Medieval cog rigging.

[Mercator]

Presently I am building a cog in 1/72 scale, got the model, deadeyes(  very tiny), and figures (a lot of them!). The ship has a capstan on the upper level of the stern superstructure and a windlass on the main deck under the stern superstructure. I suspect that one is used to raise the sail while the other is used for the anchors. The conundrum is which one doe what and how does this work. 

The capstan seems too far up for the anchor, the windlass seems to be the answer but seems to be far to the stern.

I have attempted to retrieve photos of reproduction of cogs such as the one in Holland the Ubina and Kiel in germany but none of the photos are helpful. I have several books that show how the cogs were build but very little concerning the rigging.

Any suggestion would be appreciated.

 

ps My goal is to have a diorama with a couple of ships and a medieval crane. The cog would be unloading cargo that would be transferred to river boats.

[Louie da fly]

Really good to hear you're building a cog. Mediaeval ship models are sadly under represented in this hobby, and I think they're fascinating and worth just as much attention as the later vessels.

 

Unfortunately, I have no more information than you already have. Perhaps you could write to the groups who have already built and sailed reproduction cogs. I've tried this with other subjects, and I've found that people, particularly enthusiasts, are very willing to help fellow enthusiasts. You can probably find out who built these reproductions from a web search, and that should lead you to an address to write to.

 

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, and I look forward to seeing your progress.

[BANYAN]

Hi Mercator,

 

I have just returned (today) from a holiday in Germany and I visited Bremerhaven during the trip.  I managed to get some photos of the Bremen Cog, and a couple of distant shots of the Cog Replica.  I can post these when I have sorted the photos if they are of use to you?

 

cheers

 

Pat

[mtaylor]

Pat,

 

Go ahead and post them in the Museum Ships area:  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/forum/43-nautical-research-guild-news-model-ship-clubs-and-exhibitions-and-events-museums-and-museum-ships/    :)    

[Tadeusz43]

Hi,

Maybe it will help you : http://www.slideshare.net/Tadeusz43/mediewal-cog

 

Tadeusz

[Mercator]

Thanks, Also found some info in the book "Sailing into the past" dealing with various replica of sailing vessels.

 

John

[wefalck]

It's not 'my' period, so I am not really on top of the literature. However, around the preservation of the cog remains in Bremerhaven a large body of research has developed. There has been a very detailed study on her, but I believe this book is rather expensive, if you can get hold of a second-hand copy. Otherwise, there are also some books meant more for public consumption. You might have a look at the Web-site of the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven: 

 

http://www.dsm.museum/service/publikationen/schriften-des-deutschen-schiffahrtsmuseums/die-kogge.4286.de.html

 

http://www.dsm.museum/service/publikationen/schriften-des-deutschen-schiffahrtsmuseums/die-kogge-von-bremen.4720.de.html

[BANYAN]

Hi Mercator,

 

Attached is a shot of the cog (about 400m) as promised.  I will place some shots of the actual cog in the Museum Ships area when I have processed them in the next week or so but they will not help you much with the rigging.  As I said, this is a long distance shot taken with a tele-zoom at 70mm so the detail is not great.  If you zoom the pic it provides some detail on how this ship is rigged..  I hope it helps

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Mercator]

Hello all,

Found some good informations in the Cogs, Caravels and Galleons from the Conway's history of the ship. Photo of the 1/10 scale model inBremerhaven. The windlass was used to raise the anchor and hoist the main yard/sail while the capstan was used to orient the yard . Seems to make sense and will go with this explanation.