I'm having a hard time finding any good information on this subject: web searches for 'lifeboats' mostly seem to point to rescue boats rather than the kind used to escape from a sinking ship, which is what I am interested in.
What I would like to know is what kind of mass-produced lifeboats (or rafts, or whatever else they are classified as) were common on different kinds of ships during the twentieth century, when they were introduced and what date they stopped being used.
In particular, I would like to know when Carley Floats first came into service and when they stopped being produced.
The Carley Float or Raft was the first major mass-produced liferaft to see service. The patent for its production was issued in 1903, and it would enter Royal Navy service in 1915. Before then, warships relied on their own boats to serve as lifeboats. However, in the event of a sinking, it was unlikely that they could be launched quickly enough to save many people. The Carley Float would serve with the Royal Navy through the Second World War. During the war, they were supplemented by flotanets, which were cargo nets with floats attached. However, post-war enquiries found that neither the flotanet, nor the Carley Float were suitable for the job. This led to the adoption of newer, inflatable life rafts.