General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Re: Life rafts
Posted by:
Helmut Lepper
()
Date: June 26, 2003 05:18PM
<HTML>Hello Theo,
in the fourties and during the Second World War a common, cheap material used for filling rafts and lifebelts with was „KAPOK“. A product from the kapok-tree (ceiba pentandra). Details you can find in the net using this keywords. Kapok is a kind of wool but for some time naturally water resistant. This characteristic gave only short security, cause it is not strong at all.
It’s typical for the greek death-traps (B. Traven) like the Peleus equipped with only poor equipment, for save men’s life in distress at sea. The Tauchretter was a better thing. But at high sea, in the gap?
I remember aboard the CAINE kapok-filled rafts are used, too.
So long
HL</HTML>
in the fourties and during the Second World War a common, cheap material used for filling rafts and lifebelts with was „KAPOK“. A product from the kapok-tree (ceiba pentandra). Details you can find in the net using this keywords. Kapok is a kind of wool but for some time naturally water resistant. This characteristic gave only short security, cause it is not strong at all.
It’s typical for the greek death-traps (B. Traven) like the Peleus equipped with only poor equipment, for save men’s life in distress at sea. The Tauchretter was a better thing. But at high sea, in the gap?
I remember aboard the CAINE kapok-filled rafts are used, too.
So long
HL</HTML>
