Pump Head
Description
Cylindrical and hollowed out at one end, chisel shaped at other end with leather strap around cylindrical end (section removed, see INV.52). Pump mid brown, strap dark brown. Sheen to wood.
This is the head of a suction pump known as a “brake pump”. Although the ship’s main pumps were chain operated, brake pumps were more useful for firefighting as they could deliver water under pressure. This pump may have been part of Invincible’s own equipment or could have been put on board during attempts to salvage her after she struck the sandbank. The pump was an essential piece of equipment on board ship used for emptying the bilges of water. Smaller hand pumps, similar to those used onshore, were placed near the mainmast and used to pump water from the sea for cleaning and firefighting. The pump casing was made from a bored out elm tree and contains a fixed valve box. The simple handle could deliver 25 gallons per minute with a pumping action of around forty strokes a minute. It was a slow and laborious method.
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Object Detail
Diameter: 103mm (4 1/16")
Weight: (1kg)