Object data
iron, brass and rope
height 22 cm × width 10.8 cm × depth 7.9 cm
Augustus Frederick Kynaston
Slip Hook for Lifeboats
Plymouth, 1855
Provenance
...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883
Object number: NG-MC-1000-1
Copyright: Public domain
Entry
Iron slip hook or pelican hook.
The object consists of three main parts: a hook with a sheave at the straight end that turns on an axle situated in the bend; a frame made of two metal strips, connected with the axle of the hook at one end and at the other with a sheave and a shackle; and two metal discs embracing the frame and hook and turning on an axle fastened to the hook. The primary purpose of the discs is to prevent obstacles from getting caught in the hook. The hook is fastened to the lifeboat with the shackle. A pin through the discs secures the hook in a closed position and has to be removed before lowering the boat. To open the hook, the line running over the sheaves of the hook and frame is released: the weight of the lifeboat will make the hook turn on its axle, releasing the tackle of the davit. Two handles on the discs ease the operation of the hook. Two extra lines are attached to the eyes at both ends of the axle of the frame’s sheave.
This slip hook was tested on several Dutch naval vessels in 1859, and soon afterwards it was adopted by the Navy.
Literature
G.P.J. Mossel, Handleiding tot de kennis van het schip, Amsterdam 1859, pp. 391-93, fig. 271; J.M. Obreen et al., handwritten inventory list for items 944 to 1431, 1884, manuscript in HNA 476 RMA, inv. no. 1089, no. 1000
Citation
J. van der Vliet, 2016, 'Augustus Frederick Kynaston, Slip Hook for Lifeboats, Plymouth, 1855', in J. van der Vliet and A. Lemmers (eds.), Navy Models in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.244814
(accessed 26 April 2024 21:10:45).