How would this have been used?

[Bluto 1790]

Watching an antiques program on TV this item was described as having been salvaged from the wreck of HMS Invincible. (Captured from the French Navy 1747 and sunk 1758)

The item was described as a "pulley".   I would expect a pulley to have been fitted with a rolling sheave but this item appears as a flat circular piece of wood with just a round hole at its centre ~~~  so, for what would it have been used, and HOW would it have been used?

 

 

[Bluto 1790]

Bruce,  it was on today's edition of "Bargain Hunt".   

He didn't actually say it had been under water for over 200 years but he did say something like 'it was his prized possession from the wreck of HMS Invincible', so I assumed that it had been salvaged after having been 'down there' for some time.

The site of the wreck was discovered in 1979.

[bruce d]

To make sense of the above, I asked a question and then deleted the post as I found the answer myself.

Thanks Jim, afraid I can't answer the original question.

 

Regards,

Bruce

[Gregory]

1 hour ago, Bluto 1790 said:

 I would expect a pulley to have been fitted with a rolling sheave but this item appears as a flat circular piece of wood with just a round hole at its centre

 The lack of any finishing or beveling of the wood, makes me wonder if it was something contrived by a previous owner, i.e., someone replaced a missing deadeye with a piece of wood.

[druxey]

Or that the found object - in fact, a pulley or sheave - has been 'decorated' with line. The condition of the line (and in particular, the worming) does not look as old as the sheave!

[Bluto 1790]

Thanks Bruce, Gregory and Druxey for your comments.

 

In view of your comments and having looked at the 'item' again, I feel I have to believe the wooden part was in fact the sheave out of a block and that someone has indeed 'decorated' it with some 'old rope'.  In its present appearance I can't imagine it would have any practical use ~~~  and that's why I asked the question . . . as I couldn't imagine how it would be used!