The Russian navy’s Pacific Ocean fleet got a little bigger today with the commissioning ceremony of a new corvette warship, during which the craft ran its first man-overboard drill when a cameraman took a wrong step and slid right off the deck into the water.
The cameraman was not seriously injured in the unintentional dive and subsequent man-overboard rescue. Video of the unlucky incident was shared by Rob Lee on Twitter:
Here’s a second angle on the fall and a photo of the cameraman getting dragged back out of the water while clutching a lifesaver:
The ceremony was held at the Severnaya Verf shipyard in St. Petersburg, Russia, along the Gulf of Finland. Lee reports that the sailors involved in the commissioning ceremony on the deck of the Gremyashchiy continued despite the incident. At least the guy saved his camera and gear.
The new Gremyashchiy-class, which translates to “Thunderous,” is an advancement of the Steregushchiy-class corvettes in the Russian navy, Naval News reports. Part of the improvements were meant to be new German engines, but sanctions enforced against Russia following its conflict in the Ukraine cancelled the delivery. Rather strangely, the ship now sports a German engine unit in its forward engine room and an updated version of the Steregushchiy-class Russian-built unit in the rear engine room.
The second ship in the class of at least four that are planned, the Provornyy, which translates to “Nimble,” is being built at the same yard and is due to be commissioned in 2022. It will end up with Russian-built engines because of sanctions. The third and fourth upcoming ship names translate to “Zealous” and “Strict,” according to a shipyard press release, and will launch later in the decade.
Remember to watch your step! How do you say that in Russian?