Oarlocks on ships boats

[kscadman]

I've been working on a aft ships boat for my Syren and I'm using the 18' yawl shown in the "Anatomy of the Ship - Essex". When looking at the plans for the 18" yawl and the 22' Cutter, it looks to me that the oarlocks were offset from port and aft. Am I correct? If so does anyone have information about it?

 

Thanks to all

 

Richard

[Mark P]

 

 

 

Hi Richard;

 

This is not unusual,  but actually quite normal.

 

The rower would sit on the opposite side of the boat to his 'oarlock',  to give him more leverage to pull a longer oar.  The topmost strake was actually made in a number of removable sections,  and known as the 'wash-strake'.  The gaps between the parts of this formed the openings for the oars.  The wash-strake sat on top of the gunwale,  and slotted into short vertical pieces projecting above this latter,  and known as 'thole-pins'.  These reinforced the openings against the force exerted by the oars when swung back and forth.

 

See also attached picture,  which shows a contemporary model of an Admiral's barge in the NMM collections.  It may take a moment's looking to become clear,  but each rower is seated on the opposite side to his oarlock.

 

Note that there are no wash-strakes in this picture,  except in the bows & stern,  in which case they are known as wash-boards.

 

All the best,

 

Mark P

[druxey]

It depends whether the boat was rowed 'single banked' or 'double banked'. If a rower had an oar in each hand, the rowlocks were opposite each other, but if each rower pulled one oar, the oarlocks alternated port and starboard, as in the photo above.

[allanyed]

Richard

 

According to W. E. May a 32 in about 1781 had a 23/24 foot launch, 30 foot pinnace, and 18 foot cutter.  Cutter replace pinnaces in many cases starting about 1782/83.    Lavery states that yawls were used in place of cutters earlier on.  Neither mentions a 22 foot cutter.   so choose your poison. 

Allan

[kscadman]

Thank you all for your comments, They are most helpful.

 

Mark - Thank you, You have introduced me into a new concept of rowing. If I were to add the wash strakes to my boat then it would be typical for the era and to size boat I am building?

 

druxey - I believe that this boat would have been "double banked"

 

Alan - You sound like a fountain of information. May I pick your brain? I'm currently building the MS USS Syren and I feel there should be a ships boat hanging from the aft davits. Am I correct in this line if thinking? If so, what type of boat would be there?

[allanyed]

Richard,

 

 I quote from W.E. Mays.  In the 1790s an additional system was introduced.  Davits were for the first  time fitted on each quarter of ships for hoisting two of the lighter boats, usually cutters.  ........Boats hoisted at davits came often to be called quarter-boats.   According to Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin this innovation had not yet appeared in 1790.  The earliest example that I have been able to trace was in an order of 1798 that a number of 64-gun ships and some smaller, which were being fitted as transports, should each have a launch, with a jolly boat to stow inside it on the spar-deck, and two 25 foot cutters which were to hang at davits on each quarter.

 

Fixed stern davits were introduced in the 1790s. these were used to handle a sea-boat, most commonly the smallest cutter called the jollyboat.

 

So, Syren of 1782 would not have davits, as-built.  That is not to say they were not added at a later date.    As to being a fountain of information, I just happen to be  lucky enough to have collected several dozen good books.

 

Allan

[kscadman]

Thanks for the information. I've been collecting a few books myself.

So I'm correct in my assumption that a jollyboat was hung from the stern davits? The Syren is circa 1802 so it fits within the timeline you mentioned.

 

Richard

[allanyed]

Richard

 

I am curious as I cannot find anything of an HMS Syren circa 1802.  From what I did find,  Syren of 1782 was in sea service up until she was put to harbor service from 1805 and broken up in 1822.   HMS Siren was to have been a 32-gun fifth-rate, ordered in 1805 but was cancelled in 1806.

 

If Syren 1782 went through refitting after the 1790s she possibly could have had stern davits installed.  I suspect the 18 foot cutter (clinker built) would have been the boat hung from a set of the davits.    The earlier davits were not capable of handling larger boats so the launch and pinnace may not have been hung.  I remember in previous research that 36 gun frigates commonly had only stern davits, thus it may be OK to conclude that there would only be stern davits for the cutter and no quarter davits.   

 

Allan

[kscadman]

Hi Allan, sorry you went thru the trouble. I should have added USS to my initial post. Its the USS Syren kit sold by Model Shipways that I am working on. I'm using The yawl as a pattern for ships boat that will hang from the stern davits. I was looking into using a jolly boat but I found more information for the yawl so I went with that.

 

Richard