Late 19th or Early 20th Century Running Rigging

[GrandpaPhil]

Would the running rigging on an early 20th Century Pre-Dreadnought Battleship, Russian built, French designed, have been hemp or steel cable?

 

The rigging belongs to what appears to be a standard brigantine rig.

 

I would assume the standing rigging would be steel cable, but I’m not sure about the running rigging, since the yards appear functional.

 

Would that also apply to other similar warships from that era?

Edited Monday at 06:40 PM by GrandpaPhil

[CDR_Ret]

Here's my two cents:

 

My Galilee was an 1890s-vintage US-West Coast brigantine. As-built, her standing rigging was steel cable. For the DTM charter (1905--1908), her mast standing rigging was swapped for arctic-service hemp rope to reduce her magnetic signature. Photos of her prior-to and early into her DTM charter period  showed rope running rigging throughout except for light chain sheets for the jibs. The foremast yard tye-lifts were of heavier chain, which were retained even during the DTM charter period. Some of the heavier service running rigging for the main boom, like pendants and lifts, may have been wire. Hard to tell from the photos.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Terry

 

 

[GrandpaPhil]

Sir,

  Thank you very much for the insight!

 

That makes sense, especially for a smaller ship.  
 

It would therefore make sense that since this vessel was primarily steam, with the rig only as an emergency backup, and heavily armored, that steel cable would likely have been necessary to carry the load, and resist the heat from the stacks, as the braces go right past them.

 

Plus this ship has winches everywhere, I’m assuming for rigging handling.

Edited Tuesday at 11:51 PM by GrandpaPhil

[wefalck]

In the early 20th steel was used for some parts of the running rigging that did not need to go around blocks. For those parts chain or hemp was used.

[popeye2sea]

Anything that needs hauling by hand will most likely stay hemp. Even if other parts of tackle (pendants, etc.) were chain or wire. For example, in clipper rigs, the sheets for the courses were chain from the sail to just through the quarter block, then wire down to the tackle block, and the blocks were rove with hemp.

 

Regards,

Henry