Line thrower
Line throwers are devices for throwing lines to remote positions. Launching methods include guns, rockets, and pneumatics. They are especially useful in marine settings, particularly for rescue operations.
The first successful line thrower was the Manby mortar, invented in 1807.[1]
History
In 1791 John Bell proposed a system to launch a line from a ship in distress to the shore, but this does not seems to have ever been implemented. In the early 19th century however, a range of shore-based systems were developed and deployed for the rescue of sailors from stranded ships—a serious problem in the age of sail and before modern navigation and communication systems.
Examples include:
- Manby mortar, 1808, first use in a rescue,[2] 1814, installed at 59 British rescue stations in the next two years
- Henry Trengrouse's rocket-based system of 1818 had a better range, and was far easier to transport
- Lyle gun, 1877, a small cannon, developed for the United States Life-Saving Service
- Boxer rocket, 1855, a two-stage rocket used in rescue line applications until World War II
Modern systems
Modern rocket-based systems are a common choice for vessels that require a line-throwing apparatus to meet SOLAS requirements,[3] but in the late 1980s, pneumatic line throwers were invented and are preferred in many instances. Shoulder-fired line-throwing guns are available, and there are also slingshot-based systems.
See also
References
- ^ Gilly Pickup, What the British Invented: From the Great to the Downright Bonkers, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2015 ISBN 1445650282.
- ^ "Manby, George William", The New International Encyclopædia, vo. 14, New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1917.
- ^ [1]