According to test models the Nimrod could not survive a ditching. The nose would hammer down killing the flight deck crew etc.
It could and they survived.
In fact the film we were shown of the model ditching trials when I did the course in 1970, showed that at the correct attitude (aircraft, not personal) a ditching was perfectly practical, even with a swell. There would be a lot of "G" at the front as the nose pitched down,but survivable.
Someone was paying attention - Art Stacey was on the same course.
The film also showed that the fuselage would break in line with the trailing edge of the wing. Seeing aerial photos of his aircraft sitting in the Moray Firth was like deju vu all over again.