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 Post subject: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:16 pm 
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For WWII ships, Are life rafts usually painted the same hull/superstructure color as the rest of the ship? For example, if a ship is Measure 22 scheme, Would the life rafts be Haze Gray also same as the superstructure and other vertical surfaces of the ship? Or would they be a slightly lighter shade of gray to make them "stand out" more?


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 Post subject: Re: Life rafts
PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 12:18 pm 
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 Post subject: Re: Life rafts
PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 3:35 pm 
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Boats and rafts were delivered in Ocean gray but were to be painted to match the structure they were mounted to... this means that the dazzle pattern was painted on them.

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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 4:07 pm 
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Colorful boats for a last ditch option. I still don't see why they weren't stored in places where they couldn't be shot up by gunfire. Especially on the DDs/DEs. The ships are small targets, and gunfire, if aimed accurately, could shred up the life rafts. Not really the best for something that was meant to save lives.

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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 4:15 pm 
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Sr. Gopher wrote:
Colorful boats for a last ditch option. I still don't see why they weren't stored in places where they couldn't be shot up by gunfire. Especially on the DDs/DEs. The ships are small targets, and gunfire, if aimed accurately, could shred up the life rafts. Not really the best for something that was meant to save lives.


They were stored out in the open so for speedy deployment. If the ship is going down, especially after a battle, you don't want to be screwing around with trying to get life rafts out of storage. You want to be able to grab them and throw them in the water before the ship's gone! The one's that are rigged on an angle on the edges of the deck were meant to slide off into the water after cutting a line/throwing a switch if the ship was lost.

I'm not entirely sure but weren't some of them rigged in such a way that if the ship did go down they'd release and float off? I know current ones have hydrostatic fuses but don't know when those came about.

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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 4:17 pm 
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That's what the floater net baskets were all about, when the basket submerged as the ship sank, the floater nets would float out.

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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 4:18 pm 
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I guess that makes sense now... but what about those massive rafts hung out on the sides of DDs, DEs, and on the sides of gun houses?

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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 5:48 pm 
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The photos I've seen of CVLs under construction had the rafts mounted on railings in "U" shaped holders, presumably so they could float out; I would imagine the smaller ships would have something as well, although perhaps with a tie-down so that they would not float free in heavy seas.

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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:46 am 
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Werent they made of balsa? so even if holed they would still float.?
I noticed the battleships used rectangular vs oval types and they did follow the camo design wherever mounted.


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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:48 pm 
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There were balsa rafts, which were rectangular in cross-section, but also Carley Floats, which were round in cross section. The two are often confused. Same basic function, just different construction.

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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 10:36 pm 
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Does anyone know a source for more info on the Carley Floats/Balsa Rafts? I'd enjoy reading up on them but also need the various dimensions for a project.

My understanding is that Carley Floats (oval) were the pre-war early war type. They used a compartmented copper tube to form the basic shape. This was covered with cork or kapok and then wrapped in a doped canvas cover. The balsa rafts (rectangular) came out in 1943 and I suspect were a means of providing a similar capability while using materials that were less critical (brass/copper).


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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2022 1:21 am 
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Welcome aboard!

I seem to remember Al Ross posting some a few years ago when there was a more intense discussion regarding them and the differences therein. You might try dropping him a line.

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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2022 7:31 am 
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Tracy White wrote:
Welcome aboard!

I seem to remember Al Ross posting some a few years ago when there was a more intense discussion regarding them and the differences therein. You might try dropping him a line.


Thank you for the information and the welcome!


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 Post subject: Re: USN Life rafts
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:43 pm 
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This discussion reminds me of a "debate" the USN was having about "floats (aka Life Rafts) vs floater nets" I came across in records at NARA. I found the debate in BuShips records for FLETCHER class destroyers, but saw the same polices play out on other ships. When FLETCHER's were being delivered there was a limited number of "Floats" allocated to each destroyer, not enough for the whole crew, and Floater Nets were to fill the void. However, the operational commands were not happy with floater nets, because in action and heavy seas they came loose from their retaining straps and fouled the decks. Initially the floater nets were bundled along the deck edge railings (and are VERY hard to see in period photos) and were suppose to have the retaining straps/ropes cut when necessary. But, the retaining straps would come loose and hence the problem of movement around on the decks.

Floater baskets had been introduced to address this problem. But, floater nets were thought to be needed as low in the superstructure and close to the deck edge as possible and some didn't like placing the baskets up high, like around stacks. To address this concern, on some destroyers, and likely other ships as well, the baskets were installed on frames attached to the deck inside of the railings. This worked fine, but used up valuable deck space. Installing floater net baskets was fine on new-built ships was one thing, but on existing ships where making and installing the baskets was not widely available, another "solution" was tried. The floater nets were wrapped in canvas and then attached to railings or similar exposed locations. Several cruisers after the initial actions in the Solomons can be seen with these. Also, cruisers and battleships would lay floater nets atop the turrets in large groups. Something destroyers couldn't do.

For a period of time in late 1942 into early 1943, BuShips wasn't installing many floater net baskets and instead increasing the number of floats on destroyers. I have counted as many as 14 floats on FLETCHER class destroyers with some stacked three high on the fantail!!! As the need to ADD more AA guns required the eliminating installing these floats where more guns would go, the number of floats was reduced to six to eight on typical destroyers and more floater net baskets installed. Early, most floats were installed vertically at the deck edge, so when cut loose they would fall into the ocean. The 'design" shifted to installing the floats on angled brackets above decks (out of the way) or on the backside of deckhouses at deck edge in an angled slide that would launch the raft to the ocean. Some destroyers stowed a pair of floats under the ships boats on the INSIDE of the breakwater bulwark.

A note about the policies for when the floats (and any floater nets strapped to structures and not in a basket) was that when "ABANDON SHIP" was called, assigned individuals were suppose to cut loose the FLOATS and bundled FLOATER NETS so they would be in the water as the crew jumped ship. The rest of the floater nets hopefully would float free as the ship sank.


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