Sweep ports help please.

[aec]

Hello, 

          I am a modeller in the U.K. and am working on a Swan class sloop at 1/48 scale. Although there is much detail in the reference books on sweep ports, I can find no reference as to whether these ports were lined in the same way as gun ports.

I have seen that the sweep ports lids could be hinged on the forward vertical i.e. the next frame forward.  In this case, would the lining ( if any) be omitted on this hinged upright?

        I would be very grateful for any advice.

 

       Tony Cullen.

[druxey]

Your question is an interesting one. Tony. I've never seen any reference to whether the lining was omitted from the hinged side of a sweep port. If the port was on a weather deck, I doubt if a lid would have been fitted. This needs further investigation, but my hunch would be that all sides of the port would have had thin linings.

[jud]

I would expect to find wood liners protected with thick leather, lining those ports, as well as leathers on the sweeps. Be a lot of force at the contact points in the sweep ports when in use. Because of that force, it would not surprise me to find out that there were woven rope fenders used in those ports. Those old boys had no desire to tear up those ports or allow a notch to be gouged out of the oars at the contact points when it could be prevented with some padding, "chafing gear".

jud