Safety, Fire & Survival · Survival Craft
The function of a hydrostatic release unit on a liferaft cradle is to:
- AKeep the raft from inflating accidentally in port
- BCharge the raft's CO2 bottle
- CSound the abandon-ship alarm
- DAutomatically release the raft at depth if the vessel sinks before it can be launched✓ Correct
Explanation
If a vessel founders too quickly to launch the raft manually, water pressure at a few meters' depth trips the hydrostatic release, freeing the raft to float clear; the painter then inflates it. It is a fail-safe, not a substitute for manual launching when there is time.
Authority: SOLAS III; 46 CFR Part 160 (HRU)
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