On the perimeter of Navy ships you see life rafts in canisters. How are they released from the ship into the water and what triggers the canister opens and inflates the raft?
I’ve seen cannistered life rafts on other vessels. These were tied down with straps that were secured by a pressure-sensing device, calibrated to release the strap if submerged in more than six feet of water. Presumably the Navy rafts you saw were something similar.
I don’t recall seeing whether they were auto-inflate or pull-cord. But the straps that held the cannister closed were just crimped plastic banding, with no provision for cutting; presumably the force of inflation was expected to be enough to break the bands and allow the container to open.