Lifeboat (shipboard)

File:Freefall lifeboat.JPG

Freefall lifeboat of the Spring Aeolian (freighter)

A lifeboat, also known as a liferaft, is a small, stiff or inflatable boat carried for emergencies in the event of a disaster on a ship. Lifeboats are required by law to be on larger ships.

When steamships became commonplace in the 19th century, so did lifeboats. At the beginning of the 20th century larger ships meant that more people could travel, but rules about lifeboats were often overlooked. After the RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, people realized that bigger ships need more lifeboats. The Titanic's lifeboats were only capable of carrying 1,178 people, even though the Titanic could carry as much as 3,320 people.

Because many lifeboats were needed on the decks of passenger ships this led to the use of most of the deck space being used for lifeboats which created the problem of narrow passageways. This was fixed by using inflatable boats.

Lifeboat (shipboard) Media

• Partially enclosed lifeboats on a passenger liner

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  Proactive lifeboat-safety dinghy for recreational cruisers

• Collision of Costa Concordia 24.jpg

  Lifeboats at shore shortly after the Costa Concordia capsized on the coast of Isola del Giglio

• Stöwer Titanic.jpg

  An image depicting the sinking of RMS Titanic surrounded by lifeboats

• Titanic lifeboat.jpg

  A collapsible Engelhardt lifeboat carrying survivors of the sunken RMS Titanic

• Inside lifeboat Gdynia.jpg

  Inside an enclosed lifeboat

• TEMPSC Lifeboat in Bristol harbour.jpg

  TEMPSC Lifeboat in Bristol harbour, England

• Caroline Delmas (3).jpg

  Modern fully enclosed lifeboat on Caroline Delmas. Note the small screw enclosed in a cowl to protect against injuries.

• Lifeboat on rig.jpg

  Łódź ratunkowa na platformie naftowej. Gdańska Stocznia "Remontowa".