Evacuation system for passenger vessels

[j.sabourn]

People have short memory’s I know, but can anyone remember the year that the present day lifejackets superseded the old kapok type about a third of the size of the present one. The furore it caused outside of parliament as the law being changed to make the new ones compulsory. The scandal that hardly got off the ground as the person proposing the bill had rather a large investment in the production of the new. At the time on ships we all said they were too big and bulky and would restrict movement before getting into the water.. The furore it caused at the time is all water under the bridge and long forgotten, but set some up for life with the rewatds monetary wise from their introduction. All forgotten today, shoved under the carpet. JS.

[happy daze john in oz]

Being human as we all are personal survival is of the utmost importance.

I hope it never happens, but I can see the time when there will be the need to evacuate a ship and all hell will break loose.

No matter how well the crew are trained, and they get regular training, it is the bloods that will be the problem.
Fighting for personal survival will prove to be a nightmare for the crew.

There is no easy solution to this one as ships do not always go down at an even level, listing, bow down etc will make evacuation very hard.

[j.sabourn]

It’s never going to happen like it does at boat drill John. However I would say in general with people who live and work close to the sea do not panic as some are made out to do. The exceptions are the likes of people falling into lifeboats, what I could never understand what was he doing anywhere near a lifeboat. Lifeboats anyhow are built for an orderly evacuation from a ship in reasonable weather, upright and with a list no more than a 15 degree.At the bitter end or what you think is the bitter end you accept the inevitable, at least I did, there is nothing else you can do. No good crying over spilt milk. In what you think are going to be your last seconds on this earth. JS

[Keith Tindell]

During WW2 one of the biggest problems of the launch of lifeboats, was doing it while the ship still had way on her, this was also with seamen, not passengers. Reading in the book many lives were lost in trying to unhook the falls, crashing into the side of the ship with heavy seas, throwing men out of the boat etc. I was not at sea as long as many of you on here, but when at sea i ave never had to launch a life boat, except in perfect conditions. As a point of interest, i have travelled on the IOW ferries literally hundreds of times, never seen any lifeboat drills carried out, when would they be doing these drills ???, kt

[robpage]

they don't come onder SOLAS and therefore safety and certification are outside of IMO regulations

RO-RO Ferries

[cappy]

##keith i have put the following on the site before ......a ist trip apprentice went over the wall in the med ...he was painting the clinker built boat and had pulled the rail out so he could work easier....holding the grab lines ...on thinking he was job done he stepped back to view his work .....result a big splash ...i heard the shout man overboard as i was sitting outside the gally .....loking over the wall i saw his head which quickly dissapeared in the swell .....the ships siren blew man was blowing constantly .....i ran to my lifeboat stationwhich was under the mates control the boat was lowered while in my estimation she was stilldoing at least full speed of probably 10 or so knots and listing quite heavily as she was coming around for her ist time....the boat was maned by two ABs both fit guys in there forties or so who had been through the war years ....as the boat was lowered i loked over the boat was down by the head by three or even four feet myself and others shouted this to the mate who was shouting lower away lower away.....the ship was still underway appearing not to have started to slow down in the ist part of her manouvre.......the bow of the boat hit the moderate swelland shot back in the air the stern of the boat was not near the water ....but was quickly lowered ...the bowman let go his falls ..at which the boat swung roud a 180 degees and the bow hit the ships side the bowman collappsed with found later a broken rib or so .....the clinker built hull was part stove in and the boat was lifted back from the water .....the shipwas still underway ....to cut a longstory short this was in a medium swell and the launch was a complete disaster ....after some perhaps four or more hours the boy was found still alive after other vessels joined in the search ......it was a complete cock up from begining to end ....the lifeboat was held together by some 20 or so years of paint ...my belief that to launch a lifeboat in heavy weather is a almost imposibble thing to do.....better to launch after making the painter fast then iether down a rope ladder or if way is lost jump in the bleeding water and try to climb aboard ...but then what do i know......cappy

[Keith Tindell]

Rob 15, seems like a disaster if ever needed in anger ?, surely the crew would be given minimum instructions on how to use the lifeboats and rafts, or whatever is carried ??. I know Wightlink, in conjunction with lifeboats etc do carry out exercises in the Solent from time to time, kt

[robpage]

only done it once cross channel , Williamson turn , props feathered , text book launch , wet punter had leaned over handrail to get a better view , dropped camera fell in , apparently we preferred recovery to boat , rather than direct on board,added 90 minutes to crossing

[robpage]

Rob 15, seems like a disaster if ever needed in anger ?, surely the crew would be given minimum instructions on how to use the lifeboats and rafts, or whatever is carried ??. I know Wightlink, in conjunction with lifeboats etc do carry out exercises in the Solent from time to time, kt

I think it is good practice rather than legislation though Keith , you don't have to go far beyond Ryde for funny weather

[Nigel Smith]

I'm wondering if overweight Americans would cause a blockage at the end of the tube?