Life Boats/rafts on military vessels

I’ve been wondering about this.

How do military vessals prepare for possiblity of their ships being sunk? I don’t see a lot of lifeboats on most military ships, so I assume inflatable rafts are the way to go in that respect. Are there enough fore the entire crew or just a good portion?

Anyone who served on any kind of naval vessel in any navy who wants to comment would be appreciated.

Thanks

They’re all along the edge of the weather deck: in containers that look like beer kegs.

I can tell you that Coast Guard vessels carry enough life rafts for the crew. CG cutters don’t carry any lifeboats. However, they all carry some type of small boat from small RHIs to larger motor surf boats or enclosed launches, which will double as a lifeboat if needed. Can’t speak for the Navy, but I’d be very surprised if they didn’t carry enough liferafts for all the crew. I do know that the newest carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, is using a newer 50 man liferaft, vice the 25 man on other vessels, which frees up some space for them. So, for a compliment of 6000, they’ll need 120 - 50 man liferafts. Having seen carriers up close, I can tell you they carry quite a number of rafts.

As a Marine who has been on too many Navy vessels (of which one is too many) I can tell you that there a crapload of liferafts, as mentioned, in neat little easy open cans. Nice feeling. “Attention all hands… the bastards have blown our multi-billion dollar, heavily defended carrier to hell and we are sinking… into the Wal-Mart rubber boats… that is all”.

I assume that there is allocation for all on board, but can’t say that as fact.

LMAO @ Turbo Dog. That’s pretty much the way it would be said too.