In this photo you can see the Lyle gun. The Lyle gun was a projectile gun which shot out a rope to 700 yards away, and they would use this rope, along with 3 others that are shot, to create a Breeches Buoy. Once the Breeches Buoy had been built, victims of a boat wreckage could pull themselves to safety. The projectiles were made out of cast iron and the line was held in place on the sinking ship by a wrought iron eye bolt. After each shot, the amount of gunpowder used would cause the gun to recoil to about 6 feet. But in 1952, they would switch out the throwing lines for rockets to give it better range.
The Lyle gun was commissioned by the first superintendent of the U.S Life Saving Service, Sumner Kimball, Kimball wanted a better line-throwing device, to do so he would need an artillery expert, so he sought the help of the Army Board of Ordnance and in 1877 they assigned David Lyle. Lyle developed 3 bronze smooth bore guns of different sizes and the 2 1/2 inch thick bore became the standard life gun for the U.S. Life Saving Service. If I were
to place a date on this photo, I would say mid to late 1895.
to place a date on this photo, I would say mid to late 1895.
