Ships – Life craft handling device – apparatus – or implement – Moving from storage position to launching position
Patent
1995-01-10
1998-06-16
Swinehart, Edwin L.
Ships
Life craft handling device, apparatus, or implement
Moving from storage position to launching position
114365, B63C 922
Patent
active
057655006
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a system for deploying life rafts from ships, wherein the life rafts are of the inflatable type and wherein there are stocking-like bodies for transferring personnel from the ship to at least one of the life rafts. The life rafts are arranged in groups which are loosely connected with a common bottom frame 1, and wherein each raft group comprises a reception raft 2 and several evacuation rafts 3 detachably connected with the reception raft.
The above-mentioned bottom frame 1 is suspended from at least one winch wire 4 arranged from a support frame 5 which can be moved from a parked position inside the ship's side to an operative position outside the ship's side. The winch wire(s) pass through sliding guides 6a in the bottom of the reception raft and in sliding guides 6b in a known per se escape stocking 7 which is packed between the support frame and the reception raft. When the support frame 5 is in an operative position the bottom frame 1 can be lowered into the water by means of the winch 8 while the escape stocking is simultaneously unfolded. The reception raft is automatically inflated when the support frame sinks below the waterline, while at the same time the evacuation rafts remain floating uninflated beside the reception raft and detachably connected with it. The evacuation rafts' inflating mechanism can be actuated manually from the reception raft when required, thus maintaining a continuous, safe escape route from the ship's deck to the evacuation rafts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Evacuation from ships in distress has traditionally been performed by the deployment of davit launched lifeboats, where all the evacuees board the lifeboat before it is lowered into the water. In fair weather and calm waters this is a relatively safe operation, which can also be used in situations other than emergencies, such as when disembarking passengers from tourist ships in areas where the ship cannot go alongside the quay.
However, in rough seas, which is probably the case when a ship is in distress, the deployment of davit launched lifeboats is an extremely risky operation. There are several reasons for this: The lifeboats can easily be smashed to pieces against the ship's side when they hit the waves. If the davit wires are not released synchronously and at the right moment the lifeboats can overturn or fall into the water from too great a height. Stress or panic on the part of the crew or passengers can lead to critical misjudgements. When the boat is afloat in the water and is detached from the davit wires it is facing alongside and not away from the ship's side, thus making it difficult to manoeuvre the boat to a safe distance in time. In the panic, the boats can also be put into the water too soon, thus leaving many passengers on board or they have to spend precious time in finding another "vacant" lifeboat station. Or the passengers may be unevenly distributed with the result that some lifeboats become overcrowded and not very seaworthy. Finally it should be mentioned that all the passengers are on board the lifeboat during the actual lowering, so that even a minor technical mishap with only one of several lifeboats can have fatal consequences despite ample surplus capacity in the lifeboat fleet.
Many proposals have been presented for solving these problems. For example so-called free fall lifeboats have been introduced, which are covered lifeboats with an extra strong construction and special design, which fall or slide in free fall out into the water and at the moment of impact receive a hydrodynamic force pushing them clear of the ship independent of the lifeboat's motor power. These lifeboats have a reduced risk of colliding with the ship's side, but otherwise still retain many of the same disadvantages as davit launched lifeboats, particularly disadvantages associated with the batch-type operational method and vulnerability to wrong handling. In addition some new hazards are introduced: It is extremely important that al
REFERENCES:
patent: 2103708 (1937-12-01), Campbell
patent: 5331913 (1994-07-01), Tanaka et al.
Selantic Industrier A/S
Swinehart Edwin L.
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