Last voyage for Costa Concordia cruise ship

An idea occurred to me about lifeboats for these types of situations. Probably a rubbish idea, but it seems to me that lowering lumbering lifeboats is a bit 19th century. How about inflatable cocoons that can be rapidly inflated from a packed down form, that finish up with an internal chamber where the people go, surrounded by a generous outer ring like an air bag, so they just drop into the water ( the people are strapped in to the centre chamber) and avoid needing to be lowered. Think of those inflatable balls in amusement areas where you get inside and go rolling down the hill. Think inflatable kid's castles and the like. Think how effective air bags are and how inconspicuous until inflated. All each life boat would need is a compressed air bottle. I like the idea, but welcome your input.

 

i'm sure people die every year testing those stupid life boats and there stupid launch systems, than they save.

 

Maybe you should delete post #551 and I will delete my translation of it. Just post the links since most of us have a translate button on our screens so we can see what it means.

 

I made a mess, sorry but I did not know that in the USA had not permitted the copy / paste of an article. I'm sorry.
Delete without problems 551; I would do it but I'm not able.

 

I was wondering how many people jumping from the boat with life jackets didn't have the training you get doing this stuff professionally - the training to remember to grab and hug that life jacket while you drop so it doesn't snap your neck back when you hit the water?

 

copyright has always been copyright the US didnt just do anything in that regard
you have never been allowed to copy newspaper/magazine articles without permission
In a college ( uk I know) the college buys a license from an origanisation that gives you blanket cover BUT some publishers opt out of that so you cannot.
You must always site the source even when you have permission

 

I think I recall that some ships, in addition to life boats, are equipped with inflatable life rafts that are fitted to an escape slide when they are deployed much like those on an airliner. Only they are a fully enclosed tube that you jump into feet first. The tube constricts slightly around the person as they descend to slow them down.

 

Schettino puts it on his head. Technical name is "condom".

 

Hull construction

I'm a long time reader of these forums, first time posting. I'm not a naval architect don't have a college degree, but have sailed all my life and work on boats..

I'm curious about construction of these cruise boats and I highly doubt that a double hull would have prevented this sinking after seeing the size rock in her belly, but did it have a diuble hull?

If not, do you think a double hull would have slowed the sinking giving more time to launch the life rafts in a more vertical position?

 

Welcome, minusadegree. I'm not a NA either so we have to wait for someone knowledgeable to answer your question. A double hull would have slowed the sinking because the inner hull would have been torn less due to the outer hull taking most of the blow and thereby most of the damage.

 

CONCORDIA: here is a very bad omen. watch and cringe!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeZvPeTaKCg

 

Question: If we made a faithful scale reproduction of the stricken ship, one metre long, how thick will the skin of it need to be ? Thinner than aluminium cooking foil, surely. They can't help but tear their aarse off in anything other than a gentle grounding.

 

50mm/264=0.15 mm

 

About 6 thousandths of an inch ? The bottom plating is 50mm or 2" ? More than I'd have thought. Much more. Can you substantiate that ?

 

If they are able to raise the Concordia and repair it, would they ever be able to sell passage on it again? Even if they changed to a new name? Many folks are quite superstitious even in these days. Maybe it would be better if they did this instead.