NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Does "Lifeboat Navigation" exist today?
From: Lu Abel
Date: 2015 Jun 30, 17:16 +0000
From: Lu Abel
Date: 2015 Jun 30, 17:16 +0000
An excellent example of what any engineer would recognize as era- and mission-appropriate technology. No satellites back then and hence no satellite radios to call for help. If you went down and there was no other aircraft nearby to notice and report it, it was possibly a long time before a search might be launched -- and where to look? Yes, a portable radio, as mentioned in the article, was part of the "pak" but undoubtedly of low power and only line-of-sight.
So the ability to take care of one's self -- including the ability to possibly sail somewhere -- would seem part of the solution. Oh, and an inflatable "lifeboat" for use on an aircraft.
From: David Pike <NoReply_DavidPike@fer3.com>
To: luabel@ymail.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2015 6:46 AM
Subject: [NavList] Re: Does "Lifeboat Navigation" exist today?
During the recent discussion on lifeboat navigation, it was generally accepted that you weren't going to do much sailing in a rubber liferaft.
Concomitant with changes in technology there has been a shift from longboats to lifeboats to liferafts, with the latter certainly able to survive under more adverse conditions than any "boat," but completely unable to sail or significantly change their location except by being helplessly carried by currents.
Interestingly, I found out quite by accident this weekend that someone in the RAF had a different view in 1943. The Type Q liferaft was provided with a mast, sails, a chart pack, a compass, and being for aircrew, an instruction sheet on "How to sail a boat", in addition to a liferaft radio. The full story can be found here http://www.defencesurveyors.org.uk/Images/Ranger/Ranger%20Volumes/Ranger%20Winter%202014%203D.pdf page 71. Needless to say, current aircraft liferafts have a protective cover for the occupants, which is of much greater value for their survival against the elements. Protection, location, water, and food as they say. DaveP
