Lyle gun

It was invented by Captain David A. Lyle, US Army, a graduate of West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was used from the late 19th century to 1952, when it was replaced by rockets for throwing lines.

[1] Earlier line thrower designs date back to the late 18th century, with the Manby mortar saving lives as early as 1808 when the crew of a brig was rescued at Yarmouth by the use of the device fired from a carriage gun and supervised by captain George Manby.

[4] Sumner Increase Kimball, the first and subsequently only superintendent of the United States Life-Saving Service, wanted to find a better line-throwing device.

Kimball engaged the help of the United States Army Board of Ordnance and in 1877 they assigned David A. Lyle (1845–1937), a first lieutenant, who began research and testing that resulted in reliable efficient designs.

The Surfmen would set up and fire the Lyle gun, aiming over the stranded or wrecked vessel and then pull the line within reach of the victims.

Famous names included American Manufacturing, Galbraith, General Ordnance, Naval Company, Sculler and Steward.

The Lyle gun was just one component of the items carried on the beach cart; many other pieces of equipment were crucial to the proper execution of the beach-based rescue.

[5] The breeches buoy drill, as it was sometimes called, was practiced by the Keeper and all surfmen every Thursday at 2 pm as per the manual at all stations.

Other items on the beach apparatus equipment list included: "Make the tail of this block fast to the lower mast well up.