Schermuly Pistol Rocket Apparatus
Schermuly Pistol Rocket Apparatus Ltd · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1920
Also known as: SPRA, Schermuly Line Thrower, Schermuly Rocket Pistol
Overview
The Schermuly Pistol Rocket Apparatus (SPRA) is a British pistol-launched line-throwing and signalling device developed by the Schermuly family in the 1920s. Based on the Webley & Scott brass flare pistol with a steel rocket tube, it fires a blank cartridge whose gases eject a small steel rocket trailing a flexible line and simultaneously ignite the rocket's own propellant for sustained flight. Carrying a line ship-to-shore for breeches-buoy rescue, it became compulsory shipboard safety equipment and saved countless lives at sea. It also served as a signal and distress flare launcher.
Specifications
| Overall Length | 508 mm (20.00") |
| Barrel Length | 343 mm (13.50") |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Effective Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Brass |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- Schermuly line rocket (1 inch blank) · primary — also known as rocket line, signal rocket
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot Break Action
- Features: Break Action, Single Shot, Rocket Line Thrower, Blank Cartridge Ignition, Lifesaving Apparatus
Service history
Operators
- Royal Navy
- British Merchant Navy · adopted 1929
Production
Production years: c.1920-1960s
Produced from the 1920s through the Second World War and beyond; no consolidated totals available.
Origin
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Designer: William Schermuly
Notes
This launches a rocket-propelled line, not a ballistic projectile, so muzzle velocity is not meaningful. Bore is roughly 1 inch (about 27-28mm) at the breech, opening to a 1.75-2 inch rocket tube; barrel/rocket tube around 13.5 inches with an overall pistol-unit length near 20 inches. Operational line-throwing envelope for this class of apparatus extended to roughly 600 yards (~550m). The frequently cited ~29.5 lb figure is the complete cased apparatus, not the pistol alone, so weight is left null. The 'Line Throwing Pistol No.1' military designation is unverified.
Background
In 1929, just 19 days before William Schermuly died, the British Admiralty made line throwers compulsory on all vessels over 500 tons, the very law his lifelong lifesaving crusade had been driving toward.