Lifeboat (shipboard)

A lifeboat or liferaft is a small boat kept on ships for emergencies. If something goes wrong on a big ship, people can use these boats to get to safety. Big commercial ships must have regular practices called lifeboat drills to make sure everyone knows how to use them.

There are different kinds of lifeboats. Some are rigid, and others are inflatable. Inflatable ones can come with special devices that fill them with air automatically, using gases like carbon dioxide or nitrogen. These boats are designed to break free from a ship that is sinking.

Lifeboats are built to stay safe in tough conditions. They have things like oars for rowing, lights and mirrors to send signals, medical supplies, and food and water for several days. Some even have extra tools like radios, small engines, and fishing gear to help people stay safe until they are rescued.

Rules made by groups like the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea say what each lifeboat must carry. Modern lifeboats usually have a special device called an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon and tools like a radar reflector or Search and Rescue Transponder to help rescuers find them.

Origins

During the Age of Sail, the ship's boats were used as lifeboats if there was an emergency.

In the late 1880s, Maria Beasley improved life rafts. She got patents for her designs in both the United States and England in 1880.

The sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 showed that safety rules for lifeboats needed to change. Bigger ships carried more people, but the rules for how many lifeboats were needed were old and not enough. After the Titanic sank, rules changed so that passenger ships would carry enough lifeboats for everyone on board.

During World War II, new kinds of lifeboats were made to help people survive in tough conditions. The US Navy created a special lifeboat that could stay upright and protect people from bad weather. They also made simple liferafts from a special wood that would not sink, even with holes. These helped save many lives when ships were lost at sea.

(Totally Enclosed Motor Propelled Survival Craft) are now required on many big ships. These lifeboats protect people from fire, bad weather, and other dangers on the water.

Equipment to be carried on lifeboats and liferafts

Lifeboats and liferafts must carry special equipment to help people stay safe and signal for help if a ship has trouble. For lifeboats, this includes things like oars for rowing, tools for fishing, and items to make signals such as flares and mirrors. There are also supplies of food, water, and medicine, plus a first aid kit and other useful tools.

Liferafts also need similar supplies, such as rescue tools, signalling items, food, and water. Each type of boat has its own set of tools and supplies to make sure everyone stays safe until help arrives.

Sea anchor painters daylight signalling mirror

Liferaft versus lifeboat

Liferafts are usually collapsible and stored in strong fiberglass containers. They contain special gas that helps them inflate automatically when needed. Rules require these liferafts to be sealed and checked regularly by experts.

Lifeboats are open and need regular checks by crew members. Modern lifeboats often have motors, while liferafts usually do not. Big lifeboats need a special system to launch them.

Rules say that ships must have enough liferafts for everyone on board. Liferafts have less equipment than lifeboats.

Specialized lifeboats

Some ships have a freefall lifeboat stored at the back of the ship. These lifeboats drop straight into the water when a latch is released. They are built strong to survive the hard landing and can be launched quickly in any weather. Since 2006, big cargo ships that might sink fast must have these lifeboats. Offshore oil platforms also usually have them.

Large oil ships called tankers must carry fireproof lifeboats. These lifeboats can survive big fires from oil or fuel spills. They have special insulation and a water spray system to keep them cool while moving away from flames. This helps them stay safe even if the boat’s engine stops working, and lets them be made from a strong material called fiberglass.

Ships that carry saturation divers have hyperbaric lifeboats with a special chamber inside. This lets divers escape without needing to slowly adjust to normal air pressure first.

United States Navy liferafts

In the United States, the United States Coast Guard makes sure that large ships have the right number and type of lifeboats in good condition.

The United States Navy uses five special inflatable liferafts and some approved commercial ones. The MK-6 and MK-7 liferafts hold 25 people and are used on surface ships. The MK-8 holds 50 people and is used on aircraft carriers. The LRU-13A and LRU-12A are used on aircraft and submarines. The number of liferafts on a ship depends on how many people it carries, plus an extra 10% for safety. These liferafts use breathable air to inflate quickly, even in very cold places.

The liferafts are made from strong fabric and have separate parts to stay safe if one part gets damaged. They have lights, batteries for power, and can be launched by hand or automatically if the ship starts to sink. Inside, there are things to help people stay safe, like water, food, tools for fishing, lights, and blankets to stay warm. The liferafts are checked and tested every five years to make sure they work well.

Transatlantic crossings

The first small lifeboat to cross the ocean between New York City and Margate, England, was the Red, White and Blue in 1866. It took 38 days with just two people on board.

Later, in 1870, another small lifeboat called the City of Ragusa made the journey across the Atlantic Ocean from Cork to Boston. Two crew members, John Charles Buckley and Nikola Primorac, sailed it and added two masts to help them return with the wind.