Deadeye ? without holes

[barkeater]

Need a little help. While there are deadeyes and sheaves illustrated, there are also rounded shapes like deadeyes  but they are not pierced so they could not be used as such. Also their strapping is different. Does anyone know their use? Have tried to look them up in various books but can find nothing.

[druxey]

Can you give us some context, please? What is the date, nationality and rate of ship, plus name, if possible? Is this an 'as launched' plan? The draughtsmanship is beautifully detailed.

[Chuck]

Its quite possible, and its only a guess on my part but the draftsperson possibly just never finished the draft...I have tons of those laying around my shop...LOL  But they look like the start of deadeyes to me.   Weird place for them in the back row though.  Note the different straps and not chainplates.

 

There are a lot of unusual details on that draft....considering that it is the fcastle?   A capstan on deck...and rigging blocks on the channels using chainplates.   That is a first for me.

 

Chuck

 

 

[allanyed]

Druxey

I think it is a drawing of Unite 1796, a French capture prior to being converted to a 32 at Plymouth.

Allan

Edited May 1, 2023 by allanyed

[barkeater]

The vessel is the Unite built 1787 and those plans are the "as taken". She was French built and then captured by the British. She was refitted with alterations and relaunched retaining her name. She carried Admiral Nelson to the Mediterranean to take over command of that fleet.  I am building her according to the British retrofit plans wherever changes are shown however the chains are only shown on the pre refitting plans so I'm going with them. She was rated as a 36 gun ship by the British. Plans are from the British Maritime Museum.

Richard

[barkeater]

Well done Druxey. She did have 32 canons however she also carried 4 carronades on the foredeck. 

Richard

[Gregory]

If I may?

 

A deadeye without holes is not a deadeye...😁

[druxey]

The extra information helps! I assumed she was not British by the style of capstan. In Boudriot's The 74 Gun Ship, Volume II, page 30, shows this form of iron which is simply a ring above the channel. There is no deadeye in these.

[barkeater]

Druxey,

Thanks. I would never have guessed that they were metal rings with an empty center. Do you have any idea of their use? They are bolted to the ship so it looks like they were meant to take a line.

Richard

Edited May 2, 2023 by barkeater

[Dr PR]

Perhaps they were belaying points to accept hooks on the mast tackle?

[druxey]

Unfortunately I'm not an expert on French practice, so do not know their function. I can only guess that they were for hooking onto temporarily. Perhaps an expert on this era and country can enlighten us: M. Delacroix, perhaps?

[Harvey Golden]

Just speaking with regards to the inking style. . .  the strakes are not continued inside the loops, and the heavier line weight on the shadow side (left) is not present inside the loops-- both suggest that these are not open loops.    ... and yet they lack the shading/line weight of having a dead eye in place, never mind any holes for the deadeyes.  Not knowing anything about these vessels, I'd think the draftsman simply didn't finish rendering the deadeyes. 

[barkeater]

I've looked at the picture again. The shading noted comes from the wood and not the rim so therefore it is perfectly consistent with the hoops being empty. The different shading, I think is a draftsman's color key to either these being on an inner row, as they overlap with adjacent deadeyes, or denoting that they were not functioning as deadeyes with the standing rigging. The inboard structures are depicted in red as a color code. Also, they are depicted as having a strip of metal rather than chains. There is one in the mizzen chains which is identical except smaller. Why would the draftsman render them one way and then have to come back, erase the metal strip and then redraw with chains? If he did not finish them, you would see chains. I do agree that the edges of the wales do not extend through and can't fully explain this. It could possibly be that they used stamps to indicate deadeyes and similar structures on the draft and this did not allow for a see through. Not sure if or how stamps were used but it makes sense that they would be. Or it could be that they had a flat piece of wood in them, but this would render them useless. If empty they could be used for belaying or in hauling lines. 

Richard

Edited May 4, 2023 by barkeater

[popeye2sea]

These would make a convenient attachment point to hook mast tackles into.

 

Regards,

Henry