Ship Simulator

English forum => Small talk => Topic started by: The Ferry Man on July 22, 2011, 17:36:44

Title: Lifeboat Placement height according to SOLAS
Post by: The Ferry Man on July 22, 2011, 17:36:44

Hi

I am trying to find out the height for lifeboat placement.

The QM2 Wikipedia page has:

Quote

By SOLAS standards the lifeboats should have been lower on the ship's hull (15 m (49 ft) above the waterline),

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary_2

however it doesn't state if the 15m is for the height of the lifeboat itself, or maybe for the bottom of the davit

(As shown in my lovely ( :doh: ) Diagram)

Anyone know?

Many Thanks

TFM

Title: Re: Lifeboat Placement height according to SOLAS
Post by: VirtualSkipper on July 22, 2011, 17:42:17

I saw a documentary, which was about the Queen Mary 2, where the designer said that the lifeboats were at that height so they would be above the waves.

And for those who don't know what SOLAS is...
... see it as the God of all that floats... :P

Title: Re: Lifeboat Placement height according to SOLAS
Post by: The Ferry Man on July 22, 2011, 19:16:25

yeah thats the explanation given in the wikipedia article (that and to keep the looks  :doh:)

I wonder how much give the height rule is - if I could find the regulation it would probably help, but a look on Google doesn't bring it up :/

Title: Re: Lifeboat Placement height according to SOLAS
Post by: vin_sun on July 22, 2011, 19:34:35

I don't have SOLAS at hand to make reference to but the general rule is to keep it as close as practicable to the waterline. Lifeboats have to kept as close as possible to the accommodation block (the superstructure) and practically all merchant ships have a deck called the boat deck. This can be the one just above the main deck. On large tankers, the lifeboats are on the main deck itself. When on ballast, these decks can attain a considerable height above the water line as the ship is light. If you notice, the modern free-fall lifeboats are usually located on the poop deck at the stern as this is the closest to the water line.

The attachment below is from the 'Code of Federal Regulations' of the U.S.

Title: Re: Lifeboat Placement height according to SOLAS
Post by: The Ferry Man on July 22, 2011, 19:38:47

Ahh OK

thanks very much  :)

Title: Re: Lifeboat Placement height according to SOLAS
Post by: clanky on July 23, 2011, 11:06:39

15m is the figure quoted in SOLAS for boats launched by falls, but this is one of many things in SOLAS which is a recommendation rather than a requirement and flag states are free to apply or waive this as they see fit for new building vessels.

Title: Re: Lifeboat Placement height according to SOLAS
Post by: The Ferry Man on July 23, 2011, 11:17:42

Ahh OK thanks very much - very useful  :)