It was like any other training exercise. A normal day at sea with roaring waves and an ocean breeze crashing into the 100,000 tons of metal that is the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The Sailors performed their duties properly, but something unexpected happened.

Quick instincts and the proper application of training, helped four Truman Sailors avert certain disaster during a man overboard drill. The events involved a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) and an entire team working together to return to safety.

Senior Chief Yeoman R. O. Davidson, Truman's search and rescue swimmer, said the exercise was going smoothly until the crew noticed a snag in the line used to secure the small RHIB to the ship to prevent it from drifting. As the waves grew, it became more difficult to secure the lines.

"As we came alongside the ship, we attached ourselves to the first line which is normal procedure," said Davidson. "Once that happened, we noticed the line was not attached correctly."

Before the crew finished securing the RHIB back to the ship, the ocean waves took a turn for the worst and threw the RHIB off course.

"While we were situating the line and getting a better placement, we started getting slack in it," said Davidson. "The next thing I realized there was a wave pushing us onto the line. From there, the wave receded and the slack tightened underneath the RHIB."

Chief Boatswain's Mate J. E. Karus, the RHIB boat officer, immediately rushed to the line, pulled out his knife and slashed it, ending the possible threat-or, so he thought.

"If we hadn't cut the line, the RHIB could have flipped over and we would have had a real situation on our hands," said Karus. "I grabbed my knife as quickly as I could and did what I had to do."

Karus said as soon as the boat was safe from the initial threat, the boat quickly turned right causing another line to be caught in the propellers. This time, the crew was able to cut the line from both ends and safely move the RHIB away from the ship. After a few minutes to reset, the crew successfully connected back to the ship and returned aboard.

Even with the complications the crew was able to complete their mission and bring "Oscar," a training mannequin, back to the ship safely. Their muscle memory gained from extensive training saved these Sailors from what could have been a disaster.

"Although we do these exercises on a normal occurrence, it's through training we make sure we are better," said Davidson. "We want these evolutions to go as smoothly as possible and the way to accomplish that is through training."

Karus said accidents like this could happen even if the steps to ensure safety are followed. He made it clear that it was not anyone's fault and it was a learning experience for everyone involved.

"The biggest take away from this is in any dynamic environment, where anything can happen, you must always be aware of your surroundings," said Karus. "No matter how many times you've done something, always be alert."

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