Severn class lifeboat in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. This is the largest class of UK lifeboat, at 17 metres long

Lifeboats on a passenger liner, the FS Scandinavia.

A lifeboat is a boat designed to save the lives of people in trouble at sea. The term is used for vessels carried by ships to allow passengers and crew to escape in an emergency. In Britain the term is also used for special shore-based vessels manned by volunteers, designed to quickly reach a ship or individuals in trouble at sea. Both ships' lifeboats and rescue lifeboats may be rigid or inflatable vessels. Lifeboat is a 1944 World War II war film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock from a story written by John Steinbeck. ... Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is a science fiction television series, part of the Stargate franchise. ... Episode chronology Lifeboat is an episode from Season 7 of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2756x1972, 967 KB) Severn class lifeboat in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England, the largest class of UK lifeboat at length 17 metres. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2756x1972, 967 KB) Severn class lifeboat in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England, the largest class of UK lifeboat at length 17 metres. ... The Severn class lifeboat is the largest lifeboat used by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a UK organisation dedicated to saving life at sea. ... Poole Harbour is a harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the towns of Poole and Wareham on its shores. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2048x1204, 651 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lifeboat ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2048x1204, 651 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lifeboat ...

The first boat specialized as a lifeboat was tested on the River Tyne on January 29, 1790. William Wouldhave and Lionel Lukin both claimed to be the inventor of the first lifeboat. One example of an early lifeboat was the Landguard Fort Lifeboat of 1821, designed by Richard Hall Gower. The Tyne looking west and upstream from the Newcastle bank towards the Gateshead Millennium Bridge The Tyne Bridge across the River Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... William Wouldhave (18th century) is a rival of Lionel Lukin for the title of inventor of the lifeboat. ... Lionel Lukin (May 18, 1742 - February 16, 1834, Hythe, Kent, England) is considered by many to have been the inventor of the lifeboat. ... Several years before the foundation of the RNLI, Richard Hall Gower had been addressing the special problems of lifeboat design. ... Captain Richard Hall Gower (1768 — 1833) was a British mariner, empirical philosopher, nautical inventor, entrepreneur, and humanitarian. ...

In U.S. waters, rescue-at-sea is part of the duties of the United States Coast Guard, which employs its multipurpose ships and aircraft in this role. The Coast Guard is also responsible for making sure that the proper type and number of lifeboats (American usage) are available and kept in good repair on any large ship. "Lifeboat drills" are a part of a cruise experience. USCG HH-65 Dolphin USCG HH-60J JayHawk The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is at all times a branch of the United States armed forces a maritime law enforcement agency, and a federal regulatory body. ...

Inflatable lifeboats, also called life rafts, may be equipped with auto-inflation carbon dioxide canisters or mechanical pumps. A quick release and pressure release mechanism is fitted on board ships so that the canister or pump automatically inflates the lifeboat, and the lifeboat breaks free of the sinking vessel. Commercial aircraft are also required to carry auto-inflating life rafts in case of an emergency water landing. They are also kept on offshore platforms. Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... A Mute Swan performs a water landing Water landing is, in the broadest sense, landing on a body of water. ...

Ship-launched lifeboats

These are designed to be lowered from davits on a ship's deck. They are designed to be unsinkable, with buoyancy that cannot be damaged. The cover is a storm shelter and sunshade, can usually collect rainwater, and is visible from the air. They usually carry flares and mirrors for signaling, three days' worth of food and water, oars, an engine, heater and basic navigational equipment. In the military the lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboats, as until recently this boat did meet the minimal definition of a whaleboat. In recent history the boats have started to be replaced by more modern and capable designs that do not meet this minimal definition. A whaleboat by definition is open, very few civilian lifeboats carried aboard ship are whaleboats, as they have the International orange permanent covers. This article needs to be wikified. ... A modern copy of a traditional whaleboat on display at Mystic Seaport. ...

An inflatable life raft

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Life-Saving Appliance Code (LSA) require a specific list of emergency equipment to be carried on each lifeboat and liferaft used on international voyages. Modern lifeboats should also carry an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and either a radar reflector or Search and Rescue Transponder (SART). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (4288x2848, 3127 KB) life raft in a NAVY training http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (4288x2848, 3127 KB) life raft in a NAVY training http://www. ... The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is the most important treaty protecting the safety of merchant ships. ... Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are tracking transmitters that operate as part of the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. ... Buoy in San Diego Harbor. ... A standard SART, produced by Jotron, on board a Norwegian ferry Shipboard Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) installations include one or more Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) devices which are used to locate a survival craft or distressed vessel by creating a series of dots on a rescuing ship...

Traditionally lifeboats for passages in the Pacific or Indian Oceans were thought unsafe unless they permitted self-rescue. Thus these traditionally included sailing equipment, navigational equipment, solar water stills, rainwater catchments and fishing equipment. Lifeboats for the North Sea include an electric heater for the engine oil, which is left on in cold weather. For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ... For either of the songs named Sailing, see Sailing (song). ... Table of geography, hydrography, and navigation, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish by hooking, trapping, or gathering. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...

Inflatable liferaft, in hard-shelled canister

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1952, 1165 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lifeboat Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1952, 1165 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lifeboat Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create...

United States Navy Liferafts

The United States Navy uses 25-person and 50-person inflatable life rafts onboard all USN ships. Smaller combatant craft often use 6, 10 or 15-person commercial life rafts. New 25-person life rafts are designated MK7 and are carried aboard all classes of USN ships. Aircraft carriers and some amphibious ships often carry MK8 50-person life rafts which offers substantial weight reduction and additional deck edge space for weapons or other equipment. The number of life rafts carried on USN ships is determined based on the maximum number of personnel carried aboard plus 10% as a safety margin. Aircraft carriers carry either 254 MK7 life rafts or 127 MK8 life rafts. While both models are very similar to heavy-duty commercial life rafts, USN life rafts use breathable air as the inflation gas rather than carbon dioxide to ensure full inflation within 30 seconds in Arctic environments. USN redirects here. ...

Additional survival equipment, including a 35-gallon per day manual reverse osmosis desalinator (MROD) is standard equipment to supplement the limited supply of fresh water carried with other survival supplies. Base material used on MK7 life rafts is polyurethane coated fabric which has very high durability. Old MK6 and a few MK8 life rafts are manufactured of neoprene-coated fabric, however, the majority of MK8 life rafts are also manufactured of polyurethane fabric. The lifeboat is compact and made of separate compartments, or tubes, as a redundancy against puncture. Two air cylinders containing dry, breathable compressed air provide initial inflation. Depending on the model life raft, each cylinder may contain up to 5000 psi of compressed air. Each life raft is equipped with an external, automatically actuated light beacon and internal lighting. Power is provided by lithium batteries.

USN life rafts are stowed in heavy-duty fiberglass canisters and can be launched manually or automatically should the ship begin to sink. Automatic launching and inflation is actuated by a change in pressure sensed by a hydrostatic release device should the ship begin to sink. A hand pump is provided to "top-off" pressure at night when temperatures drop and internal air pressure decreases. Relief valves are installed in each tube to prevent overpressure. Repairs to holes or rips up to six inches in length can be made using special sealing clamps. Occupants in USN life rafts are protected from wind, rain and sun by built-in canopies which automatically inflate. Hatches are sealable to prevent rain and seawater from entering the life rafts. Survival equipment includes: manual reverse osmosis desalinator (MROD), bottles of fresh water, individual food packets, fishing kit, signaling mirror, rocket and smoke flares, flashlight, spare sea anchor, first aid kit, paddles, spare batteries and bulbs, and aluminized mylar sheets ("Space Blankets") to aid in caring for victims of hypothermia.

Liferaft versus Lifeboat

Liferafts in general are collapsible, and stored in a heavy-duty fiberglass canister, and also contain some high-pressure gas to allow automatic inflation to the operations size. SOLAS or Military regulations have these sealed, and never opened by ships crew, they are removed at a set periodicity and sent to a certified facility to open and inspect the liferaft and contents. In contrast, a lifeboat is open, regulations require a crewmember to inspect it periodically and ensure all required equipment is present. Lifeboats require some form of a davit or launching system, and that does require human intervention to commence or be involved in the launch process. Modern Lifeboats have some form of a motor; liferafts usually do not have a motor. There might be multiple Lifeboats utilizing the same davits or launching system. The term launching system is utilized is some ships have the life boat stored on a significantly downward sloping slipway- release the holdback and it will slide down into the water. These launching systems are such if launched, return to the launching system requires the ship at a pier and a large crane on the pier is necessary,

Origins of the lifeboats on board ships

Lifeboat carrying passengers from the sunken RMS Titanic.

By the turn of the 20th Century larger ships meant more people could travel, but safety rules in regard with lifeboats stayed out of date. It was after the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912, that a movement began to require a sufficient number of lifeboats on passenger ships for all people on board. Image File history File links Titanic_lifeboat. ... Image File history File links Titanic_lifeboat. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... For other uses, see Titanic (disambiguation). ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The need for so many more lifeboats on the decks of passenger ships after 1912 led to the use of most of the deck space available even on the large ships, creating the problem of restricted passageways. This was resolved by the introduction of collapsible lifeboats, a number of which had been installed on the Titanic (see Birthon Boat Company). After the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the first time a large passenger ship had actually been sunk by an iceberg, the White Star Lines owner, Bruce Ismay, instructed that every passenger boat under his control would thereafter be fitted with sufficient lifeboats for all and the first...

The engine room of a Severn class lifeboat. This is the largest class of UK lifeboat, 17 metres long, with a crew of seven. Two diesel engines can be seen, each of 1250 HP

Part of the main control panel of a Severn class lifeboat

The ship's tenders of modern cruise ships are often designed to double as lifeboats. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 958 KB) The engine room of a Severn class lifeboat, in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 958 KB) The engine room of a Severn class lifeboat, in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. ... The Severn class lifeboat is the largest lifeboat used by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a UK organisation dedicated to saving life at sea. ... A diesel engine built by MAN AG in 1906 Rudolf Diesels 1893 patent on his engine design The Diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle named after German engineer Rudolf Diesel, who invented it in 1876, based on the hot bulb engine, and... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2704x1940, 835 KB) Part of the main control panel of a Severn class lifeboat, in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2704x1940, 835 KB) Part of the main control panel of a Severn class lifeboat, in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. ... The Severn class lifeboat is the largest lifeboat used by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a UK organisation dedicated to saving life at sea. ... Lifeboat tender of the Oosterdam; note the face mask over the front windows, and the rolled-up tarp that can be brought down over the entry port to make the boat watertight A ships tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat used to service a ship... Pacific Sky sails under Sydney Harbour Bridge A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ...

Also see the discussion in dinghy and liferaft. Dinghy of the schooner Adventuress A dinghy is a small utility boat attached to a larger boat. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Modern life boats

Modern motor life boats (MLB) originated as life boats that had been modified with the addition of an engine and provided more power to get in and out of the swell area inside the surf. They can be launched from shore in any weather and perform rescues further distances out. Older lifeboats relied on sails and oars, which are slower and dependent on wind conditions or manpower. Both types remain in use. All lifeboats of this type generally have modern electronic devices such as radios and radar to help locate the party in distress and carry medical and food supplies for the survivors. US Coast Guard Motor Life Boat CG-36535 off Nehalem River MLB Station, c. ... The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of fuel and an oxidizer (typically air) occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. ... For other uses, see Radar (disambiguation). ...

A 47 MLB charges through the surf

The MLB was initially developed by the United States Life Saving Service in 1899, of which models derived from this hull design remained in use until 1987. The United States Life Saving Service later would become the United States Coast Guard and continue in its original mission of saving lives. Image File history File links A USCG 47 MLB charging into the surf For further information regarding use of images from the US Coast Guard, their website can be found here. ... Image File history File links A USCG 47 MLB charging into the surf For further information regarding use of images from the US Coast Guard, their website can be found here. ... US Coast Guard Motor Life Boat CG-36535 off Nehalem River MLB Station, c. ... The United States Life-Saving Service was a Federal agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian efforts to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers. ... USCG HH-65 Dolphin USCG HH-60J JayHawk The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is at all times a branch of the United States armed forces a maritime law enforcement agency, and a federal regulatory body. ...

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (or RNLI) maintains lifeboats around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, manned by unpaid volunteers with equipment funded through voluntary donation - web-site at www.rnli.org.uk. Most Scandinavian countries also have volunteer lifeboat societies. The local branch of a society generally schedules practices, maintains a lifeboat and shed, and is contacted by commercial marine radio operators when a rescue is needed. Swanage lifeboat being winched up its slipway The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity based in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland dedicated to saving lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. ... For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ...

In Australasia, surf lifesaving clubs operate inflatable rescue boats (IRB) for in-shore rescues of swimmers and surfers. These boats are best typified by the rubber Zodiac and are powered by an outboard motor. The rescue personnel wear wet suits. Australasia Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. ... Surf Ski Carnival in Alexandra Heads. ...

The Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RIB) is now seen as the best type of craft for in-shore rescues as they are less likely to be tipped over by the wind or breakers. Specially designed Jet rescue boats have also been used successfully. Unlike ordinary pleasure craft, these small to medium sized rescue craft often have very low freeboard so that victims can be taken aboard without lifting. This means that the boats are designed to operate with water inside the boat hull and rely on flotation tanks rather than hull displacement to stay afloat and upright. Two RIBs at Castletown, Portland, England A rigid-hulled inflatable boat or RIB is a light-weight but high performance and high capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull and flexible tubes at the gunwale. ... A rider on a Yamaha Waverunner XL performing a high-speed turn A jetboat is a boat propelled by a jet of water ejected from the back of the craft. ...

Lifeboat tender of the Oosterdam showing the "face mask" over the front windows, and the rolled-up tarp that can be brought down over the entry port to make the boat watertight

The Dutch lifeboat association (KNRM) has put many efforts in developing jet-driven RIB lifeboats. This has resulted in 3 classes. The largest is the "Arie Visser-class: length 18,80 m, twin jet, 2 x 1000 hp, max. speed 35 kts, capacity 120 persons. Image File history File links Photo of one of Oosterdams lifeboat tenders, taken August 2003 by User:Stan Shebs (Note: this is a better-compressed version of en:s old lifeboat_tender-700px. ... Image File history File links Photo of one of Oosterdams lifeboat tenders, taken August 2003 by User:Stan Shebs (Note: this is a better-compressed version of en:s old lifeboat_tender-700px. ... Lifeboat tender of the Oosterdam; note the face mask over the front windows, and the rolled-up tarp that can be brought down over the entry port to make the boat watertight A ships tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat used to service a ship... Tied up at Tallinn, Estonia on second cruise, August 2003 ms Oosterdam is a cruise ship that sails for Holland America Line, a division of Carnival Corporation. ...

Lifeboats are also operated inland at specific events, organisations such as the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS UK) provide coverage of rivers, lakes and such like. Lifesavers, The Royal Lifesaving Society UK, is the governing body for lifesaving and lifeguarding in the United Kingdom. ...

Other usages

When the Apollo 13 command module was damaged by an explosion in the service module, the lunar module was used as a lifeboat as it had separate life support, propulsion and guidance systems that remained functional (though it was not a lifeboat in the sense that it was detached from the main vehicle). Original crew photo. ...

The International Space Station is equipped with a "lifeboat". A Soyuz TMA capsule with a three person capacity is kept docked to the station on standby, in case there is a need for an emergency landing of the crew. Because the Station's crew size is limited by the lifeboat size, the Station only has three astronauts on board, instead of the intended eight. “ISS” redirects here. ... Soyuz (Russian: Союз, pronounced sah-YOUS, meaning union) is a series of spacecraft designed by Sergey Korolyov for the Soviet Unions space program. ...

Any small self-contained spacecraft designed to operate as a life-preserving vehicle or escape pod for the crew of a spacecraft in distress might also be termed a "lifeboat", and this usage frequently appears in science fiction. An escape pod is a capsule or craft used to escape an emergency, usually only big enough for one person. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

See also

• Royal National Lifeboat Institution
• Equipment of the United States Coast Guard
• Search and Rescue

Swanage lifeboat being winched up its slipway The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity based in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland dedicated to saving lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. ... The United States Coast Guard uses cutters and small boats on the water, and fixed- and rotary wing (helicopters) aircraft in the air. ... Search and Rescue (acronym SAR) is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult to access area, such as mountains, desert or forest (Wilderness search and rescue), or at sea...

External links

Look up lifeboat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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• Life Boat Services Around the World