Survitec celebrates 100-year anniversary with virtual museum

Survitec has partnered with the Museum of Godalming, Surrey, to curate a virtual museum to mark the company’s 100-year anniversary.

The museum showcases inventions and patents that have played a pivotal role in maritime, energy, defence and aviation safety, often helping to shape international safety rules and guidelines.

“The virtual history museum highlights key milestones in the maritime and aviation industry starting with our company founder’s invention of liferafts in the 1920s,” says Ron Krisanda, executive chairman, Survitec. “Working with the Museum of Godalming, we’ve been able to chronicle the early years of survival products, including the world’s first marine evacuation and submarine escape suit.”

Reginald Foster Dagnall

The Godalming Museum is located where Survitec’s founder, Reginald Foster Dagnall, established his first liferaft production facility. Survitec, then known as RFD, supplied survival products during the First World War and is credited with inventing the world’s first infant lifejacket, the first fast jet anti-G trousers, and even helped develop the first Apollo space suit for NASA.

“Survitec’s story really started in 1920, when Dagnall put his engineering flair and innovative thinking to work manufacturing lightweight inflatable rings designed for an aircraft’s fuselage,” says Alison Pattison, curator, Godalming Museum. “This prevented a ditched plane from sinking and allowed the craft to be recovered. His technology evolved to facilitate the rescue of aircrews and, in 1932, a method of automatic inflation was introduced, signalling a major breakthrough for the company and revolutionising the industry for years to come.

“Godalming Museum has a fascinating collection of photographs documenting RFD’s work,” says Pattison. “The museum has a large stock of images, voice interviews with staff from the past and a large bank of information, which we are making available to Survitec to celebrate the company’s centenary. It really is a fascinating insight into a company that has managed to weather the passage of time.”

This year also marks the 100th reference for Survitec’s Marin Ark 2 marine evacuation system, a technology testament to Dagnall’s foresight and pioneering work in inflatable evacuation systems.

Visit the exhibition online.