Thursday, August 15, 2019
This afternoon we visited the Chickamacomico US Life Saving Station to see a reenactment of how they used to save people from shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean. The NC coast is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. This was the first of twenty-nine stations set up on the coastline. They have saved 177,286 of 178,741 endangered people. That’s a great track record. They used to do this practice drill weekly on Mondays and Thursdays. Volunteers still do the drill on Thursday afternoons at 2:00pm. If you’re at the Outer Banks, definitely make a visit.
Here’s a youtube video about the station.
In 1915 the United States Coast guard merged with the United States Life Saving Service.
Here are some photos we took today.
View towards the beach from the museum.
In the museum
Communication room
The lifesavers would wind their rope on this “loom” and then flip it over in the box lid that it got carried out in. Then when it was shot out (via a cannon) it would not get tangled as it traveled to the shipwreck.
This is the seat that the victims would ride down on a zip line from the shipwreck to the sandy beach.
There are several buildings on the property where the people worked and lived at the station.
This is the life saving cart that carried the tools for the men to use to save people from shipwrecks. Each life-saving station had 7 miles of sea line to patrol. Which means they potentially had to drag that cart 3.5 miles north or south on the beach sand to a shipwreck.
USLSS does NOT stand for useless but United States Life Saving Service.(0:
This is a model of how they set up the ropes and pulley system on the beach to rescue people from the sea. The mast at the top of the photo represents the mast of the ship that was wrecked in the sea.
Before the drill, we got a little history lesson on the porch.
Then we all followed the crew out towards the beach. The volunteers pulled the cart out into the sand to recreate a rescue on the beach.
They explained each of their duties and the equipment that they use.
The cannon designed to shoot a weight with a rope tied that they shot at the shipwreck.
They have put up a “mast” in the sand for the reenactment. It represented the mast of the ship in distress in the ocean.
Then afterwards, afterwards they have to pack it all back up. Donald and the kids helped.
They told us this guy hasn’t let anyone else wrap his rope in 3 years…
He allowed Josiah
This board had directions printed on it and sent out to the shipwreck on the ropes so that the distressed ship mates could read and then tie off the ropes that the Life Savers had shot out to them in the storm.
Uncovering the anchor for the ropes and pulleys.
Jeremiah demonstrating the “breeches bouy”. It is the device that the people on the ship would sit in to zip line down off the ship and onto the beach on the ropes the Life Savers set up.
Jeremiah makes everything fun.
Beating the sand off the ropes before they are wound up on the spool. Any extra sand adds weight to the cart.
Driving the cart back to the shed it is kept in. Notice the guys in white in the back celebrating that they don’t have to drive the cart back through the sand.(0:
Hanging out with the crew afterwards.
We went for a late lunch at a local pizza place.
Pretty picture at sunset at the campground.
Pretty amazing. Love it!