PSC & RB

Question 1

How To Launch A Conventional Life-raft part 1 ?

1 - 4

Answer 1

1. Remove any portable rails
2. Take painter from hydrostatic release unit and secure to strong point on ships side.
3. Release Sen house slip from HRU and remove webbing strap from life raft casing
4. life raft taken to ship side.

Question 2

How to launch a conventional life raft part 2 ?

5 - 9

Answer 2

5. check over side for debris or other survivors.
6. throw life raft over the side clear of the ship.
7. pull out the remaining painter and give a sharp tug, it should inflate the life raft, try again if it doesn’t.
8. Board life raft via embarkation ladders.
9. carry out vital actions.

Question 3

Life raft - immediate vital actions?

Answer 3

- Pull painter short and CUT it.
use drogues to get to a safe place
- STREAM the drogues to stay in a safe place.
- Close the Entrances to the life raft
- Maintain the Life raft.

Question 4

How to maintain a life raft?

Answer 4

Inflating the floor
remove excess water
repair life raft if necessary by patching or plugging
issue sea sickness tablets
post lookouts

Question 5

How would you repair a life raft?

Answer 5

Via a puncture repair kit

Question 6

What is used to inflate a life raft?

Answer 6

Inflated via a toggle where a canister of compressed co2 and 2% nitrogen is released into the life raft.

Question 7

How would you get away from parent vessel when it is underway?

Answer 7

Once on painter only, move tiller towards parent vessel to give maximum shear.
Keep the painter taut until maximum shear is achieved.
Briefly alter tiller so bow cants towards parent vessel.
Painter will temporarily slack, giving time to release and gain sea room.

Question 8

How would a lifeboat get away from the windward side when the vessel is stationary?

Answer 8

Bowman Looms off,

spring man pulls on the painter line.

Question 9

How would a life raft get away from the windward side when the vessel is moving?

Answer 9

Drop sea anchor,

rate of drift compared to the parent vessel will decrease thus creating a distance between.

Question 10

What pyrotechnics do you carry? Properties?

Answer 10

4 Parachute flares - suspended at 1000ft, 40 secs duration, 30000 candle power.
6 hand flares - 60 seconds, 15000 candle power.
2 smoke floats - dense orange smoke, minimum 3 mins.

Question 11

When Would you use pyrotechnics? When not?

Answer 11

Smoke floats in daytime, not if you’re downwind of throwing position.
Parachutes - day or night but not at aircraft
handheld flares day or night.

Question 12

Getting a survivor on your lifeboat when they’re upwind?

Answer 12

Head upwind and reduce speed near casualty to allow wind to slow the vessel and also casualty closer to the boat.
When casualty is near, engine in neutral until on board.
Use buoyant rescue quoits to throw to them and haul them in.

Question 13

In a life raft, how would you get a survivor who is upwind?

Answer 13

Use of a drogue to ensure rate of drift is increased so the lift raft quickly closes the distance.

Question 14

What’s the difference between EPIRB and SART?

Answer 14

EPIRB stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. It lasts 48hrs, uses 406mhz listened to by satellites and 121.5 for search and rescue vehicles homing in on distress.
SART Stands for Search and rescue transponder, picked up by radar as 12 dots, lasts 96 hrs with 8 hr active time, uses 9ghz.

Question 15

How to attract attention in a life raft?

Answer 15

Whistle, Lights, Flares, Smoke Floats, shouting.

Question 16

Fire at the fuel line of a tempsc?

Answer 16

Turn engine off, activate isolation valves, Discharge complete fire extinguisher.

Question 17

How much food do you carry?

Answer 17

10000kj per person over 4 days, so 2500kj per person per day for 4 days.

Question 18

Who or what listens to 406mhz and 121.5mhz?

Answer 18

406 is an aircraft and satellite distress frequency.
121.5 is used by vessels and aircraft to home in on distress, usually used from range of horizons of distress vehicle also 60 nautical miles vertically.

Question 19

What is pacing?

Answer 19

When two boats come alongside each other and tie up, usually a lifeboat returning to mother ship.
Contact vessel to match speeds, also to give the incoming boat the leeward side, establish a rescue point and then attach a painter line.

Question 20

What is a hydrostatic release? How does it work? What is it attached to?

Answer 20

It’s an extension of the securing lashing over an inflatable life raft, it incorporates a senhouse slip.
It opens due to water pressure if a ship sinks at no more than 4m underwater.
IF water pressure is applied, a blade is released on the unit which cuts the line, allowing web strap lashing to release the canister and it to inflate when painter line is stretched enough.

Question 21

What is the length of a painter line?

Answer 21

Lifeboat = 2x the freeboard of parent vessel,

life raft = 10 m + distance from stowage position to waterline at light ship conditions or 15m, which ever is greater.

Question 22

When/how would you stream a sea anchor? How would you prevent wear?

Answer 22

Attach the hawser to the craft securely.
Feed out the hawser fully while keeping the sea anchor onboard, ensuring it is not tangled.
Feed out sea anchor and tripping line together, keeping the narrow end towards the boat so it doesn’t fill.
When at the end of the hawser, release tripping line and it will collect the water.

Question 23

Internal and external checks on the tempsc?

Answer 23

External, check for hull cracks, anything wrapped around the prob, condition of rudder,
Internal, check Doors air water, check epirb and sart are onbaord, check food and water. Everyone has ppe.

Question 24

Positive pressure in a tempsc?

Answer 24

Using the air cylinder for 10 min duration, pushes out toxic fumes and stops any from entering.

Question 25

What are the lines in a helicopter rescue mission?

Answer 25

Hi line, winch line, strops, static discharge line, weak line.