A rescue system The present invention concerns a device being suitable for securing and localising individuals having suffered shipwreck at sea. Such a device comprises an elongated floating line with a number of gripping loops, where the line is equipped in one of its ends with a drift anchor and being connected in its other end to a floating buoy, and wherein the buoy at the line's one end is connected via a catch line and an intermediate swivel.

Previously there are known devices for saving individuals having suffered shipwreck at sea. Thus it is known from NO patent application 1994 3608 a floating saving line that may be inflated and a launching device for this. However, here no total assembly of a lifeline is disclosed, even if it is suggested that a network of line would be advantageous at a shipwreck both for collecting the shipwrecked persons, for ensuring contact between these, mutual warmth, etc.

From US patent 4.702. 715 it is known a rescue device using an inflatable floating buoy and a radio transmitter, but this rescue device is meant for individual use, and a separate drifting of the shipwrecked persons from the location of the shipwreck has not been considered.

From US patent 5.480. 332 it is known a device for saving several people. Such a device being disclosed here is, however, suitable for rescue operations performed by a beach guard ashore by swimming out to the one or several people in distress, and is obviously not considered or suitable for saving shipwrecked people far at sea and/or in cold water where it is a danger of quick hypothermia so that a longer swim is not an option.

Even if there previously are known several devices for rescuing shipwrecked persons, none of these have comprised

the components being necessary for a total rescue of the shipwrecked persons. With a total rescue in this connection is meant that as large a number as possible may be collected, determined with respect to position, and picked up without the shipwrecked persons having a too lard deviation with respect to the area of the shipwreck.

In a shipwreck the situation is often that the weather is bad, possibly with large waves, the sight is bad, it is cold both in the air and in the sea, and additionally there may be currents in the water dispersing the shipwrecked persons over large sea area. In this situation it is of significant importance for the rescue crew that the shipwrecked persons may conserve their warmth, that they may keep together both for easing the task of the rescue crew at the collection of the people in distress, and that the people in distress may talk together and keep their spirits up, and that they may be localised and that they do not float too far away from the area where the relevant vessel was shipwrecked.

The first item, namely that the distressed persons are to keep their body heat, is often ensured by the persons wearing survival suits and/or floating suits keeping the relevant person both warm and afloat. Such a suit does, however, not prevent the problem of spreading the people in distress and finding them.

Thus, there exists a need for a device addressing all these aspects of a rescue action.

According to the present invention it is this produced a device comprising at least an elongated buoyant line with a number of holding loops, where the line at one of its end is equipped with a drifting anchor and at its other end is connected to a floating buoy, and where the buoy at the end of the line is connected to the line through a swivel. The

invention will be explained infra with reference to the accompanying figures wherein: Fig. 1 shows the assembly of the rescue device according to the invention.

In the figure there is shown a rescue rope or rescue line 1 being equipped with a number of holding loops 2 for people in distress. The holding loops 2 will be suitable for the shipwrecked persons to hold on to, or there may be included snap hooks or straps to the loops 2 from corresponding devices in survival vests/rescue vests.

The rescue line 1 may be made of a buoyant material, but will preferably also be equipped with floaters 3 for increasing the floating properties of the rescue device according to the invention. The floaters 3 may also in themselves be made of a reflecting and/or luminous material. Additionally it is advantageous that the rescue rope is supplied with as large floating properties as possible for keeping the persons in distress afloat as well as giving a feeling of safety for the person getting a hold of the rescue rope/line.

It is also preferred that the rescue rope/line has reflecting and/or luminous areas and/or is made of a light or a material that is easily spotted so that it is more easily found in the dark.

Te rescue device according to the invention is additionally, apart from the rescue rope/line 1 with holding loops 2 and floaters 3, equipped with a floating buoy 4 in its one end. It is necessary to equip the rescue rope/line with such a buoy to let the people in distress have an object rising up over the water surface and towards which it is possible to swim. Between the floating buoy 4 and the line 1 there is located a catching line 5 for catching the rescue rope/line 1. The catching line 5 is

mounted to the rescue rope/line 1 via a swivel 6 for preventing the rescue rope/line from twisting by the rotation of the buoy 4 or by rotation of the rescue rope/line 1 relatively to the buoy 4.

In its other end the rescue rope/line 1 is equipped with a drifting anchor 7 preventing any significant drifting of the rescue rope/line 1 from the location of the shipwreck.

Additionally the location of a drifting anchor 7 in the one end of the rescue rope/line 1 will make the line stretch so that it becomes easier to get hold of it. For the purpose of stretching the line, the buoy 4 will also assist with this since the buoy 4 will be pulled by the wind and stretch the line between the buoy 4 and the drifting anchor 7. The drifting anchor 7 is secured to a second swivel 9.

To the drifting anchor 7 a second buoy 8 is secured. This buoy will ease the recovery of the drifting anchor and additionally function as a goal towards which the people in distress may swim. Between the second buoy 8 and the drifting anchor 7 there is located a line 11 for retrieving the buoy 8 and the drifting anchor 7.

For better to localise the rescue device according to the invention, it is preferred that the line 1 is secured to a distress call emitter/distress call buoy 10. Such a distress call emitter/distress cal buoy 10 will be connected to the rescue line/rope 1 via two swivels 9, 9', one on each side of the distress call emitter, for preventing this to become submerged by the rescue line/rope twisting. It is insignificant whether or not the distress call emitter 10 is located at the and of the rescue line 1 being farthest away from or closest to the drifting anchor 7. The distress call emitter 10 may also form an object towards which the people in distress may swim since it will rise above the water surface. The distress call emitter 10 may, in addition to position-determining equipment (e. g. a radio transmitter) be equipped with a blinking light and/or sound signal.

A rescue system as disclosed supra is preferred to be used for up to about 20 persons, but is will also be possible to structure the system for a larger or smaller number of persons according to need. On larger vessels it will be possible to store a larger number of rescue lines/ropes as disclosed supra, where a number of such devices are thrown or ejected into the sea in a shipwreck. It may also be possible to store such rescue ropes/lines in self- activating storage containers that open when they come into contact with water so that the rescue device according to the invention floats up. Such self-activating storage containers are known within the state of the art.