lifeboat

Partially enclosed lifeboats on a passenger liner Proactive lifeboat-safety dinghy for recreational cruisers Lifeboats at shore shortly after the Costa Concordia capsized on the coast of Isola del Giglio

A lifeboat or liferaft is a small, rigid or inflatable boat carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard a ship. Lifeboat drills are required by law on larger commercial ships. Rafts (liferafts) are also used. In the military, a lifeboat may double as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors usually carry inflatable liferafts, though a few prefer small proactive lifeboats that are harder to sink and can be sailed to safety.