How do I survive adrift at sea?

Even a damaged boat gives more chance of survival then and intact life raft. Stay aboard as long as possible - you should be up to your waist in water before you abandon ship.

Get all the bottled water you can into your raft, otherwise death in days is virtually certain.

Tinned foods are often packed in water, so take them. In a cold environment, try putting on dry clothing if you can because you are much more likely to die of exposure then drowning.

Life rafts generally carry fishhooks, or you can make your own from tin cans. After several weeks, seaweed will grow on the bottom of your raft, and fish will feed and shelter in it. Catch them and eat the flesh raw.

Do not exhaust yourself trying to reach land. Life rafts are hard to manoeuvre, and you will not be able to move far without great effort.

Signal for help with a radio, a hand held flare or mirror - a watch, tin can or tinfoil will do.

What is the largest and heaviest ship afloat today?

The current claimant to the title is the Norwegian tanker Jahre Viking at 564,739 tons deadweight, 458 metres long (1503ft), a beam of 69 metres (226ft), and a draft of 25 metres (81ft).

Originally completed in 1979 as the "Seawise Giant", she was reconstructed in Singapore in 1991 after being damaged in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war.

If the world's tallest skyscrapers, the Petronas Towers in Singapore, were placed on their side, they would be 7 metres (23ft) shorter then the Jahre Viking, which is five times the weight and three time the size of the world's biggest military ships, America's Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

What was the flag arrangement, flown from HMS Victory before the Battle of Trafalgar?

Admiral Nelson's famous signal was displayed under the system developed in 1804 by Sir Home Popham, which simplified the Admiralty's signals, so specific sentences could be composed.

As the Victory went into action at Trafalgar, Nelson approached John Pasco, lieutenant in charge of signals and said: "I wish to say to the fleet 'England confides that every man will do his duty'. You must be quick for I have one more to make, which is for close action."

Pasco answered: "If your Lordship will permit me to substitute 'expects' for 'confides', the signal will soon be completed, because the word 'expects' is in the vocabulary but 'confides' must be spelled."

Nelson agreed and the signal was made, involving 13 flags: Telegraph flag;253,England; 269, expects;863, that;261, every;471, man;958, will;220, do;70, his;4, D;21, U;19, T;24, Y. The frigate Euryalus, whose job was to repeat the Victory's signals, recorded that it took four minutes to make the signal.

How do I escape from quicksand?

If you try to pull a limb out of quicksand, you have to work against the vacuum left behind. in general, move slowly, so that effort is minimised.

Floating on quicksand is the best way to avoid it's clutches - you are more buoyant in quicksand then you are in water. Spread your arms and legs and try to float on your back.

If you are in an area where you know quicksand is about carry a stout pole - it will help you get out if you start sinking. Lay the pole on the surface and flop on your back on the pole. After a minute or two, equilibrium will make sure you stop sinking. Work the pole under your hips and at right angles to your body. It will keep your hips from sinking as you (slowly) pull out first one leg, then the other.

How big is Britains merchant fleet?

In January 1998 the UK-owned and registered fleet fell to a new all-time low of just 227 vessels, many of them ferries. British flagged vessels are highly taxed, have strict safety regulations and must be well manned, many companies therefore register vessels under flags of convenience.

The worlds top 20 merchant fleets are: Panama, 91.1mgt (million gross tonnage); Liberia, 60.1; Bahamas, 25.5; Greece, 25.3; Cyprus, 23.7; Malta, 23.0; Norway, 19.8; Singapore, 18.9; Japan, 18.5; China, 16.3; Russia, 12.3; United States, 11.8; Phillipines, 8.8; Saint Vincent, 8.4; South Korea, 7.4; Germany, 6.9; India, 6.9; Turkey, 6.6; Marshall Islands, 6.3; and Italy, 6.2.

Today the British fleet comes in at 29th with 3.9mgt. The earliest figures available date from 1886 and show from a world total of 21.5mgt the British made up more then half of the worlds merchant fleet with 11.2mgt.