Manning the capstan

[dafi]

As for the wooden and metal parts of the capstans there are many sources of the different solutions being used considering the time of the build or repair.

 

More obscure to me is the human factor, how were they exactly manned, better saying what was the right pushing position?

 

 

On 6/1/2021 at 9:45 PM, druxey said:

Nice demonstration, dafi. If you are planning on actually manning the capstan in your model, remember that they gripped the bars thumbs upward and palms towards them. (This was to avoid broken forearms should the capstan kick back.) So often the wrong grip is shown, like pushing a baby stroller or bike.

 

On 6/1/2021 at 11:39 PM, Bob Cleek said:

... which was the most practical posture, given that they often put their chest into it to push the bar. Oddly, though, the  contemporary pictorial record frequently depicts seamen carelessly pushing the bars with their hands. Perhaps this was a casual approach used to take up a slack cable before the real work began. 

 

The guy on the right in the black cap is definitely a slacker, but then again, there's nothing on the drum!

 

The men to the left are doing it right. The men to the right aren't. Likely "artistic license" in this engraving.

 

It seems the Finnish Navy did things differently, but there doesn't appear to be anything on the drum in this apparently posed photo. I mean, really, who mans a capstan in their dress blues?

 

Doing it right, but again, everybody's in their Class A's and this steam screw vessel appears underway at sea with white-painted anchor chain secured, clean and Bristol fashion, so what are they hauling, anyway?

 

 

Germans, correctly putting their backs into it like they actually might be doing some real work.

 

The image one usually has in the head is that the man stands behind the bar and has the arms stretched, like in the first pictures, if properly done the thumps upwards together with the other fingers.

 

On the last two pictures the men are not pushing with the arms but with the chest, having the arms - sometimes even crossed - in the front of the bar. The second version is very much to be seen by images of the Imperial German Navy, in english pictures (graphics and photos) the long arm is more common.

 

Now the RMG collection finally provided a high resolution scan of "Hoisting anchor and stowing the cable" PAI5027  and in having a good look I believe that the marines tend to push the bar with the chest and have the arms in the front of the bar.

 

 

Could this be correct? Are there any objections against this use of the manpower?

 

All the best, Daniel

 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by dafi

[Mark P]

Good Evening Dafi;

 

I have not read any contemporary references, but C. S. Forester, in his 'Hornblower' books, made references to the marines helping with tasks where minimal sailor skills were needed. He knew his stuff where the Navy was concerned, it seems; so when this is confirmed by a contemporary print, I would take it as a definite. Note that the outermost person on each bar is a sailor.

 

An interesting print, thanks for posting it.

 

All the best,

 

Mark P

[mtaylor]

I agree that pushing with the chest and crossed arms coming up and under the bar would be the proper way.   If the capstan "kicks", there won't be a thump or broken bones. And the arms position would seem to help if it knocked them backwards.  

[wefalck]

The power one excert with the chest would be greater than that with stretched-out arms. In the latter case the power would be limited by the muscular strength of the arms and the capability to keep them stretched out.

 

In addition, when the men's arms would give in, the bars would have a chance to accelerate over a distance of half a metre or so, hitting the men's chest or head very hard. When you touch the bar and there is a kick-back, it would push you off your feet backward, but you can hang onto the bar without being injured.

[dafi]

17 hours ago, Mark P said:

... made references to the marines helping with tasks where minimal sailor skills were needed.

This can be seen on other jobs too. As long as the marines were not needed on deck during battle, they were manned as auxiliaries at the guns. So here one red frock on each side to help pulling the tackles  🙂

 

 

XXXDAn

Edited November 17, 2021 by dafi

[el cid]

Not to stray too far, but Daniel asks “I mean, really, who mans a capstan in their dress blues?”

 

I’m a bit young to have served during the period when manual capstans were used, but at least in the US Navy in the 1970s and ‘80s, dress uniforms were common for topside sea and anchor detail personnel when entering or leaving ports not your home port or your home port when leaving or returning from deployment. This included the line handlers and anchor detail and was a major PITA when dress whites were prescribed. We usually kept two sets of whites, one specifically for sea and anchor detail.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith