Yard and gaff configurations

[brunelrussell]

It's going to be awhile before I need this information, but on my Great Eastern model I would like to show the yards and gaffs set at an angle as in the plan from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Journal.  I am not setting all the sails, of course, just the topsails and three trysails.  Should the gaffs be set at an angle on the masts where they are not set?  I know you real sailors out there are rolling on the floor laughing but I honestly don't know.  Hep me! Hep me!  Also, I would like to have one of the topgallants being set but am not sure how to arrange the crew on deck; line pullers and such.

 

[BANYAN]

Hi, I am not a yellow-wellie sailor (as in yachting) but from the imagery I have seen, the gaffs were in the lowered position and parallel with the boom; trysail gaffs (depends on what you are calling a trysail, as I have found there are many interpretation from small triangular storm sails to smaller replacement sails the same shape as the fore-and-aft sails) were only set-up when the sail was rigged (if the former interpretation).

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Bob Cleek]

Like many large steam ships in the age when steam ships also carried sail, it appears that Great Eastern flew her fore and aft gaff-headed sails from semi-permanently rigged gaff booms. The sails were furled by brailing them to the masts and gaff booms. When the sails were struck and sent down, the gaff booms remained rigged as if the sails were set, with the gaff peaks raised to the same angle as when the sails are set. The gaff booms could be unrigged and sent down for maintenance and such, but at all other times, the gaff booms stayed rigged with the sails brailed to the gaff booms and mast.

 

In port with gaff booms raised and sails sent down.

 

[wefalck]

Most you ever want to know about gaff rigs is explained in

 

LEATHER, J.  (1977): Gaff Rigg.- 272 p., London (Granada Publishing).

 

There are indeed standing and lowering gaffs as Bob explained above. In general, boom-less gaff-sails (as in GREAT EASTERN) were typically rigged with standing gaffs. There would have been no place to store the gaffs in the absence of booms.

[mtaylor]

I have a suspicion that the gaff rigs were insurance such that if the engines failed, they could still have some steerage control by taking over fairly quickly.  But then, the transition period between pure sail and pure power  is something I know little of.

[GrandpaPhil]

Also, probably more push when running with the wind.

Edited September 27, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[wefalck]

Sail also stabilise a ship in more severe weather, but I gather the main purpose was an insurance against the frequent engine problems in those early years of steam propulsion.

 

[BANYAN]

Bob, thanks for posting that image - one learns every day.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Bob Cleek]

8 hours ago, mtaylor said:

I have a suspicion that the gaff rigs were insurance such that if the engines failed, they could still have some steerage control by taking over fairly quickly.  But then, the transition period between pure sail and pure power  is something I know little of.

Correct. For a considerable time, steamers carried sail, not only in case the engines failed, but also to extend the steamer's range, particularly in the trans-Atlantic trade It took a lot of coal to cross the Atlantic and the wind blows for free. It was not until 1892 and 1893 when Cunard launched RMS Campania and her identical twin sister RMS Lucania, that trans-Atlantic steamers abandoned their sailing rigs.  Note in the photo below, Lucania still carries her masts and was capable of setting a headsail or three in an emergency, but never did. Her masts also served her cargo derricks fore and aft. They also came in handy in a few short years for radio antennas when Lucania became the first ocean-going vessel to be equipped with the new Marconi wireless system. Lucania took the Blue Ribband from her sister, Campania on her second voyage and held it for five years until the Germans built faster steam turbine powered vessels. When launched, these sisters were the largest and fastest passenger vessels in the world. 

 

It wasn't just the "belt and suspenders" redundant engineering of steamships with sailing rigs that was common until the maritime industry finally came to trust steam in the 1890's. Campania and Lucania were also the first ships to be equipped with electrical lights throughout. Note that just above the rail on the side of the bridge superstructure are two running lights, one above the other. One was electric. The other was an oil burner. One of the very few ships ever so equipped. Not only didn't they not trust steam, they had their doubts about electricity, too!