Why Second World War warships carried so many Carley floats

What lifeboat arrangements did Second World War naval ships use?

They carried boats, but also large numbers of Carley floats and related rafts distributed around the ship.

British warship models often show small oblong shapes around the ship: these represent Carley floats. Ships carried many of them, sometimes nesting a smaller float inside a larger one. The example identified as HMS Rodney shows this arrangement. Conventional ship's boats could also be launched when circumstances allowed. Enemy fire could destroy survival equipment along with the ship, so the number carried did not guarantee that every boat or raft would remain available.