Breeches Buoy

3D Model

The breeches buoy was developed through the work of Henry Trengrouse and of George Manby of Norfolk. It combined a buoyant ring with weight-bearing breeches, so survivors could withstand the waves and be hauled to shore suspended from communicating ropes.

This gear continued in use in the 20th century, for example in 1912 at the wreck of the Welsh steam collier City of Cardiff. Driven back from Land’s End in a gale, the ship anchored at Nanjizal but was swept onto the rocks; parts of the wreckage can still be seen there.

3D scanned by Tom Goskar (@tomgoskar) as part of the Wreck and Rescue at Gunwalloe project commissioned by Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) and funded by Historic England to mark the 50th anniversary of the Protection of Wrecks Act, 1973.