Manby Mortar 7.15.16

sketchfab

Manby Mortar 7.16 This Scaled Model showcases an example of a Manby Mortar used as a lifesaving device from 1808 until the late 1800s. The mortar deployed a ball and chain shot to tow a rope, firing out to stranded and wrecked ships in order to provide a lifeline for sailors awaiting rescue. Invented by English officer George William Manby in 1807 after witnessing a ship's grounding just 100 yards from shore that resulted in the loss of 67 men, women, and children, the mortar was dedicated to saving stranded sailors and passengers. Used by shore-based life-saving crews until the invention of the Lyle Gun in 1877, this example is on display at the US Life-Saving Service Museum (a precursor to the U.S. Coast Guard) within the Maritime Museum at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore, Michigan.