typical stowage hammock stowage...How was it done? (Edited by admin)

[bluenose2]

Hello Les here. I have seen pictures of the hammocks stored on the rails above deck. Would this be a typical stowage? Seems to me that under sail these would get wet. Would they have been hanged up for airing or just stowed below decks?

[jbshan]

The hammocks would be covered in the hammock nettings by a canvas trough with a 'lid' on top that could be lashed down.

[bluenose2]

Hello Les here. How would they have been secured to the railing? 

Edited November 5, 2016 by bluenose2

[HIPEXEC]

There's nets attached to the hammock rails. The hammocks are rolled and shoved in from the top. They can also be covered. They are always "piped up"  before combat so the hammocks can act as a shrapnel barrier.

[Tadeusz43]

Hi,

Hammock storage racks on various ships

 

HMS Victory

HMS Warrior

HMS Gannet

Jylland

 

Tadeusz

[bluenose2]

Hello Tadeusz. Les here. Thnx for the photos. 

[bluenose2]

Hello Tadeusz. Les here. Question. Would all ships of the 1700's have had hammock netting? I don't see this on any ship building plans I have.

[Tadeusz43]

Hi B2,

HMS Victory was constructed in 1700 ( launched in 1765 ).

 

Tadeusz

[Worldway]

Where would they have assembled the hammocks for sleep?

[jbshan]

Hi, Derek.

The crew was divided into two watches, port and starboard.  One half was always 'on deck', the other half 'below'.  For berthing purposes, they were split into pairs with one from each watch.  That pair's hammocks were slung next to each other and were stowed in the nettings together.  At the appropriate time, the off watch partner would go to the nettings and take his and his partner's hammocks below, hanging each from the hooks, battens, whatever.  He unrolled his and left his partner's lashed up into a tube.  When the watch changed, the one who had been on deck unlashed his hammock and slept, while the one who had been below went on deck for his watch.  There were thus only half the hammocks being used at any one time.

There is additional info in 'Most Fortunate Ship', about USF Constitution by Cmdr. Ty Martin, including fire watches, sentries, meals, etc.

[piratepete007]

Out of interest and adding to jbshan's comments, the following diagram shows the hammock layout with colour coding on the lower deck of 'Bedford' (1775), a 70 gun Third Rate, two decker. It is thought that the hammocks indicated in blue represent the sailors; those in red, the marines.[the diagram and text comes from the Picture Library of the Royal Museums Greenwich and is subject to copyright].

Edited January 26, 2017 by piratepete007

[druxey]

Marines were usually quartered aft. Petty officers were allowed a bit more elbow room.