Page 43: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 15, 1984)

Lifeboat Quick-Drop System

Unveiled By SeaTek And MCR

Lattice keel of new Water Entry System is attached to bottom of lifeboat to cushion entry into water when dropped in free fall from ship or offshore rig. Special bucket seats and har- nesses protect occupants.

A significant addition to marine safety tech- nology was announced recently by officials of

SeaTek Corporation and MCR Technology,

Inc. The new device, called the Water Entry

System, enables lifeboats to be dropped in a free-fall mode from the deck of a burning or sinking offshore rig or ship.

In making the announcement, SeaTek pres- ident Cam Sharr pointed out that in many marine emergencies the conventional system of lowering lifeboats won't work. "There isn't enough time to crank the boats down, or the power to the winches is out, or the boats swing in the wind and crash against the hull," he said. "We hope the Water Entry System will do for sailors and drilling crews what the parachute did for fighter pilots," he added.

The principal component of the system is a lattice keel that can be attached to the bottom of any lifeboat. In the free-fall situation, the keel is the first thing to enter the water, and it cushions the landing of the lifeboat. Also, special bucket seats and harnesses protect the occupants from being thrown against the life- boat bulkheads and capsule.

The new product has been under develop- ment for more than a year, but full-scale pro- totype tests were completed only recently. In those tests, the Water Entry System was in- stalled on a 44-person Water Survival Craft supplied by Watercraft Corporation. Drops were made up to 60 feet. The tests used the full measurement techniques of the automo- bile crash tests to determine whether the pro- cedure was safe.

Speaking of the test results, Bob Schwarz, head of MCR's Engineering and Design De- partment, said, "Even in the drop from 60 feet we should be looking at essentially zero prob- ability of injury for the occupants." Additional confidence was gained from the close correla- tion of the results in full-scale to the predic- tions from model tests. In model scale, tests have simulated drops up to 90 feet and condi- tions of storm seas.

The product has generated a great deal of interest in the offshore drilling industry, which has been stunned by recent sinkings of both a semi-submersible rig and a drill ship, with the loss of all hands in each incident.

For further information and free literature on the Water Entry System,

Circle 80 on Reader Service Card

Amor And Frayling Get

Promotions At Lister Diesels

J. Leo Amor Peter L. Flayling

Two new vice presidents have been ap- pointed by the board of directors of Lister Die- sels Inc. of Olathe, Kan., according to com- pany president Peter S.Y. Jessop.

J. Leo Amor, formerly national sales man-

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TWX: 710-730-5224 CMH HBKN ® ager-distribution, has been elevated to vice president sales-distribution. Peter L. Fray- ling, who has been with Lister for 26 years, has been moved from national sales manager-

OEM to vice president sales-OEM.

The appointments coincide with the recent introduction of the new T Series engines. The new engines, designated TS2 and 3 and TL2 and 3, will cover the power range of 12-45 bhp. Lister, a subsidiary of Hawker Siddeley, has been serving the U.S. market for nearly 50 years.

Contessa Awards Engineering

Support Contracts To

Giannotti & Associates

Subsequent to the contract signing in Octo- ber 1983 for the construction of two 543-foot cruise ships with Marine Power of Seattle,

Contessa Cruise Line has recently awarded additional contracts for engineering support to Giannotti & Associates, Inc.

The Giannotti firm, which prepared the fea- sibility studies and the preliminary designs for two sizes of cruise vessels, has been re- tained to carry out the final contract design for the 543-foot ships. Giannotti will also in- tegrate final vendor selections and further contract requirements, and will represent

Contessa during construction in the areas of support engineering, inspection, plan ap- proval, and contract administration.

BIW Chief Engineer Addresses

Northern New England ASNE

Principals at recent meeting of ASNE Northern New England

Section included (L to R): Capt. John Culver, USNR, Section chairman; Capt. William Lowell, USNR, chief operating engi- neer at Bath Iron Works; and Comdr. John Hallett, USN (Ret.), chairman of the Board of Trustees, Kittery Historical and Naval Museum.

Capt. William Lowell, USNR, chief oper- ating engineer at Bath Iron Works Corpora- tion (BIW), was the featured speaker at a re- cent dinner meeting of the Northern New

England Section of the American Society of

Naval Engineers. The meeting was held at the Commissioned Officers Club, Portsmouth

Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, N.H.

Capt. Lowell stated that many private shipyards in the U.S. face uncertain futures.

American goods are being shipped in foreign- built and foreign-operated ships for the most part. He recognized the predominance of Jap- anese shipbuilding and the rapidly growing

Korean capability. Between government sub- sidies and lower labor rates in those countries, the U.S. cannot compete effectively. However, the recent launching of the Falcon Champion, a BIW product, may be a catalyst for the U.S. shipbuilding considering the ship's quality, reasonable cost, and being delivered ahead of schedule. While certain factors cannot be con- trolled, the U.S. can put out fine ships if given the opportunity, he said.

During the meeting Comdr. John Hallett,

USN (Ret.), was presented a donation from the Section to the Kittery Historical and Na- val Museum.

January 15,1984 45