Interesting thread. As a USN Sailor myself please allow me to add my .02 cents.

Most of my shipmates do not carry a pocket knife, MAYBE a multitool, or a flashlight. Add a good knife or three, the Spyderco SALT series would be nice.

Please go with LED for the flashlight and make it two per raft.

Our uniforms are cotton, some form of heat or insulation would almost be required. Some kind of body suit?

Hang the expense, leave the pyrotechnics and ADD the rescue laser flare. And no glowsticks, go with the Krill or the glo-toob.

Any chance of a rescue radio along the lines of the old Gertrudes?

And do the leak clamps actually work? Has some cold, scared, tired kid tried to use them in the dark in the water?

As has already been suggested it would also be nice to have a chance to play with a life raft. I would think it would have to be done in boot.In 9 years I have had no more than short "Pull this line to inflate the raft." instructions.

And as a practical note..with any Navy ship that went down today I think the issue would be short term survival not long term.

Thanks for your efforts to make sure that my Shipmates and I are well equipped and safe!

Thanks for your service.



I find that terribly depressing... :-(



They work very well. They are pretty easy to install. Like with most things, training would be helpful, as would illustrated instructions, instead of the text only. Here's how they work, FYI:



Instructions can be found here: http://www.equipped.org/pp/pic233.htm

The problem, such as it is, is that having to enlarge a small hole to get the bottom clamp through is somewhat counter-intuitive when water is coming in, or air is going out, and you want to stop the leak. <g> For small holes the screw-in rubber plugs can be somewhat quicker, but are not as permanent and reliable a seal.

It probably will be a high power, long life LED flashlight. One candidate for a strobe beacon also can double as a flashlight.



The issue with pyrotechnics is not the expense, but their effectiveness, as opposed to the hazard in using them and also the logistical problems is dealing with them. We'd replace it with more than just a laser flare but with strobes and an improved beacon system on the raft itself.



We're looking toward using some of the new PLB's. The MOBI (man overboard indicator)system in the float coats will also help with location.



Doug amply illustrates the use of the clamps below. A life raft with some of those on there has passed a four hour inflation test, as well as a raft with no holes. They work very well.



I'm working with the Safety Center on more pervasive and comprehensive training materials for shipboard reinforcement training.



Correct, that is why I'm looking more at hypothermia treatment and prevention. Also, Thank you for your service to our country.

I've been program manager for life rafts since this past July, so I'm working on testing and evaluating improvements toward eventual implementation as quickly as possible. Fortunately I have the support of my superiors and hopefully we can implement the improvements within a year.

I'll be in Portsmouth this week at NNSY training the life raft facility there.


Regards,

Tom Apple
Combatant Craft Div.