rail function

[MESSIS]

Would anyone please be so kind to exhplain whats the function of the that wooden piece comming down to the gunwale?

 

Christos

Edited April 14, 2019 by MESSIS

[Cabbie]

Hi Christos, Using my building brain would it be a brace?

Edit, Though a pair would be better

Edited April 14, 2019 by Cabbie

[MESSIS]

@CabbieThx Cabbie for responding. A brace... ok, but doing what? 

 

Christos

[wefalck]

Could enlighten us to what ships this pertains. This always helps to understand functions. Also, it would be good to know, where on the ship this is located.

[Jaager]

The gunports are very close to the deck.  Looks like small caliber guns on skids.  Iron hammock braces on top of the rail and drawn skewed to show their construction.  The curved piece looks like the end moulding of a bulwark, but nothing ekse supports that.  The number of lines at the rail and the hanging knees below,  could be a partial spar deck over the gunports.  I would guess 1835 +/- 15 years.

[MESSIS]

Thank you gentlemen for joining and trying to help me out.

 

@wefalck

Thats frigate Le Concord, French navy, build 1779. Its the gunnwale on the main deck, in front of the opening to the lower boat deck.

 

@Jaager  Additionally to the above the cannons are 12 lb cannons 

 

Christos

[popeye2sea]

My guess is that it is a fashion piece at the end of the top rail.  It is not exactly clear on this drawing which is inboard and which is outboard.  But there is a gangway and a couple of ladders there.  Above one ladder at the end of the cap rail has plain stanchions and above the other ladder is a timber head.  Is there a companion ladder on the outside of the hull that comes up to this point.  It is also interesting how the perspective changes for the hammock cranes at this point.

[BANYAN]

Another possibility, but less likely, is hat it may simply be a 'bent' rising timber to allow for the lead of some rigging such as braces etc? 

 

cheers

 

Pat

[mtaylor]

I've checked with my French ships plans and books.   If you look at (and there should be one) a top view and compare it to the side view, it's a wooden railing with metal stanchions (the pieces that look to be a "U").  One end of the "U" has and smaller "u" on top to hold the rail.  It appears that the other end is set into a hole in the bottom of the rail.   Boutriot's The 74 Gun Ship makes note of them as the rail and stanchions being removable when to allow better handing of the ship's boats.  That "s" shaped bit you're referencing is probably pined (?) or inset to the deck and rail and keeps the whole thing from wobbling.  I'm just not sure what kind of hardware (bolts? screw? wooden pins?) would be used to assemble it.

 

Sadly, there are no detailed plans I can find for this thing, just similar drawings.  

[MESSIS]

@popeye2sea thank you for droping by, here is a picture of a fellow modeler build...there  its seems you are right.

@BANYAN thanks for the thought...  I really dont know.

@mtaylor thank you for your effort. ''keeps the whole thing from wobbling''.... sounds reasonable. Have a look at the picture of a fellow builder below.

[mtaylor]

That's an interesting photo, Messis.   But I'm not sure that rail was actually as the photo shows.   There's an opening in the rail in the photo but the drawing indicates it's a continuous rail.    Hmm....  

 

Popeye2Sea... there are no hammock cranes.  In that period, the French didn't use hammocks.  The crew basically slept where ever they could.. on the deck, on the cables, barrels, etc. stowed in the hold, just about any place available.  But.. definitely not on the quarter deck or in "officer country".  As for the plan, that one is from the "inside" looking out.   

[MESSIS]

@mtaylor you are definitely correct with all of the above. Yes it seems the picture isnt corresponding to the drawing.

 

I tend to believe that popeye2sea was right guessing that is probably "fashion piece".

 

Thank you very much for working on my question.... I though it was all about a very simple answer, which just  was beyond my knowledge... it turns up

, it is not that case. It sadly remains unanswered 😟 for the time being

 

Christos