In times of war it is sometimes necessary to stop the enemy ships from entering a harbour. One way to stop them is to stretch an iron chain across the mouth of the harbour, fixed at one side of the harbour, with the other side left so that it could be raised and lowered to let in friendly vessels.
The boom defence chain in the picture shows the preserved links of a river defence chain that was on the Hudson River in New York State in 1778. It defended the river from British ships during the American War of Independence.
The square mooring chain you see pictured is typical of the chain produced by many of the large chain-works in the Black Country. It is made from square iron of about 4ins (100mm) and the Admiralty called for a “3ft (915mm) long clear” in the centre of the link. Chains such as this can be seen hanging from the dockside and are there simply to provide somewhere for ships to tie up, allowing for changes in water levels.
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| Reference: | 681 |
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| Updated: | Wed 5 Mar 2008 - 14 |
| Interpretation written by | Louis Howe |
| Author's organisation | Curatorial |
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