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The
„Bismarck“ and the father of shipping safety
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Gerhard
Junack was a man whose experiences in sailing gave him much credibility.
When this captain joined the newly founded German naval forces in
the mid-fifties, his encounters with the horrors of the sea were
far behind him. Junack, a Second Engineering Officer, was on board
the Bismarck battleship when in sank the English war ship, HMS Hood,
on May 24th, 1941. He was also present five days later when the
Bismarck sank after a dramatic naval battle. Unfortunately, in this
incident, 1977 sailors lost their lives. Many sailors had been able
to temporarily save themselves by jumping from the burning ship,
only to later drown in the North Atlantic. Junack, with such a close
encounter with death, now wanted to spare future young comrades
of this fate.
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Captain Gerhard Junack
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Captain Junack
still had fresh memories and experiences when, in 1958, he was
given the task of putting together a German navy training center
for ship safety, in Neustadt. There, young marines were taught
fire fighting, getting into life rafts, how to seal leaks, how
to put on life jackets properly, and how to use signaling ammunition.
The knowledge he passed on to his cadets was invaluable since
he, alone, had experienced almost every conceivable emergency
situation. His knowledge and his calm, patient demeanor toward
his young learners earned him the title 'father of shipping safety.'
In addition, Junack played a considerable role in the reconstruction
and standardization of life-saving equipment for the navy.
It seemed
inevitable that sometime during the course of Junack's work, he
would meet Jost Bernhardt. Junack was impressed by Bernhardt's
construction engineering work, and added many valuable suggestions
for improvement. SECUMAR products, therefore, became matched to
the navy's requirements. For example, the 'u-shaped life buoy',
from the SECUMAR product line, was put into operation by the German
navy, and replaced the life buoy traditionally used.
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The naval lifejacket MRS 3, introduced in 1964, brought an enormous
breakthrough in water safety. This lifejacket was the result of
much research on the part of Jost Bernhardt. The MRS 3 was particularly
durable, and well-suited for combat gear that was made from leather.
In addition, this product was the first inflatable lifejacket with
a dual chamber system, essentially providing double security in
the water. The chambers can be unfastened from one another, and
each donned separately. In other words, one lifejacket could save
two lives.
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The MRS 3
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The recognition
SECUMAR enjoys with the German navy means not only that professional
sailors trust the company's products, but naval forces from other
countries also put their confidence in her. Bernhardt kept contact
with the Danish navy from the company's beginning. First, he helped
Captain F. Christensen, the man responsible for equipping the
navy with lifejackets bought from army war surplus. Later, these
were updated by products that Bernhardt manufactured himself.
Today, many NATO marines have SECUMAR lifejackets on board their
ships.
Presently,
the United States navy relies on SECUMAR technology. Together
with their American partner enterprise, STEARNS,
SECUMAR equips the US navy with automatic inflation devices for
their lifejackets.
SECUMAR also
has suitable lifejackets for other special military uses. Amongst
these are the diver's safety vest TSK, and the submarine safety
vest URK 80, which is equipped with a large capacity air tank.
Since the
late sixties, the German Air Force has also placed its faith in
SECUMAR lifejackets. These include the F 104 Star fighter pilots
in the past, to crews of the Tornado aircraft in the present.
The army, as well, cannot do without SECUMAR, as many are equipped
with inherent buoyancy lifejackets. In some vehicles, which first
appear not to have any relation to water, lifejackets can be found.
Combat tanks, such as the Leopard can wade through water to certain
depths. Drawing air from the surface, they are also equipped with
the emergency rescue equipment necessary to water vehicles. Because
the "Leo" could at some stage get stuck under water...
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| Overview |
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