Life-raft or Carley float
Photo:
Adapted from U.S. Patent Office, patent no. 734118, patented July 21, 1903, submitted by Horace S. Carley.
Life-rafts (also called Carley floats) were widely used as lifesaving gear on warships and merchant ships in World War II. They were cheap to build, easy to store onboard ship and simple to deploy. However, they did not keep survivors dry or warm in the ocean. While these rafts saved many lives after sinkings, many others died of hypothermia in frigid seas.
This drawing is adapted from the one included in Horace Carley’s 1903 patent submitted to the United States Patent Office “for a new and useful improvement in life-rafts.”