A vessel designed specifically for saving life at sea; also, a craft carried by seagoing vessels to save the lives of personnel in the event of abandoning ship. Lionel Lukin is believed to have been the first to build a lifeboat, in 1786, basing it at Bamburgh Head, Northumberland, UK. In 1890 the first mechanically powered lifeboat was launched, equipped with a steam engine; in 1904 the petrol engine was introduced, and a few years later the diesel. Several countries now run lifeboat services; some are government controlled, and others are voluntary or semi-voluntary. Many are modelled on the British RNLI. Only the Chinese lay claim to pre-dating the British, by organizing a river rescue service as early as 1737. In the USA, life-saving operations are part of the air-and-sea rescue services of the US Coast Guard.
A lifeboat is a rigid or inflatable boat designed to save the lives of people in trouble at sea. The term "lifeboat" in American usage generally refers to rigid or inflatable vessels carried by larger ships to allow passengers and crew to escape in an emergency.
The first boat specialized as a lifeboat was tested on the River Tyne on January 29, 1790. One example of an early lifeboat was the Landguard Fort Lifeboat of 1821, designed by Richard Hall Gower. 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.
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 onboard ships so that the canister or pump automatically inflates the lifeboat, and the lifeboat breaks free of the sinking vessel.
Ship-launched lifeboats
These are large whaleboats designed to be lowered from davits on a ship's deck.
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 radar transponder.
Traditionally lifeboats for passages in the Pacific or Indian Oceans were thought unsafe unless they permitted self-rescue.
A very commonly used lifeboat is a 25-man inflatable; Lifeboats furthermore carry essential survival gear, including food, water, de-salter kits, bags, sea dye, first aid kits, fishing kits, light/smoke distress signals (Mark 13), and heliograph mirrors.
Most yachts carry lifeboats. The equipment and arrangements are very similar to larger commercial lifeboats.
Origins of the lifeboats onboard ships
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.
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).
The ship's tenders of modern cruise ships are often designed to double as lifeboats.
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. 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.
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.
In Australasia, surf lifesaving clubs operate inflatable rescue boats (IRB) for in-shore rescues of swimmers and surfers.
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.
The Dutch lifeboat association (KNRM) has put many efforts in developing jet-driven RIB lifeboats.
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.
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).
The International Space Station is equipped with a "lifeboat" known as the Crew Return Vehicle (CRV).
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.
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