Ship’s Anchor Tie off

[acaron41120]

I understand how the ship’s anchor rope is tied off at the anchor but not back at the capstan. Was it tied off near the base of the capstan and then wrapped around and out through the hawse hole to the anchor or was it tied off to a separate eye? Just getting ready to add a few finishing touches prior to installing the top deck. I guess the question of the rope tie off applies to all the capstans. Thanks for you excellent help.

[popeye2sea]

I doubt that the anchor cable was tied off anywhere in board.  The bulk of the cable would be below deck coiled on the cable tier.  Stoppers would be employed on the deck to check the movement of the cable. The stoppers are what would be eye spliced to ring bolts in the deck with their ends hitched around the anchor cable to hold it fast. Perhaps the bitter end of the cable was made fast to a ring somewhere in the cable tier but, this is just a last ditch measure to try to prevent the complete loss of a cable overboard. It was never used to hold fast the cable in regular use.

 

Regards,

Henry

Edited May 15, 2023 by popeye2sea

[acaron41120]

Thanks Henry. So if I understand it correctly, the anchor cable ran from the cable tier, around the capstan and then through the hawse hole to the anchor. Great info. Thanks again.

[popeye2sea]

Yes, that is correct.

In between the capstan and the hawse hole the cable would be passed around the cable bitts. Sometimes there were stoppers on ring bolts attached to the bitts also.

 

Regards,

 

Henry

[flyer]

According to 'Seamanship in the age of sail' by John Harland the anchor cable never went directly to the capstan - except in small ships or boats - but was hauled in with the messenger. That messenger formed a closed loop around the capstan and a place forward, where the cable could be bent to it by the nippers (short bits of thin rope). The messenger was hauled aft by the capstan also  taking the cable aft. When the cable neared a hatchway to the cable tier it was unbent and lead below. The messenger continued empty around the capstan and was lead back forward to be connected again with the cable.

When at anchor, the cable was tied off (belayed) to the riding bitts. Those are a substantial pair of square posts, projecting vertically above the deck and joined aft by a heavy crosspiece, just abaft the foremast. The unused length of cable went from there through the hatchway to the cable tier.

When the anchor was stowed during voyage the cables were unbent. In preparation for coming near land the cables were bent again and the anchor lashings removed except simple lashings  to the ring and to the shank. In preparation for anchoring a sufficient length of cable for the expected depth could be ranged on the deck ready to let go while the part of the cable coming up the hatchway was  already belayed to the riding bitts.

 

So... I guess you need to know in what situation your Mayflower is  to know how to arrange anchors and cables.

 

And while writing this I realized that on my models I may have depicted some strange arrangements but then I'm only a landlubber, somewhat like-minded to Stephen Maturin.

 

Cheers

Peter

[popeye2sea]

Just a minor point to add to what Peter said above.  When an anchor cable is said to be belayed to the riding bitts, it is not at all similar to belaying a normal line to, say, a cleat.  Anchor cables are far too thick for a normal belay.  The cable would at most have taken a single turn around the bitts before being led below.  The riding bitt, therefore, serves to provide some much needed friction in order to hold the cable.  In fact, the cable would almost certainly be constantly monitored and veered or slacked as necessary. The actual securing of the cable was by means of stoppers.

 

Regards,

 

Henry

Edited May 14, 2023 by popeye2sea

[Bob Cleek]

8 hours ago, flyer said:

the anchor cable never went directly to the capstan - except in small ships or boats - but was hauled in with the messenger. That messenger formed a closed loop around the capstan and a place forward, where the cable could be bent to it by the nippers (short bits of thin rope). The messenger was hauled aft by the capstan also  taking the cable aft.

And for additional points in the game of nautical Trivial Pursuit, the "nips" of small line tying the messenger and cable together were progressively untied and moved as the cable was hauled aboard by the messenger. This menial task was assigned to the ship's boys, hence the common usage of the term "little nippers" to affectionately describe young boys.