🔍 Key Concepts

• LSA Code (Life-Saving Appliances Code) requirements for survival craft launching • Difference between normal launching arrangements and an emergency drop when there is no other escape • Understanding what “maximum drop height” means for survival craft integrity and personnel safety

💭 Think About

• Think about what height a properly designed and approved survival craft is tested to withstand when dropped into the water without damage to the people or the craft. • Compare each answer choice to what seems realistic for a fully loaded enclosed lifeboat or rescue boat on a merchant vessel, not for a small open boat or liferaft handled by hand. • Ask yourself: which option best matches an emergency design limit specified in international and U.S. lifesaving regulations rather than a comfortable or ‘nice to have’ value?

✅ Before You Answer

• Look up the LSA Code section on drop tests for totally enclosed lifeboats and fast rescue boats (the regulations specify a test drop height). • Confirm whether the maximum drop height is measured from the lowest point of the craft to the water surface, not from the deck or davit head. • Verify that the value you choose is consistent with what would be structurally safe for the hull and occupants in a fully loaded survival craft.