A life-saving rocket – used by the Folkestone Coastguard in Victorian times to save lives from vessels wrecked close to the shore. The rockets were launched from the beach, attached to a length of rope, and aimed at the masts and rigging of the stricken ship. If a line was successfully fired across, a bosun’s chair (a canvas seat suspended on ropes) was attached by which passengers and crew were hauled one at a time back to shore.
