Britannic's gantry davits and evacuation margin

Britannic was intended to have eight sets of electrically powered gantry davits, each able to launch six boats, but only five sets were installed before wartime service. Manually operated Welin davits handled the remaining boats. The gantries could reach boats on the opposite side of the ship, helping preserve access when a list made launching from one side difficult. Their position beside the funnels complicated that reach, although moving a boat or reaching around a funnel offered possible ways to use the arrangement. Whether this was the best placement remains an engineering judgment requiring further testing. Lifts reaching the boat deck helped injured or disabled people reach the boats without being carried up the final stairs. The 48 lifeboats each held 75 people, giving a nominal capacity of 3,600 and only a limited margin if several boats became unusable.