Lindholme Gear

Last updated

Lindholme Gear (also known as Air Sea Rescue Apparatus Mk 4) was a British air-dropped rescue equipment designed during the Second World War to aid survivors in the water and was still in use in the 21st century. [1] [2]

Contents

Design and development

The Lindholme Gear was developed at RAF Lindholme by Group Captain Waring during the 1940s to provide a simpler rescue system than the air-dropped lifeboats then in use. [3] The Lindholme Gear is five cylinder-shaped containers joined together by lengths of floating rope. [1] The centre container would house a nine-man inflatable dinghy with the other containers housing survival equipment such as emergency rations and clothing. [1] The containers were discarded containers from the tail-units of 500lb and 250lb bombs. [4]

Operation

The Gear would be carried in the weapons bay of the aircraft and dropped in a long line up-wind of the survivors. The Dinghy would inflate on impact and then drift towards the survivors. The survivors could then use the dinghy, haul in the containers of equipment, and await rescue. [1]

The Lindholme Gear was originally designed to be carried by Handley Page Hampden aircraft [5] but was mainly carried by Royal Air Force maritime patrol aircraft like the Vickers Warwick and later the Avro Lancaster, Avro Shackleton and Hawker Siddeley Nimrod. The Gear was also used by the Royal Canadian Air Force [2] and the South African Air Force Avro Shackleton. [6] Lindholme gear was also carried in the bomb bay by the Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol aircraft Lockheed P-3B & P-3C Orions, consisting of two 10-man liferafts and two stores containers; this equipment was later replaced by ASRK (Air Sea Rescue Kits).[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker Siddeley Nimrod</span> Maritime patrol aircraft family by Hawker Siddeley, later British Aerospace

The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod is a retired maritime patrol aircraft developed and operated by the United Kingdom. It was an extensive modification of the de Havilland Comet, the world's first operational jet airliner. It was originally designed by de Havilland's successor firm, Hawker Siddeley; further development and maintenance work was undertaken by Hawker Siddeley's own successor companies, British Aerospace and, later, BAE Systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro Lancaster</span> World War II British heavy bomber aircraft

The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro Shackleton</span> British long-range maritime patrol aircraft

The Avro Shackleton is a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) which was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the South African Air Force (SAAF). It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber, which itself had been a development of the famous wartime Avro Lancaster bomber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime patrol aircraft</span> Military aircraft designed to reconnoiter oceans and other bodies of water

A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over water in maritime patrol roles — in particular anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-ship warfare (AShW), and search and rescue (SAR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rescue</span> Operations for life saving, removal from danger and liberation from restrain

Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, removal from danger, liberation from restraint, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an incident. It may be facilitated by a range of tools and equipment necessary to deal with the specific circumstances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro Lincoln</span> British four-engined heavy bomber in service 1945-1963

The Avro Type 694 Lincoln is a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were initially known as the Lancaster IV and V; these were renamed Lincoln I and II. It was the 2nd last piston-engined bomber operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vickers Warwick</span> British multi-purpose twin-engined military aircraft of the Second World War

The Vickers Warwick was a multi-purpose twin-engined British aircraft developed and operated during the Second World War. In line with the naming convention followed by other RAF heavy bombers of the era, it was named after a British city or town, in this case Warwick. The Warwick was the largest British twin-engined aircraft to see use during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadair CP-107 Argus</span> Type of aircraft

The Canadair CP-107 Argus is a maritime patrol aircraft designed and manufactured by Canadair for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The Argus served throughout the Cold War in the RCAF's Maritime Air Command and later the Canadian Force's Maritime Air Group and Air Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 11 Squadron RAAF</span> Royal Australian Air Force squadron

No. 11 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) maritime patrol squadron based at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia. It was formed in 1939 and has seen active service in World War II, East Timor, the War on Terrorism and the 2003 Gulf War. The squadron became known to the public through its participation in the Great Southern Ocean rescues of wrecked sailors, such as Tony Bullimore and Isabelle Autissier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air-sea rescue</span> Coordinated search and rescue of survivors at sea

Air-sea rescue, and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people who have survived the loss of their seagoing vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplanes, helicopters, submarines, rescue boats and ships. Specialized equipment and techniques have been developed. Both military and civilian units can perform air-sea rescue. Its principles are laid out in the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual. The International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue is the legal framework that applies to international air-sea rescue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lifeboat (shipboard)</span> Small boat carried on a ship for emergency evacuation

A lifeboat or liferaft is a small, rigid or inflatable boat carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard a ship. Lifeboat drills are required by law on larger commercial ships. Rafts (liferafts) are also used. In the military, a lifeboat may double as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors usually carry inflatable liferafts, though a few prefer small proactive lifeboats that are harder to sink and can be sailed to safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-1 lifeboat</span> Powered lifeboat for air drop deployment

The A-1 lifeboat was a powered lifeboat that was made to be dropped by fixed-wing aircraft into water to aid in air-sea rescue operations. The sturdy airborne lifeboat was to be carried by a heavy bomber specially modified to handle the external load of the lifeboat. The A-1 lifeboat was intended to be dropped by parachute during Dumbo missions to land within reach of the survivors of an accident on the ocean, specifically airmen survivors of an emergency water landing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Search and Rescue Force</span> British helicopter organisation, 1941-2016

The Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Force was the Royal Air Force organisation which provided around-the-clock aeronautical search and rescue cover in the United Kingdom, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands, from 1986 until 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumbo (air-sea rescue)</span>

Dumbo was the code name used by the United States Navy during the 1940s and 1950s to signify search and rescue missions, conducted in conjunction with military operations, by long-range aircraft flying over the ocean. The purpose of Dumbo missions was to rescue downed American aviators as well as seamen in distress. Dumbo aircraft were originally land-based heavy bomber aircraft converted to carry an airborne lifeboat to be dropped in the water near survivors. The name "Dumbo" came from Walt Disney's flying elephant, the main character of the animated film Dumbo, appearing in October 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airborne lifeboat</span> Lifeboat dropped by an aircraft to assist in rescue operations

Airborne lifeboats were powered lifeboats that were made to be dropped by fixed-wing aircraft into water to aid in air-sea rescue operations. An airborne lifeboat was to be carried by a heavy bomber specially modified to handle the external load of the lifeboat. The airborne lifeboat was intended to be dropped by parachute to land within reach of the survivors of an accident on the ocean, specifically airmen survivors of an emergency water landing. Airborne lifeboats were used during World War II by the United Kingdom and on Dumbo rescue missions by the United States from 1943 until the mid-1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 279 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

No 279 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force air-sea rescue squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed on 16 November 1941 and disbanded on 10 March 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Air Force Marine Branch</span> Air-sea rescue service

The Marine Branch (1918–1986) was a branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF) which operated watercraft in support of RAF operations. Just days after the creation of the RAF itself, the Marine Craft Section (MCS) was created with the transfer of Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) vessels and personnel to the new service. Originally tasked with the support of RNAS, and later RAF, seaplanes, Marine Craft Section was to achieve its greatest size during the Second World War, and achieved fame for its role in air-sea rescue operations. After the war MCS was granted full branch status on 11 December 1947; however, post-war the role of the new branch became greatly reduced with the end of the British Empire, the withdrawal of flying boats from service, and the increasing use of helicopters in air-sea rescue. The branch was disestablished on 8 January 1986.

Radar, Air-to-Surface Vessel, or ASV radar for short, is a classification used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to refer to a series of aircraft-mounted radar systems used to scan the surface of the ocean to locate ships and surfaced submarines. The first examples were developed just before the opening of World War II and they have remained a major instrument on patrol aircraft since that time. It is part of the wider surface search radar classification, which includes similar radars in ground and ship mountings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air-Sea Warfare Development Unit RAF</span> Former Royal Air Force Coastal Command Unit

Air-Sea Warfare Development Unit RAF (ASWDU) was a research and development unit of the Royal Air Force, within RAF Coastal Command, it was operational from December 1940 and disbanded in April 1970.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Wet Work". Flight International : 617. 22 October 1954.
  2. 1 2 "Canadian Air Men Cheat Davey Jones" (PDF). The Millburn & Short Hills Item: 14. 21 May 1943.
  3. Pitchfork, Graham (October 2006). "Training and Survival Aids". The Royal Air Force Historical Survey (40): 62–63. ISSN   1361-4231.
  4. Daniels, Stephen Brewster (1994). Rescue from the skies : the story of the airborne lifeboats. London: H.M.S.O. p. 5. ISBN   0-11-772761X.
  5. "Early history and formation of the Air/Sea Rescue Service, 1919 to 1941". Air/Sea Rescue. Whitehall, London: Air Ministry. 1952. p. 8.
  6. AVRO Shackleton. Crowood Aviation Series. 2002. p. 114.