Gun Port Wriggles

[catopower]

Does anybody know when gun port wriggles appeared? These are the wooden drip diverters that kept water from running down the hull into the gunports.

 

I occurred to me today that I've only ever seen them on HMS Victory and models of her.

 

Anybody know?

 

 

[popeye2sea]

Great question. I've never seen that one before.

I have never seen a reference to the origin of rigols.

The word itself is from Middle English. Its meaning is a gutter.

 

Regards,

Henry

[dafi]

1765

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-66456

 

Who´s earlier?

 

🙂

 

XXXDA

[Chapman]

I offer you the 1720s.
British first rate 

Edit: or a little earlier this one

 

Edit: it can still be done a little earlier as this one shows

Edited Friday at 10:04 AM by Chapman

[Fritzlindsay]

I am guessing they started to come into use about the time wreaths were being eliminated circa 1710 or maybe when the 1719 Establishment was introduced.  There is no mention of them though in the Establishments one way or the other.  Just a guess.

Fritz

[paul ron]

any pictures of rigols?

[Fritzlindsay]

Various shaped rigols can be seen in  Goodwin's The Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War, on page 190.  I looked through dozens of photos  of contemporary models at RMG and Preble Hall but cannot find one model with rigols above any gun ports which I found curious.  Hopefully another member will have some pictures to share that show these.

Fritz

[Chapman]

Here is a small excerpt from my first link, a first rate from 1725.

The upper gun deck understandably has no rigols.
The middle gun deck has some, except for places where water cannot flow down.
The lower gun deck interestingly has differently shaped rigols than the middle gun deck.
The models of ships of the line HMS Sussex and Boyne, both 80 gun ships from the 1690s, have no rigols at all.

Edit: I suspect that around 1700 there was an order from the Admiralty to introduce Rigols.

Edited Friday at 10:28 PM by Chapman

[Fritzlindsay]

2 hours ago, Chapman said:

Here is a small excerpt from my first link, a first rate from 1725

THANK YOU for posting this.

[druxey]

The absence of rigols on contemporary models does not necessarily mean that they were absent on the actual ships.

[alpayed]

In Mathew Flinders diary he states "carpenters making arches fo the ports". I interpret that as being arched gutters to direct water to the sides. (HMS Investigator)

Others have interpreted it differently. Has anyone heard of rigols being referred to as arches? Regards Allan.

[Chapman]

5 hours ago, druxey said:

The absence of rigols on contemporary models does not necessarily mean that they were absent on the actual ships.

I agree with that, of course.
The earliest models I have found equipped with Rigols are these three First Rates linked above. I don't know of any others before that time at the moment. I haven't found any other models equipped like that before that. That's my own interim assessment after just a short search.

I think only the discovery of a corresponding instruction from the Admiralty or perhaps one of the royal shipyards regarding the appropriate equipment with Rigols could provide accurate data.

[druxey]

Alpayad: 'arches for the ports' is a good description for rigols and must be one and the same. Well spotted!