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.
![](../I/m/US_Navy_101018-N-5538K-071_Aviation_Ordnanceman_Eric_C._Bell_fires_a_shot_line_from_the_starboard_side_of_the_forward-deployed_amphibious_assault_s.jpg)
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.
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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.