Why Lifeboats Are Unnecessary On Modern Ships

Why Lifeboats are Unnecessary on Modern Ships (A letter to the editor of the London Times newspaper)

by Jay Wiseman, Deputy Chief, Public Affairs Division, White Star Line

March 15, 1912.

Dear Editor:

We are about to enter a shining new era in oceanic transportation. Next month, White Star Line's newest ship, RMS Titanic, will make its maiden voyage from the UK to New York City.

This new ship, about which I confess that we at White Star Line all feel enormously proud, represents the very latest and most modern theories of ship design and construction. Of course, passenger safety is our number-one concern at the White Star Line, and as I will describe, this new vessel ushers in a whole new level of passenger safety. RMS Titanic will also set the new standard in passenger luxury, speed, and stylishness. Excitement about and enthusiasm for the upcoming maiden voyage of our new pride and joy is unprecedented, both within the company itself and also out among the general public. Even the Royals have wished us Godspeed.

Of course, there are always those who will seek reason to doubt. Some no doubt well-meaning persons (none of whom are qualified nautical experts, and at least one of whom is a solicitor) have pointed out that there are not enough lifeboats aboard our most modern vessel to contain all passengers and crew. While, at least in the abstract, this might be a cause for concern. The actual reality is quite different. Because we at White Star Line value all sources of input, this missive is written to address their concerns (to the extent that those concerns are rational) and to put them decisively to rest.

Modern regulations require 16 lifeboats for a vessel in Titanic's class, however we at White Star Lines have never felt that we properly served our customers by merely complying with bare minimum legal requirements. For this reason, we have actually installed 20 lifeboats on the vessel, thus on our own initiative and at our own expense we have already substantially exceeded the minimum required.

But, you see, the actual truth is that the Titanic would be quite safe even if it carried zero lifeboats. In fact, there are good and rational reasons to believe that lifeboats actually cause more problems than they resolve. I understand completely that such a statement may surprise some readers. Let me explain.

Now I know that some readers may be thinking, "But Sir, the ship is made of iron and steel, and it's on the water. Surely there is therefore at least some possibility that it could sink, and having adequate lifeboats must therefore be a necessity." In flights of fantasy, this might possibly be true. However in actual reality, and please pardon me if I seem undiplomatic, it is not.

First, the vessel has been designed from its very earliest stages to be unsinkable, and built with nothing less than absolutely first class materials. This is because the top ship designers and makers in the world have given us a vessel that it is actually subdivided into numerous subcompartments. More than half of these subcompartments ("mini-ships" if you will) would have to be compromised for "something unfortunate" to become a possibility, and never in the history of nautical affairs has a ship ever sustained such damage. Additionally, should a few individual compartments take in water, such water would be readily expelled by the powerful pumps present in all compartments.

Second, the ship is both commanded and crewed by the very cream of civilian nautical talent. Indeed, the cumulative experience of our extremely able officers and crew is meaningfully measured in terms of centuries. Further, many of our seasoned sailors have coped with various emergencies at sea, and all feel unprecedented confidence regarding the ship's design and construction. As one junior officer put it, "The most dangerous part of the voyage for me will be the carriage ride from my house to the dock. After that, it will all be rather boring actually."

Third, all components of the ship, both individually and in connection with each other, have been tested for safety to an unprecedented degree and by use of the very latest equipment. Indeed, we can say that more funds were spent on safety inspections regarding the construction and launching of this wonderful new ship than were spent for any other ship that has ever before sailed. Every safety inspector, both in our employ and in government service, has unreservedly affirmed this ship's soundness, both in terms of exceeding all specified safety standards and in pure quality of construction.

Fourth, while at sea the RMS Titanic will enjoy an unprecedented new level of communication with other ships. The very latest wireless radios have been installed and thoroughly checked. Should something hazardous be spotted by other ships, our ship will be notified promptly. All White Star Line vessels, of course, do the same for other ships. It's part of the brotherhood of the sea. Also, the ocean is a surprisingly busy place, especially in the major shipping lanes within which our new vessel will be traveling. In the extraordinarily unlikely event that all on-board wireless radios should fail, our vessel contains more than adequate flares, signal lights, and other devices to summon aid in a timely manner.

Should the ship need to be evacuated for any reason, nearby ships could most certainly be brought alongside to accomplish the transfer in a quite orderly and timely manner. (That said, given our vessel's magnificent construction, it is infinitely more likely that RMS Titanic will sail to the rescue of other vessels rather than itself be in need of rescue.)

Fifth, while at sea, the crew will maintain absolutely top levels of surveillance of both the ship itself and the surrounding sea. (Did you know that a sailor in a typical crow's nest and equipped with proper binoculars, which our ship of course carries in abundance, can see for a distance of over twenty nautical miles?) In the extremely unlikely event that anything was encountered at sea which was large enough to pose any significant concern, our hawk-eyed sailors would spot it long, long before it could draw troublesomely near. Steering an avoidance course therefore would be a trivial matter and quite easily accomplished.

Given all of the above, all of our certified nautical experts agree, and all rational people concur, that lifeboats are, in this modern age of shipping, a relic of yesteryear.

Modern design, modern manufacturing, modern training, modern inspections, modern equipment, modern nautical practices, and modern nautical realities have made the presence of lifeboats on passenger liners not only completely unnecessary but, as I will now conclusively show, actually and affirmatively hazardous.

Let me now discuss the often unappreciated highly troublesome nature of lifeboats themselves.

First, lifeboats are heavy. Each one weighs several hundred pounds, and in total their weight is several tons. Such tonnage becomes a burden that the ship must literally shoulder. The additional coal that the ship must necessarily carry to propel the cumulative excess tonnage of these redundant and unnecessary lifeboats adds to the cost of the voyage -- a cost which, as a business necessity, must be passed along to our wonderful passengers. Therefore dispensing with lifeboats -- which are, as scientifically and conclusively proven above, no longer necessary -- helps us keep our prices competitive. (Our competitors do keep us on our toes, you know.)

Second, lifeboats may create a false sense of security. While our captain has a long history of the highest and most professional nautical judgment, a lesser captain might choose to enter waters that his vessel is unsuited for on the highly mistaken and illogical theory that, "Well, if we get into trouble, we can always take to the lifeboats. Therefore it's safe for us to proceed on course." Such a skipper would do far better to not have the false sense of security often provided by lifeboats, although in truth there admittedly might remain a small but valid role for lifeboats on older, less intelligently designed and built, ships.

Third, lifeboats take up valuable space better served for other purposes. Any ship, even RMS Titanic, has an upper limit to its size. Therefore every single cubic foot of available space on a ship deserves careful consideration as to how it should be most usefully occupied. Our passengers should not be inconvenienced by having to make their way around the space occupied by devices known by experts to not be necessary. Also, the needless presence of lifeboats spoil those wonderful sea views our passengers so very much enjoy, as well as needlessly cluttering the otherwise extremely clean lines of our ship. Esthetics do matter, you know.

Fourth, lifeboats are a hygiene problem. While at White Star Lines we pride ourselves on having the cleanest ships at sea, lifeboats are known hiding spots for vermin of various types. Also, lifeboats are a known and favorite hiding place for stowaways. To adequately inspect, maintain, and clean these questionable items takes up valuable crew time. This reduces a given seaman's time available for doing genuinely necessary work and therefore necessitates the hiring of additional crew -- at, again, additional cost to our customers. Ships are therefore cleaner and more hygienic without lifeboats.

Fifth, lifeboats do not and cannot prevent all shipwreck-related loss of life. Even if all of a ship's lifeboats could be loaded and launched efficiently (a highly questionable concept as I'll discuss presently), they cannot prevent all forms of grief. Indeed, given the notorious harshness and coldness of the North Atlantic (where our new ship is scheduled to spend almost all of its time), persons in lifeboats could be expected to survive only a few additional hours. Also, such small boats are not capable of themselves being adequately navigated beyond a very limited distance. Certainly not far enough to make landfall on their own unless the land was so close as to make the boats themselves unnecessary. Given these literally cold realities, it's more rational and, indeed, even humane to conclude that lifeboats would merely prolong the suffering of those few persons who might make use of them.

Sixth, the launching of lifeboats in an actual emergency could actually increase, rather than decrease, the number of lives lost. Have you ever seen a lifeboat launched? Such a task, even under the calmest conditions, takes substantial professional seafaring skill and is fraught with challenges. Complications such as collapse and jamming are far from unheard of. Should the launching of lifeboats be attempted under the circumstances of a nautical emergency, the possible complications are almost too chilling to bear thinking about.

Imagine that it's dark, and cold, and the ship's decks are uneven. (In a ship that is listing to one side, fully half of the lifeboats will therefore be unusable. Do the nautical non-experts among us therefore recommend that each ship therefore carry double the number of needed boats? Such a ship would be so heavy and unwieldy that it could not leave the dock, and passenger liners would sink not under the sea, but rather under bureaucratic regulation run amok.)

Panicked passengers would swarm towards the lifeboats, not only dangerously overcrowding the boats (thus becoming a hazard!) but also interfering with the ability of the crew to launch the boats properly. Imagine the poor passengers falling from or -- God forbid! -- even being pushed from the boats or the ship itself by frantic, animalistic others. (We must sadly acknowledge that the primitive beast will emerge from within at such times, especially among those of lesser breeding.) Further, what lifeboats that might actually be launched would undoubtedly be swamped by those swimming in the sea.

How much better, how much safer (and how much warmer and more comfortable!), to wait in a civilized and safe manner, and perhaps enjoying a spot of tea to pass the time, to be evacuated to the other ships which will undoubtedly arrive long before any genuine hazard would become an even vaguely realistic possibility. I'll grant that a few small boats would be needed to ferry the passengers to safety, but beyond that very small number no rational case can be made.

In summary, and as I have shown, the new era is now upon us, and myriad modern advances require modern adaptation. The time for irrational nay-saying is past, and the naysayers must accept this -- which I am sure that they will do with good grace. After all, they're not bad people, but merely uninformed, a bit misguided, and over-cautious. I invite them to book passage and see for themselves how needless their concerns actually are.

Given all of the above, all sensible people agree with the virtually unanimous opinion among recognized experts that there is absolutely no rational need for lifeboats on passenger liners in this shining new twentieth century world.

I remain, sir, your most humble and obedient servant,

Jay Wiseman Deputy Chief, Public Affairs Division White Star Line

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