The whip line ran through a pulley, the whip block, which had a piece of line, the same diameter as the whip, coming off the end of it. The whip line was one long line, ¾” diameter, divided evenly between two large reels on the Beach Apparatus Cart. It was imperative that the shot line could handle the strain of pulling the larger whip line out to the wreck without parting. The goal was to have the shot line lay over the highest part of the ship where the distressed crew would generally seek refuge, and they could make the lifesaving lines fast to affect the rescue.The shot line was used to haul out the next piece of equipment, the whip line, to the wreck. The Whip Reels were solely for storage and transport of the line itself. The Whip Reels were not used to reel the Whip Lines in and out during rescues, this was done by the Surfmen on shore “Shifting on the Whip”, or running with the whip line over his shoulder. The Tail of the Whip, coiled at the right of the photo was attached to the mast of the ship. This block allowed two-way transport of lines, equipment and men to and from the ship. The photo above shows the Whip Block, the Tail of the Whip and Whip Line as each side makes its way back to its respective Reel. However, the projectile from the Lyle Gun weighs 18 pounds due to the momentum required to pull the shot line out to the wreck. If the Lyle Gun were a cannon, it would be considered a “two-pounder”, meaning it would fire about a two pound ball. The projectile, or shot, from the gun, carried the shot line to the wreck when fired from the Lyle Gun. The Lyle Gun could fire about 700 yards, depending on weather conditions and the diameter of shot line used. The Keeper would determine which diameter to use based on a combination of distance to the ship, the wind and ocean current. The shot line needed to be very long, due to being fired from the Lyle Gun, the impact of the wind while airborne, and ocean current when in the sea. The shot line was the smallest diameter of the lines, ranging from ¼” to ½”. The Beach Apparatus consisted of a small, cannon-like gun, the Lyle Gun, which sent the initial line, the shot line, to the distressed ship. It was imperative that the team perform flawlessly and that each man know the job of the man next to him, should one go down or be unavailable. Each piece of equipment had a specific place on the cart and was loaded and unloaded by the Surfman responsible for its placement and use. The Whip Reels mounted on the Beach Apparatus Cart at Chicamacomico.
The Beach Apparatus was the preferred method of rescue employed by the crews, as it was much safer than launching surfboats into violent, storm-tossed seas.
Until their mass-decommissioning in the mid-to-late 1950’s, more than 177,000 lives were saved using the Beach Apparatus and Surfboats of the USLSS and USCG. Beach Apparatus Drill was the weekly practice of this means of rescue, performed every Thursday at 2pm at all USLSS, and later, USCG Stations. Breeches Buoy refers to the specific piece of equipment in which the person being rescued was transferred from ship to shore. Beach Apparatus is the equipment used in the operation. Perfected by the Station Keepers and crews of USLSS Stations in the late 18th century, it remained an integral part of their training and operations until the onset of helicopter rescue by the US Coast Guard in the 1950’s. The Beach Apparatus, also known as the Breeches Buoy or Beach Apparatus Drill, refers to a means of land-based rescue with origins dating back to the 18th century. Each station had a Wreck Pole like the one in the background, this represented the mast of a ship during Beach Apparatus Drills.
The range officer on the dunes assures a clear beach for the projectile to land. See the shot line leading from the faking box at right to the shot, which is lost in the cloud of smoke. The Lyle Gun is fired during a Beach Apparatus Drill at Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station.