Marine Rescue Pod from the Westpac Little Ripper Lifesaver
Manufacturer
SOS Marine
Date2018
Object number00055703
NameMarine pod
MediumFabric, metal and plastic
DimensionsOverall (packed up): 215 × 290 × 65 mm, 798 g
Copyright© The Ripper Group
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum gift of The Ripper Group
DescriptionMarine rescue pod manufactured by S.O.S. Marine and designed for use by the Westpac Little Ripper UAV.
The pod is packed within a fluorescent canvas pack that folds onto a rectangular shape. It has a plastic cover with printed inscriptions that read ‘S.O.S. Marine Sydney Australia sosmarine.com’, ‘Rescue Pod’ and ‘Little Ripper Lifesaver…to the rescue’. It has two black plastic hoops to the sides. When opened, the pod has an inflatable pod, support either two or four people based on size, an automatic SOLAS light for night rescue, a red tube for inflation, a SOLAS grade high visibility retro-reflective tape, for visibility at night, a Shark Shield ™ and a small sea anchor for stability in rough weather.
Two marine pods are mounted on the drone at one time. This is in line with the adage, “two is one, and one is none”.
HistoryThe Westpac Little Ripper Lifesaver Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) performed the world’s first ever drone surf rescue in stormy seas off the coast of Lennox Head, NSW, Australia on 18 January 2018. Two young men were swept out to sea. At 11:30am AEST Jai Sheridan, a lifesaver with Surf Life Saving NSW deployed this UAV to the location of the swimmers in distress where the UAV deployed its SOS self-inflating marine rescue pod (for two people). The swimmers were able to grab the pod and use wave action to return to the beach. This resuce was a global first in the utilisation of UAV technology to rescue persons in distress in a marine environment.
The Wespac Little Ripper Lifesaver UAV is outfitted to carry and deploy a variety of rescue pods suited for different situations or terrain. The Little Ripper Marine Rescue Pod contains a platform that provides enough floatation to support three - four persons. The pod automatically inflates when dropped into water and is re-usable and re-packable with a simple install of a new CO2 canister. They are fitted with an automatic SOLAS light for night rescue, SOLAS grade high visibility retro-reflective tape, and can include a large sea anchor and a Shark Shield. The lightweight Pods are designed to provide help until rescue arrives.
SignificanceThis marine pod from the Westpac Little Ripper Livesaver UAV is representative of the marine pod that was used during the world’s first ever drone surf rescue in stormy seas off the coast of Lennox Head, Australia on 18 January 2018. 
