Another Rigging Riddle - Storm sail gaffs

[BANYAN]

Hi all.  Another rigging question for the more knowledgeable - this one has me in a real quandary. I think I have identified their purpose but not how they were rigged.

 

The Rigging Warrant, under Necessary Ropes, lists ‘gaff tackle falls’ and ‘gaff tackles’ - these are separate/distinct from any specific mast; and, storm sails are not listed but were provided as they were reported in two separate stores survey reports.. The latter are probably the tackles mentioned by Burney (The Boy's Manual of Seamanship and Gunnery Second Edition, 1871, page 112) where he advises that luff tackles are used as sheets for storm trysails.

 

The Rigging Warrant lists the gaff tackle falls as 180′ of 3″ hemp rope, associated with six 12″ double blocks, four 12″ single blocks and eight hooks. This will have permitted two sets of falls, assumed to be for the storm sail gaffs on the fore and main masts. I am also assuming these replaced the peak halliards when the loose footed storm trysails were set.  These were lashed at their head to a shorter gaff (than used with the fore-and-aft sails) as advised by Burney (1871), page 109: Fore and main storm-trysails, which are set on the fore and main trysail-masts, but on shorter gaffs than are used for the large trysails, and a mizen trysail, but in a similar way to the main and fore trysails.

 

If these falls replaced the peak halliards when the storm sails were bent on, it would make sense. With a greater force being applied to these sails in a blow, the greater strength from having more parts to the falls, and the greater mechanical advantage using double blocks, would be advantageous.

 

However, I am stumped as to how these were rigged.  The peak halliards utilsed single blocks only, and the running part/fall was worked with a purchase.  Three were shackled to through-bolted or hooped eyes abaft the lower masthead ('n' in the attached image), and two slightly smaller single blocks shackled to iron hoops (spiderbands) fitted on the gaff.  As there are six double blocks (3 per mast) I have assumed these will have replaced the three single blocks abaft the lower masthead.  The two single blocks would therefore have been shackled to the gaff.

 

The lower masthead of a steamer in 1855 looked similar to, if not the same as advised by Rudimentary Treatise On Masting and Mast Making, R. Kipping , 854, page15

 

Noting the running part was probably let fall to, and worked from, the deck (as no whip/purchase is listed with them - however the gaff tackles earlier may have been used, but no makes no difference to the falls rigging)   I cannot come up with any pattern for reeving these blocks that utilised all sheaves if rigged/set-up as I have assumed.

 

Q1.  Can anybody propose the correct way to reeve these falls?

 

Q2.  Is anyone aware of any discussion or imagery showing the rigging of a storm trysail gaff falls (assumed to be replacements for the peak halliards)?

 

Q3.  Have I got this totally wrong and there was another purpose for these falls?

 

Any comments, suggestions or pointers most welcomed.

 

cheers

 

Pat

 

Edited Saturday at 01:11 AM by BANYAN