“The Titanic is unsinkable.”
Advertisements never made that claim. But that’s what people were saying about the brand new ocean liner. And that’s how its owners acted. The ship carried lifeboats for only half the number of passengers onboard when it sank in 1912.
People have been going to sea in ships for most of history. Can you believe that it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that vessels began to carry what we now call “lifeboats”? Most sailing ships towed or carried a small utility boat for rowing to shore, fishing, or other chores. And this “ship’s boat” could certainly be used in an emergency. But it wasn’t until the age of large, ocean-crossing passenger ships that boats meant solely for rescue were carried on deck. Even then, many people actually considered shipboard lifeboats a hazard since they took up space on deck.
The sinking of the Titanic woke people up! Laws were changed to require enough lifeboats to rescue all crew and passengers aboard a vessel. Since then, both laws and lifeboats have come a long way.
If you booked passage on a freighter (story four), there’s a good chance you would see the very best in lifeboat design. Your ship would probably have a freefall lifeboat.
Freefall boats are usually mounted at the back of a ship. With the engine running, the pilot pumps a handle to release the hook securing the boat. The bright orange fiberglass hull slides down rails and plunges to the water—sometimes as far as 70 feet! Buoyancy and bottom-weight keep it from sinking or flipping. The enclosed boat bobs to the surface and drives away from danger of the sinking ship.
Enclosed freefall lifeboats are equipped with hull sprinklers and an air supply in case the boat has to drive through toxic smoke and burning oil. Onboard, you would find supplies—such things as a first aid kit; oars; sail; flares and mirrors for signaling; dried food and bottled water; communication, navigation, and distress signaling electronics; solar water still; rainwater catcher; fishing equipment; flashlights; and so on.
Freefall lifeboats might look like bright orange bathtub toys that go “splash!” like an amusement park ride. But they are all about the serious business of being prepared and saving lives.
