Abstract: Lifesaving apparatus for vessels in the form of a buoy releaseably carried by a vessel in a manner so as to float free if the vessel sinks while remaining attached to the vessel by a cable held on a reel on the buoy and having its outer end connected to the vessel. The buoy carries at least one inflatable life raft held in deflated condition in an enclosure which is formed in part by a recess on the buoy body and in part by a cover removably sealed around the recess, the seal being rupturable on inflation of the life raft and the recess being so formed as to allow the life raft to expel itself from the recess during its inflation, the inflated raft then floating on the water while remaining attached to the buoy by its painter. The life raft is arranged to be automatically inflated after the buoy has separated from the vessel by a predetermined distance.

Abstract: Lifesaving apparatus for vessels in the form of a buoy releasably carried by a vessel in a manner so as to float free if the vessel sinks while remaining attached to the vessel by a cable held on a reel on the buoy and having its outer end connected to the vessel. The buoy includes a deck area suitable for accommodating crew members and passengers, and life raft canisters carried on the deck, the canisters containing sources of pressurized gas, so that crew members can readily remove the canisters one by one from the deck area, place these in the water, and inflate the life rafts bursting open the canisters. The deck area of the buoy acts as a loading platform which receives passengers from the sinking vessel and facilitates loading of the passengers onto the rafts which in turn are held connected to the life boat mooring line forming part of this buoy thereby preventing scattering of survivors.

Abstract: A life saving device for vessels which provides anchorage for buoyant equipment such as life rafts or life boats, in the form of a buoy releasably carried by a vessel in a manner so as to float free if the vessel sinks, while remaining attached to the vessel by a cable held on a reel on the buoy and having its outer end connected to the vessel. The buoy carries a lifeboat mooring line for life boats or life rafts to secure themselves to the buoy, this lifeboat mooring line being buoyant and being relatively long compared to the largest dimension of the buoy. The lifeboat mooring line is normally stowed on or in the buoy and arranged to be automatically released after the buoy has separated from the vessel, and preferably a delayed action release mechanism is provided which ensures that the lifeboat mooring line is not released until the buoy has cleared the vessel's rigging so that the mooring line cannot become entangled with any part of the vessel.

Abstract: A life-saving buoy for small vessels such as yachts, fishing vessels and other small watercraft, which is mounted on the deck of the vessel in such a way as to release automatically if the vessel sinks, and including both light and radio beacons which come into operation automatically to signal the position of the buoy and of survivors. The buoy is connected at all times to the vessel by means of a cable carried by the buoy, the cable paying out as the vessel sinks away from the buoy, and this allows the buoy to serve as mooring means for life-saving equipment such as dinghies, life-rafts, etc. released from the vessel. For this purpose, the buoy includes a mooring line normally stowed with the buoy, and released from the vessel with the buoy to stream out on the water away from the buoy.