Chain

A chain is a series of connected links which are typically made of metal. A chain may consist of two or more links.

Two distinct chains can be connected using a quick link which resembles a carabiner with a screw close rather than a latch.

Uses for chain

Uses for chain include:

Decoration

Chains (nautical)

The chains were small platforms, built on either side of the hull of a ship, used to provide a wide purchase for the shrouds, and to assist in the practice of depth sounding.

The chains provided a platform for a 'leadsman', the sailor assigned to swing the sounding line, or 'lead' into the water. The term originated from the practice of the sailor standing between the shrouds when casting the line, which were attached to the hull by chainplates, or, in earlier sailing ships, to lengths of chain along the ship's side. A length of chain was usually fixed at waist height to the stanchions above the chains, as an added safety measure. The chains were common on large sailing vessels, but the role of leadsman and swinging the lead to obtain depth soundings declined with developments in echo sounding, and ships are rarely now equipped with chains.

Notes

References

Chains (1949 film)

Catene (internationally released as Chains) is a 1949 Italian film in the Melodrama genre directed by Raffaello Matarazzo . It had an impressive commercial success, being seen by 6 million people, one in eight Italians of the time, and was followed by a series of other six successful films still directed by Matarazzo and featuring the couple Amedeo Nazzari and Yvonne Sanson. The film was remade in 1974.

The film's sets were designed by the art director Ottavio Scotti.

Plot and outline

A husband kills his wife's ex-boyfriend, who was blackmailing her. He flees to America, but is sent back to Italy to stand trial. The only way he can be set free is if his wife confesses to adultery – so the murder can be considered a crime of passion – but this estranges her from her family. Starring Amedeo Nazzari and actress of Greek origin Yvonne Sanson. Maligned by critics because it did not conform to precepts of neorealism, this did not prevent its unexpected box office success.

Cast