Lesson Four. Life-Saving Appliances

Exercise 1. Read and learn the following words and expressions:

1.	reinforced	усиленный, укрепленный
2.	enclosed	закрытый
3.	approved	одобренный, утвержденный
4.	carrying capacity	грузоподъёмность, несущая способность
5.	to derive from	выводить, определить
6.	inflammable	легко воспламеняющийся
7.	buoyancy - плавучесть; способность держаться на поверхности воды
8.	to wear (wore, worn)	одевать, носить
9.	to abandon ship	покидать судно
10.	whistle	свисток
11.	alleyway	коридор
12.	self-regulating, self-righting	самовыравнивающийся
13.	to capsize	переворачиваться
14.	lifelines	леерные ограждения
15.	davit launched life raft	плот, спускаемый шлюпбалкой
16.	canopy	тент, навес
17.	fully manned	полностью человекоуправляемый
18.	gas accumulation	газонакопление
20.	inclined	наклонный
21.	inflatable	надувной
22.	radar responder or the aerial	радиолокационный передатчик или антенна
23.	rail	леер
24.	arrangement	расположение
25.	safety valve	предохранительный клапан
26.	feed and blowoff	поддув и сдув

Exercise 2. Read and translate the text, paying attention to the words in italics.

Life-Saving Appliances

Among the collective life-saving appliances the main ones are lifeboats, life rafts and life buoys. Lifeboats can be open, partially enclosed and totally enclosed type. Each type of lifeboats is used nowadays, but modern ships are equipped with glass-fibre reinforced ones because of their high corrosion resistance and low maintenance requirements.

Cargo ships and passenger vessels as well as fishing crafts are equipped with approved life rafts. The number, type and carrying capacity derive from regulations and additional requirements. Life rafts are automatically inflatable and can be launched either automatically thrown overboard or manually.

Life buoy is a life saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in the water, to provide buoyancy, to prevent drowning. Some modern life buoys are fitted with a seawater-activated light or lights to aid rescue at night. The life buoy usually is ring-shaped (круглой формы) or horseshoe-shaped (в форму подковы) and has a connecting line allowing the casualty to be pulled to the rescuer.

Personal life-saving appliances include lifejackets, immersion suits and some other personal floatation devices (PFD’s in short).

A lifejacket can be made from solid material self-inflated, plastic, etc. Lifejackets use air or gas to keep the water afloat (держаться на плаву) and must be inflated before they provide buoyancy. Each crewmember should check how a lifejacket is put on and inflated before having to use in emergency. It should be mentioned that inflatable (working) lifejackets will also be required to be worn in certain situations when working at or near the ship’s sides or stern and not only before abandoning ship or operating on the open deck under poor weather condition. Standard lifejackets must be orange, yellow or red, and have a whistle attached. The lifejacket is stowed in a cabin wardrobe. Instructions for putting it on are on the inside of the door to the wardrobe and/or on display cards on alleyway bulkheads.

An approved PFD is designed to keep man afloat in the water. PFDs are generally smaller, less bulky and more comfortable than lifejackets. They have less flotation than lifejackets and have limited turning capacity. An inflatable PFD is a type of personal flotation device that either automatically inflates when immersed in water, or is inflated by the wearer using an oral or manual inflation device. Most inflatable PFDs use a carbon dioxide cartridge to inflate.

Exercise 3. Give brief answers to the following questions:

1. How many types of life-saving appliances do you know? 2. How many lifeboats are on a ship? 3. Where are they located? 3. What type of lifeboats is the most popular nowadays and why? 4. How can life rafts be activated? 5. What do you know about the lifejackets? 6. Where is lifejacket stored? 7. When should lifejacket be used? 8. What does the abbreviation PFD mean? 9. What document regulates the lifesaving appliance list? 10. Why should any crewmember know everything about the life-saving appliances and their operation?

Exercise 4. Give equivalents:

• in Russian: life raft, enclosed lifeboat, to lower lifeboat, inflammable life raft, to put on lifejacket, afloat, to stow, under fair weather conditions, attached to, to immerse, flotation, to pull side-tapes down, manual inflation device, to ensure, ring-shaped, PFD, abandoning ship, to be belted, to launch lifeboat, under poor weather conditions, temperature range, alleyway bulkhead, to be inflated;

• in English: гидрокостюм для погружения, открытая шлюпка, надеть спасательный жилет, спустить шлюпку, клапан поддува, опрокидываться, шлюпбалка, отвечать требованиям, спасательный леер, приводить в движение, камера плавучести, быть рассчитанным, спасательный надувной плот, обслуживание, предохранительный клапан, зависеть от, малые суда, сбросить на воду, быть оснащенным.

Exercise 5. Match the answer with the question. Get ready to speak about life-saving appliances.

Question		Answer
1	What advantages have totally enclosed lifeboats?	a	Approved ones are life rafts thrown overboard type, life rafts davit launched type and life rafts without any protection.
2	Why should a lifeboat leave the damaged ship as quickly as possible?	b	The weight of a life raft lies between 100 kg and 185 kg, it withstands all weather conditions at sea for 30 days, and it is operable over an air temperature range – 30 and +60 degrees of Celsius.
3	What kinds of life rafts are approved?	c	Instructions for putting them on are on the inside of the door on display cards on alleyway bulkheads and/or to the wardrobe
4	Where life rafts usually stowed?	d	Totally enclosed boats are self-righting.
5	How are life rafts packed?	e	The biggest danger to the boat and its occupant comes from the damaged and sinking ship itself by its capsizing and by explosions etc.
6	What are the main characteristics of life rafts?	f	Life rafts are packed tightly folded (сложенный) in plastic containers.
7	Where can instructions for putting on lifejackets be found out?	g	Life rafts are almost always stowed on swinging-out storage frames, inclined ramps or equipment appliances.

Exercise 6. Read an abstract of the conversation between Port Inspector and Watch officer and then make up your own dialogue.

A: I am authorized to inspect your ship’s safety equipment. Show me your ship’s International Certificate issued to you under SOLAS Convention.

B: Here you are. I think everything is all right, as we were surveyed only a year ago.

A: Let me have a look. Well, all certificates are valid. And now if you don’t mind I’d like to make survey of your ship’s safety equipment. Will you show me to the boat-deck?

B: This way, please. We are on the boat-deck.

A: I see all boats are available here and provided with proper supplies and equipment. You’ve got only 7 life buoys, but under SOLAS Convention you are to have 8 ones. You should get the missing life buoy within 1-2 days through your agent.

B: So it will not delay our departure, won’t it?

A: Certainly, it won’t. I’ll visit you before the ship’s departure and check the availability of all lifesaving appliances once more.

B: Good. Settled.

Exercise 7. Choose the right variant.

1. Replace the life raft ___ the next port. a) within b) in c) through d) from

2. Jump ___ the water and board the life raft. a) near b) off c) into d) above

3. The life buoys are ____ the deck railing. a) through b) on c) from d) in

4. ___ each other when entering lifeboat.

a) Are not pushing b) Have not pushed c) Do not push d) Does not push

5. ____ the new crew members instructed on occupational safety?

a) Has b) Had c) Are d) Is

6. You ___ your immersion suit.

a) brings b) is bringing c) must bring d) to bring

7. ____ to your lifeboat stations. a) To go b) Go c) Goes d) Going

8. Lifejackets _____ in your cabins.

a) storing b) to store c) are stored d) is stored

9. Only twelve people ____ in the lifeboat.

a) is fitting b) can be fitting c) fits d) can fit

10. The safety manuals ____ last month.

a) issued b) has been issued c) was issued d) were issued