Breeches buoy @ Lyle Gun

Breeches buoy-A  circular lifebuoy  used in days now past  by lifesaving crews to extract persons from wrecked vessels, usually a line is fired from a cannon onto the deck of the wrecked vessel.
Lyle Gun-A line-throwing gun is a short-barreled cannon designed to fire a projectile attached to a rope to a boat or victim in distress
Faking Line Box - Board with spindles along the end  to keep the line fair and prevent fouling when projectile is shot  is fired  from the Lyle Gun 

Lyle guns were designed to throw projectiles weighing approximately 18 pounds, carrying heavier rope to ranges as great as 700 yards. Once the line was fired to the ship, shore crews sent out breeches buoy equipment and instructions to the stranded sailors. Once the breeches buoy lines were assembled, the sailors could be removed from the vessel.

The firing of Lyle Gunship to the freighter J.R. Sensibar grounded in Lake Michigan December 1939 by the surf men of the U.S. Coast Guard, The projectiles with line attached is fired over the  stricken vessel , it is possible to effect a rescue without putting a rescue craft in the water and needlessly risking the lives of the rescuers. 

Freighter J.R. SENSIBAR shown grounded in Lake Michigan 4 miles South of Grand Haven. USCG personnel shown readying Breeches Buoy. Last time it was used in Great Lakes. Dec. 7, 1939

 


The 600 toot freighter J.R. SENSIBAR  was being towed into Grand Haven  Michigan when Gale forced wind broke an 8" hawser and set her adrift.

Lyle Gun-                                                                                          Faking Line Box
Life-Saving Beach Cart-

Rescue Boat??

 

Beach cart

Lifeboat Sailors: Disasters, rescues, and the Perilous Future of the Coast Guard's Small Boat Stations

Lifeboat Sailors: Disasters, rescues, and the Perilous Future of the Coast Guard's Small Boat Stations

This the first book on the distinguished past, hazardous present, and uncertain future of an organization whose roots extend back nearly 200 years. Each year, the Coast Guard's powerful motorized lifeboats and other small water craft respond to over 37,000 calls for assistance and help in saving more than 4,000 people in imminent danger. Despite the fact that the small boat stations are the very symbol of rescue upon the water, the public knows little about what takes place in them and about the professionals who put their own lives at risk in this way every day.

A retired member of the Coast Guard, Dennis Noble traveled from unit to unit capturing the stories of their brave crews, riding the waves with the lifeboat sailors who accepted him as one of their own. Movingly he tells of witnessing the tragic deaths of three Coast Guardsmen on a rescue mission - deaths he believes did not have to occur. Lifeboat Sailors bears witness to the courage of a unique breed of seaman and sounds an alarm for the rescue of a cherished American institution.

About the Author
Dennis L. Noble is a retired Coast Guard senior chief with a doctorate in history from Purdue University. He is the author of six books, including That Others Might Live: The U.S. Life-Saving Service, 1878-1914. He lives in Sequim, Washington.

Guardians of the Sea : History of the United States Coast Guard, 1915 to the Present The Coast Guard at War : Vietnam, 1965-1975 The Coast Guardsman's Manual The Hooligan Navy : A True Story About the Old Coast Guard A Deep Blue Sounding : Dark Voyage With the U.S. Coast Guard
That Others Might Live : The U.S. Life-Saving Service, 1878-1915 US Life Saving Service : Heroes, Rescues, and Architecture of the Early Coast Guard Coming Back Alive The Barque of Saviors: Eagle's Passage from the Nazi Navy to the U.S. Coast Guard Coast Guard Action in Vietnam : Stories of Those Who Served
 

 

http://www.schoonerman.com/sailingterms/breeches_buoy.htm