Schermuly Pistol Rocket Apparatus (SPRA)
- Category
- Firearms Shotguns
- Classification
- No PAL Required
- Action
- Single-shot
- Manufacturer
- (other)
- Caliber
- (other)
- Hand
- Right Handed or Ambidextrous
- Status
- Used
This obscure looking firearm is actually a cable launcher which was designed in the 1920s by the inventor William Schermuly. Developed for ship-to-shore or ship-to-ship rescue, the Schermuly Pistol Rocket Apparatus and its rocket launched cable allowed stricken crew to be hauled ashore in rescue buoys.
Although Schermuly’s apparatus became a popular and compulsory piece of maritime safety equipment from the 1930s onwards, rocket launched rescue cables had been in practical operation in New Zealand since the 1860s most notably by the “Timaru Rocket Brigade.”
These rockets pre-date Schermuly’s first prototypes by 20 years. However, these cables were largely launched from shore-to-ship or from rescue boats rather than from the stricken ship itself
