t a raft, keep still and assume the Heat Escape Lessening Posture (HELP) position: this will increase your survival time. Around 50 per cent of the body’s heat is lost from the head, therefore try to keep your head out of the water.

If there are several of you in the water, huddle close in a circle to preserve body heat. However, note that these measures are only temporary – YOU MUST GET OUT OF THE WATER.

Clothing at sea If you are adrift in a cold ocean, you must try to stay dry and keep warm (use a wind screen to decrease the cooling effects of the wind). If possible, remove, wring out and replace outer garments or change into dry clothing. If any survivors have dry clothes, they should share them with those who are wet. Those who are wet should be given the most sheltered positions in the raft, and let them warm their hands and feet against those who are dry. If possible, give extra water rations to those suffering from cold exposure.

Survivors use any extra clothing they have (drape it around the shoulders), and cover the floor of the raft with any spare material to help keep it insulated. Huddle together on the floor of the raft and spread extra sail or parachute material over the group.

You should exercise fingers, toes, legs, arms, shoulders and buttocks to prevent muscle spasms, help keep the body warm and prevent medical problems, such as constipation. Put your hands under your armpits then raise your feet slightly off the ground and keep them up for a minute or two. Try to exercise at least twice a day.

BRITISH SAS TIPS:

WHEN ABANDONING SHIP

Abandoning ship is a frightening experience, but you must act quickly. Follow these SAS guidelines and save your life.

• Put on warm, preferably woollen, clothing, including hat and gloves. Wrap a towel around your neck.
• Take a torch or flashlight.
• Grab chocolates and sweets if possible.
• Do not inflate your life jacket until you leave the ship.
• When jumping overboard, first throw something (anything wooden) that floats and jump close to it.
• Air trapped in clothing will help buoyancy: do not take off your clothes in the water.

US ARMY TIPS:

RECOMMENDED SWIMMING STROKES FOR SURVIVORS

You must try to conserve your strength when you are in the water. Use a variety of these swimming strokes when you have survived a disaster:

• Dog paddle: good for when you are clothed or wearing a life jacket.
• Breast stroke: good for swimming underwater or in rough seas.
• Side stroke: a useful relief stroke because only one arm is needed to maintain momentum and buoyancy.
• Back stroke: another good relief stroke. It relieves the muscles that are used for other strokes.

Picking up survivors If you are in a life raft and are rescuing people in the water, try to throw them a line with a life belt attached. Alternatively, send a swimmer out with a line attached to a flotation device. If you are in the water rescuing people, approach them from behind to avoid getting kicked, grabbed or scratched. Grab them by the back of their life jacket or hold them under the chin and then use a sidestroke to drag them to the raft. Try to reassure them as you do so. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE STRENGTH OF A PERSON IN A STATE OF PANIC IN THE WATER.

CANADIAN AIR FORCE TIPS:

LIFE RAFT ROUTINE

When adrift in a life raft you must undertake the following practices to keep the raft seaworthy and maintain morale.

• Repair the raft as soon as it gets damaged with patches or other materials (check the raft frequently for any damage).
• Bleed off air if the raft expands in hot weather.
• Top up air if the raft contracts in cold weather or at night.
• Relax and try to keep your mind occupied: keep a log.
• If in a group, form a team and ensure everyone has a job to do. This will help to pass the time and lessen the possibility of seasickness.

MOVEMENT

You must remember one thing when afloat in the ocean: your raft will be at the mercy of winds and currents. Currents flow in a clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Sea currents travel at speeds of less than 8km/hr (5mph), so movement is going to be very slow. In areas where warm and cold currents meet there will often be storms, dense fog, high winds and heavy seas. These will make movement difficult and dangerous.

BRITISH SAS TIPS:

RIGHTING AN INFLATABLE DINGHY

A capsized dinghy need not be a catastrophe in a survival situation at sea: you can right it easily if you know how.

• Grab the righting line from the opposite side.
• Brace your feet against the dinghy and pull.
• The dinghy should rise up and over, and will pull you temporarily out of the water.
• This procedure requires more effort in heavy seas or high winds.

Winds and waves can aid raft travel. Winds blow in an easterly direction in tropical areas, the so-called trade winds, and from the west in higher latitudes. To take advantage of the wind you will need a sail. If the raft doesn’t have one, improvise one from a poncho or other piece of material.

Waves can be both an asset and a hazard. The size of waves is usually dependent upon the severity of the wind. Waves will only move a raft a few centimetres at a ...