Harbour
Acceptance Trials of Babcock’s containerised
life raft system developed for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) have been
successfully completed on HNLMS Walrus,
the fourth and last of the Walrus class submarines to receive the technology,
at the Den Helder naval base.
The achievement marks the last milestone in a six year contract
between Babcock and the Dutch Ministry of Defence for the design, build,
installation and commissioning of the life raft systems for forward and aft
locations on the four Walrus class submarines.
The
first systems were installed on HNLMS
Dolfijn during a programed refit in 2007.
The Babcock-designed and developed life raft system allows
for release, either while surfaced or submerged, of a 35-man SOLAS-approved
life raft with survival kits and automatically activated GPS search-and-rescue
indicator beacon.
The two life rafts have the capacity to accommodate the full
crew.
The rafts, supplies and GPS beacon are contained within a
GRP pressure vessel stored in a cradle between the pressure hull and casing in
the submarine.
The release mechanism can be operated from inside the submarine
or from on top of the submarine casing, and is unique in requiring only one
pressure hull penetration.
When released
from a submerged submarine the container rises to the surface, where the life
raft self-inflates triggered by a pressure sensor. Inflation is automatic when released on the
surface.
The life rafts remain tethered to the submarine so that the
escaping crew can locate the life raft and to mark the position of the
submarine. The system operates
independently of the other submarine systems, and offers improved survivability
for the submarine crew.