Ocracoke has a long history of connection with the US Coast Guard and its predecessor, the US Lifesaving Service. We recently learned of an absurd lifesaving invention (not surprisingly, never seriously considered by the USLSS.) from 1879 (the Victorians were notorious for wacky inventions!) to be deployed after a shipwreck. The device was a hollow globe made of wood or metal with a hollow mast to provide fresh air, and to allow the occupants (comfortably seated on plush divans, no less!) to hoist distress signals. The inventor advertised that the craft would “never capsize even in the roughest seas.”
Ocracoke has a long history of connection with the US Coast Guard and its predecessor, the US Lifesaving Service. We recently learned of an absurd lifesaving invention (not surprisingly, never seriously considered by the USLSS.) from 1879 (the Victorians were notorious for wacky inventions!) to... See More
Ocracoke has a long history of connection with the US Coast Guard and its predecessor, the US Lifesaving Service. We recently learned of an absurd... See More
