Channels, deadeyes and shrouds

[dafi]

During my build on the Victory there is always some need to talk or to explore deeper, and one realizes, that many details are not properly defined and are much more judged merely by kind of mental cinema than researched facts.

 

 

It started with a discussion in our german forum about the orientation of the free end of the shroud: Always left, always right or different depending on the side of the ship?!?

 

Here we had a research in the common literature and the results were quite similar with:

- for the cable-laid shrouds - Starboard side the free end pointing foreward, larboard aft 

- for plain- or hawser-laid shrouds - Starboard side the free end pointing aft, larboard foreward 

 

Background technically wise is that the rope always tends to curl in one direction and the free end should be crossing on the inner side, this leads automatically to the above mentioned orientations. If one simply flips the deadeye the free end would end up outside.

 

And please do not refer to the shrouds star- and larboard having different twists: Forget it, that is a marine myth created by Mr. Monfeld and is already revoked by himself - not without some gnashing of teeth on his side ;-) 

 

Here some literature with the above mentioned orientation in green

 

 

Schrage Rundhölzer ...

page 81 Fig. 224/226

"Von außen gesehen wurden die Kabelweis geschlagenen Wanttaue von rechts nach links um die Jungfer gelegt, so dass an jeder Schiffsseite der Tamp hinter dem Want an der rechten Seite des Wanttaus zu liegen kam. Dort wo sich beide Parten über der Jungfer kreuzen, wurde die erste Bindselung angelegt und der rechts liegende Tamp mit zwei Plattbindselungen am Wanttau befestigt."

 

Marquardt, Schoner in Nord und Süd

page 128 Fig 41

"Bei kabelgeschlagenen war das Ende oberhalb der Juffer links beigebunden (an Backbordseite nach hinten weisend), während trossengeschlagene entgegengesetzt beigebunden wurden."

 

Lee Masting and Rigging ...

Drawing pages 40 and 42 as mentioned above (only one side shown)

 

Petersson Rigging period Fore-and-Aft Craft

Drawing page 16  as mentioned above (only one side shown)

 

Petersson Rigging period shipmodels

Drawing page 2 bis 4  as mentioned above (only one side shown)

 

Harland Seamanship

Drawing page 22  as mentioned above (only one side shown)

 

Darcy Lever Sheet Anchor

"The Lanyard has a ... Knot ... cast on the end ; which is placed the reversed way to what the end of the Shroud is: thus in Cable laid Shrouds, the ends on the larbord side lies aft; on the starboard side forewards; ..." 

Drawing page 24  as mentioned above (only one side shown)

 

Boudriot shows the same orientation for the frensh (thanks to pollux for the information)

 

The Victory in Portsmouth was shown the same way (at least until the actual rerigging)

 

Nares, Brady und Biddlecombe only describe Cutter Stay fashion 

 

The only one telling the other direction is Marquardt in Eighteenth Century Rigs and Rigging, which contradicts his own Book Schooner Nord und Süd

 

On this occasion I found some other useful information:

- Max. distance of the big deadeyes twice diameter
- Tackle about half the diameter of the shroud
- Shroud not too tight around the deadeye
- free end of the tackle passes through the gap of deadeye and shroud
- free end not too long

 

But it left me with some further questions:

- The top-mast shrouds were plain laid or cable laid (cablets)? Plain laid would mean that the ends would be pointing the other way than on the lower shrouds.

- The same for backstays? 

- The distance of twice diameter of the deadeye looks good on the lower shrouds lanyards. Is this applicable too for the topmast shrouds? There the distance usually looks much longer in comparison?

- When was the batten on top of shrouds introduced to maintain their orientation? Marquardt only makes a small remark in the picture section telling "about 1800".

- Was this also introduced for the topmast shrouds?

 

popeye2sea already replied one hint:

Steels, Art of Rigging simply states "Dead-eyes are turned into the lower end of the top mast shrouds, as the lower ones are into to lower shrouds.

(Thank you mate!!!)

 

Cheers, Daniel

Edited May 9, 2014 by dafi