page_title: Saunders-Roe
section_title: Mark 3 airborne lifeboat
hierarchical_section_title: Saunders-Roe / Mark 3 airborne lifeboat
caption_attribution_description: English: RAF Air/Sea Search and Rescue Avro Shackleton with Saunders-Roe airborne lifeboat slung underneath.
context_page_description: Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight.
context_section_description: In early 1953, Saunders-Roe at Anglesey completed the Mark 3 airborne lifeboat to be fitted underneath the Avro Shackleton maritime reconnaissance aircraft. This model was made entirely of aluminium, previous marks being made of timber. Parachuted at a rate of 20 feet per second into the rescue zone, the craft was powered by a Vincent motorcycles HRD T5 15 hp engine; sails and a fishing kit were also provided. The Mark 3 measured 31 feet (9 m) from bow to stern and 7 feet (2 m) across the beam and held enough to supply 10 people with food and water for 14 days.
caption: Mark 3 airborne lifeboat fitted underneath an Avro Shackleton
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