Content can be downloaded for non-commercial purposes, such as for personal use or in educational resources.
For commercial purposes please contact the copyright holder directly.
Read more about the The Creative Archive Licence.
Description
This wooden board gives instructions in four languages (English, German, French and Dutch) for using the hawser (a thick rope that supports the lifebelt and other equipment). The coastguard had rocket life-saving apparatus to fire the hawser across a stricken ship to establish a line which could be used to save the sailors. The 'tail-block' and 'whip' are part of the pulley system set up to haul the rope.
The instructions state:
"MAKE THIS HAWSER FAST ABOUT 2 FEET ABOVE THE TAIL BLOCK. CAST OFF WHIP FROM HAWSER. SEE ALL CLEAR AND THAT THE ROPE IN THE BLOCK RUNS FREE. AND SHOW SIGNAL TO THE SHORE.
BEFESTIGT DIESE TROSSE ET WA 2 FUSS OBERHALB DES STEERTBLOCKS. LOESE DIE TROSSE VON DER LEINE. ACHTET DARAUF DASS ALLES KLAR LAUFT UND NACH VORSCHRIFT BEFESTIGT IST. UND GEBT SIGNAL NACH DEM LANDE."
On the reverse is written:
"AMARRER L'HAUSSIERE A DEUX PIEDS ENVIRON AU DESSUS DE LA POULIEA FOUET DETACHER LE VA-ET-VIENT DE L'HAUSSIERE. VOIR QUE RIEN N'ENGAGE ET QUELE VE-ET-VIENT COURT LIBREMENT DANS LA POULIE ET FAIRE SIGNAL A TERRE.
FŒST DENNE TROSSE OMTRENT 2 FOD OVER ST JERTE BLOKKEN. KAST AF ENKLE JOLLEN FRA TROSSEN PAS PAA AT ALT ER KLART. OG AT TROSSEN LOBER FRIT I BLOKKEN SIGNALISER SAA TIL LAND."
The owner was with H.M. Coastguard from 1968-96 as a voluntary auxiliary coastguard. Penarth station covered Bendricks Rocks in Barry up to Newport and included the mouths (up to tidal limits) of the Ely, Rumney, Usk and Ebbw rivers, Sully Island and Cardiff Docks. The Coastguards’ role was to be the eyes and ears of shipping. They never went to sea (which was the responsibility of lifeboats) but could go in the surf, the beach and on cliffs. Their aim was search and rescue; their purpose was to save the people, not the vessels. They manned the Coastguard station as lookouts when the wind reached Force 6 or above on the Beaufort scale or when a gale (Force 8) was forecast. Most of this equipment was scrapped or withdrawn in the 1980s when it was replaced by helicopters etc.
Cardiff Story Museum, CARCM: 2010.55
--------------------------------------------------
Copyright statement: we made the best endeavours to discover the rights holders of the items on display. In instances where the rights holder could not be found, or the work was unattributed, we kindly request that anyone with information regarding the item contact us. Anyone believing that they are the rights holder should follow the ‘notice and take-down’ policy (below).
Notice and take-down: should you identify any unlawful content published by VCS Cymru Chronicle on the People’s Collection Wales website, such as material that infringes copyright, you should notify VCS Cymru and ask for the material to be removed.
Do you have information to add to this item? Please leave a comment
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to leave a comment