🔍 Key Concepts

• Weak link in a liferaft launching system and what it is designed to do • Relationship between the painter line, the ship, and the hydrostatic release unit (HRU) • Location and purpose of the sea anchor (drogue) compared with the part that must part under excess strain

💭 Think About

• On an automatically released liferaft, which part must break first so the raft is not dragged under with a sinking ship? Look for that part on the drawing and note its number. • Follow the painter in the illustration from the raft outward: which numbered items are attached to the raft itself, which to the sea anchor, and which would logically connect back to the vessel? • Would the weak link ever be placed between the raft and its sea anchor, or between the raft and the sinking ship? Use that to rule out options.

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which item number is clearly the sea anchor (drogue) and eliminate that from being the weak link. • Confirm which numbered item is the painter/connection going back toward the vessel or HRU, since that is where the weak link belongs. • Make sure the item you choose is not a step, ladder rung, or part of the raft’s boarding arrangement, which would not be sacrificed under load.