Definition of Life Raft
A life raft, sometimes also called a life boat, is a spare survival craft used when traveling in or over deep water, such as an ocean. Inflatable life rafts are now common on passenger and cargo ships, and some airliners.
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Definition
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The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines life raft as a noun meaning "a raft usually made of wood or an inflatable material and designed for people forced into the water."
History
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According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the term, life raft, dates back to 1819, and may have replaced the term, dinghy, which means a small boat, dating back to the 1700s. Early life rafts consisted of wood or other buoyant materials which were tied together.
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Uses
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According to Nova Online, inflatable life rafts became common on seafaring vessels in the 1950s, replacing more bulky and expensive life boats. By the 1960s, life rafts became mandatory on all passenger and cargo ships.
Life Boats
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Self-contained steel life boats were built as early as the beginning of the 20th century but because of the weight and cost, they never became popular. In the 1960s, lighter, fiberglass life boats were designed for commercial oil-drilling rigs.
Features
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The International Organization for Standardization says that most life rafts should have emergency food
rations and drinking water, distress flares and smoke signals, fishing kits, first aid kits, sea sickness medication and other equipment to permit survival for several days to a week.
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