Charles W. Morgan rigging

[Ed Mostowicz]

Hello, all. New to MSW and the forums here. Looks like a great site from what I've read - okay lurked about - so far.

 

I'm doing my 2nd rebuild of the old Marine Models kit of the Morgan. I rig my models with scale size line or as close to scale size as I can. I usually start with one of the references on my shelf - Lee's Masting and Rigging, Biddlecombe's masting and Rigging, Steel, Underhill, etc. - and work out the sizes of line required, but they all concern warships or merchants of an earlier era than the Morgan and certainly none of them mention whaling ships.

 

I was wondering if anyone could direct me to a source for the sizes of rigging used on the ship. Or if I can use the merhant ship information in Underhill's Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier for instance. I contacted Mystic Seaport and they were no help; maybe I asked the wrong person.

 

Regards,

Ed.

[mgdawson]

Hi Ed

 

Can't help with specific sizes but I have some photos that may help with perspective, I've sent you a PM.

 

Mark D

[JerseyCity Frankie]

The Morgan is leaving Mystic for the first  time since ??? on Saturday the 17th of May! I agree its hard to find stuff on whalers. On the other hand, a lot of writers agree that whalers were highly individualized in terms of the gear they carried and this means you would be afforded more artistic license rigging a whaler than if you were rigging almost any other type of ship. The Yankee Whaler by Clifford Ashley is a great book about whalers written by a remarkable man who not only has written the best book about knots ever written And was a highly accomplished artist he also sailed on a whaler as crew, so his perspective is unique and very valuable. Unfortunately The Yankee Whaler doesn't go into much detail about specific rigging  details other than the tackle for the blubber hook which I suspect you already know about.

[Ed Mostowicz]

Thanks for the offer, mark, but I'm really looking for specific sizes. I have a unch of photos from a previous visit as well. They're geat for placement of gear, belaying points, deck arrangement, etc., but you can't really get rope sizing form them.

 

Ed.

[Ed Mostowicz]

Thank you as well, Frankie. I wasn't aware of Ashley's whaler book. I'll have to look for it. I was deciding to just go with the information that I have and hope for the best and your remarks make me feel better about that decision. I'm using standing rigging sizes for 300-400 ton ships in Underhill's Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier. It should be alright. Running rigging is some ways off and i'll work up something when I get there.

 

Ed.