Lifeboats and Cruise Ship Safety

 

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The sinking of the Titanic, the most famous cruise ship tragedy of all time, took the lives of over 1,500 people, while just over 700 were rescued, after she hit an iceberg on April 15th, 1912.  This disaster has been written about and dramatized many times over the last 95 years and in each telling of the tale, what was to blame for such a high loss of life? Lifeboats-or lack thereof.

The Titanic carried 20 lifeboats on her fatal maiden voyage, four more than required by British authority, but that was less than half the number needed to accommodate everyone on board in the event of an emergency evacuation. This gross negligence was perhaps due to the assumption by the White Star Line that its new superliner was unsinkable and would therefore never need to launch a single lifeboat, much less the 42 lifeboats her sailing capacity ordained necessary.

Click here: Great Titanic Lifeboat Footage

The sinking of the Titanic ensured that today's safety regulations are far more stringent. While much of the same shipbuilding technology is used in the modern era, as when Titanic was constructed, laws now require cruise ships to carry more than enough lifeboats to rescue the total capacity of passengers and crew, and lifeboat technology has vastly improved over the last century, as one may imagine. Rather than being oar-powered wooden-hulled vessels, modern day lifeboats found on cruise ships are constructed of fiberglass and powered by diesel engines that can travel up to 6 knots. At that speed a vessel may not be able to reach shore from long distances in harsh wind and seas, but it will enable a highly trained operator to keep control of the boat while awaiting rescue.

Today's cruise ship operators require that every crewmember is safety trained and many require certain physical abilities that will enable crewmembers to carry out lifeboat deployment in their job descriptions. When you cruise, your wine steward or blackjack dealer may very well be responsible for your safety at sea as well as your libations and entertainment! This you will see first hand at the United Sates Coast Guard required "Muster Drill."

"Emergency Drills. Coast Guard regulations and SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) require that the master of an ocean cruise ship periodically hold fire and lifeboat drills. They are intended not only to give the crew practice, but also to show the passengers how to act in the event of an emergency at sea. Passengers should participate fully in these drills." (Source USCG)

Click here for US Coast Guard Cruise Ship Consumer Information.

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Cruising today is a very safe prospect. Modern technology can predict inclement weather and direct ships around storms. Icebergs can be located with satellites and their coordinates relayed to ships at sea.

Finally, any passenger ship with a United States registry, or those passenger ships sailing from a United States controlled port, must meet with US Coast Guard standards annually and undergo periodic inspections and equipment tests. Other nations have similar regulations and enforcement agencies.

Rest assured, should you choose to cruise for your next vacation, you will do so with able-bodied hands adhering to well thought out and rigorously enforced regulations designed to ensure your safe return home.