Safety of life at sea; lifeboat capacity.

[David Bridgen]

I sailed as R.O. in the late 50s and mid 60s. I seem to remember that Board of Trade regulations stipulated that the life boat capacity on either side of a ship should be sufficient for all souls on board.

In photographs and films of modern cruise ships I have yet to see anything, anywhere, which resembles a life boat.

Why is this?

[Ivan Cloherty]

Like your S O S, you won't need it on here, just a sense of humour, an ability to accept the occasional blasting and the willingness to sail with each and everyone on this ship of fate. Welcome aboard we could do with a Sparkies input

Modern lifeboats don't look like the lifeboats of old and rules have changed and it's now a combination of boats and rafts to accommodate all souls, where as in the past, liferafts were additional to minimum requirements of lifeboat capacity.

Look forward to some memories appearing

[j.sabourn]

#1. Also able to launch with a 15 degree list. JS

[j.sabourn]

Ivan you should have closed your message with dit dah dit dah dit Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

#1. Also able to launch with a 15 degree list. JS

We had a first officer on the Windsor like that always had a list and a fag in his mouth.

[happy daze john in oz]

Most of the modern day life boats have a capacity of 150 persons and there has to be enough life rafts to accomodate all persons on board. Ther are also removed and changed over every 12 months to ensure they are still in working order. Each life boat must carry enough fuel to steam at four knots for 24 hours. After that you are on your own.

[j.sabourn]

#5... As long as it wasn't a lisp and something else in his mouth. JS

[robpage]

#5 the fag wasn't the officers steward was he ?

[John Arton]

Go onto gcaptain and have a look at ORSAFE 45 lifeboat on sea trials off Norway, 11metre swells and gale force winds and it was till manoeuvrable. Think this is the free fall bot that successfully passed a test drop of45 metres.
rgds
JA

[Lou Barron]

The lifeboats these days are a very lot different to the ones that the ships had during the war if they had have the modern lifeboats in them days i think a lot more seamen would have survived