Crowsfeet on the HMS Victory?

[rkwz]

I am in the middle of rigging the AIRFIX HMS Victory, referencing Noel Hackney's manual. One of the steps requires crowsfeet to be rigged for all 3 masts, but I couldn't find any reference to this in Longridge's The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships...

 

Can anyone provide any suggestions whether I should go ahead and rig them or leave it as is? (Ideally would like my model to be a representation of its condition during the Battle of Trafalgar minus any damage 😁)

 

 

Cheers,

[Jim Lad]

Can't give you a definitive answer, but James Lees, in his book, "The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War" states that crows feet were generally not in use after the end of the eighteenth century and they are certainly not rigged on 'Victory' as she is preserved today - supposedly as she was at Trafalgar.

 

John

[Morgan]

None of the preparatory field works of the contemporary great artists who sketched Victory during the campaign of Trafalgar (1803 - 1805) show her with crows feet, these were Turner, Constable and Pocock, you’ll not get better eyewitnesses.
 

Gary

 

 

[rkwz]

Thank you John and Gary for sharing your thoughts on this. Much appreciated! 

[Larry Cowden]

On 8/2/2020 at 12:00 AM, rkwz said:

I am in the middle of rigging the AIRFIX HMS Victory, referencing Noel Hackney's manual. One of the steps requires crowsfeet to be rigged for all 3 masts, but I couldn't find any reference to this in Longridge's The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships...

 

Can anyone provide any suggestions whether I should go ahead and rig them or leave it as is? (Ideally would like my model to be a representation of its condition during the Battle of Trafalgar minus any damage 😁)

 

 

Cheers,

Look up the National Maritime Museum in England. The have valuable resources on The Royal Navy and other ships. And you should find links and pictures of her as she exists today.