Boiling the water
may or may
not kill all the bacteria. Certainly will reduce the numbers by a significant amount, even by EPA regulation treated wastewater and drinking water has a residual amount of contaminates present. I was not able to find out how fresh water was treated on the NC. Any
squids err... navy men out there might answer that question. Was the Klineshmitt Still in common use when the NC was built? The problem with storing water for long periods is that the residual organisms continue to grow and multiply, eventually using up the available oxygen in the water. At that point the organisms begin to change from aerobic (oxygen needing) to anaerobic (not needing oxygen) the result is black, stagnant water. Also a point to consider is contamination by salt water, hydrocarbons, contaminates leaching out of the container the water is stored in, the list goes on. Was it
possible that some water remained usable? Certainly. Was it
probable I wouldn't bet on it. Look closely at the condition of the
lifeboat, see how the gunwales are pushed down? Look under the gunwale about two strakes, the wood has popped out strait, I'll bet her back is broken and the bottom has flattened out against the sand. If she had ballast tanks installed, I wonder if they have been opened with the strain? If they
were used to store fresh water (some types of lifeboats did) did the tank break? If the top broke exposing the water in the tank to the atmosphere, the water would become infested with all the above and probably a whole lot more. A castaway would have to find a fork to ingest anything coming out of THAT tank!
ps I just found this :
Risk Analysis of Shipboard Drinking Water