Windlass Rigging

[BareHook]

How is the anchor cable rigged to a windlass? The cable must be free running when the anchor is dropped, so how do you get it wrapped around the windlass to haul in the anchor? Only way I can think of is to hook a loop on a pin and double wrap it to haul the anchor, but then it would be a big mess to unwrap and stow it away. On the schooner Hannah, I plan to have the anchors hanging from the catheads with cables attached, but am not sure how to route the cable through the windlass and then below.

 

Thanks,

Ken

[wq3296]

Greetings Ken,

 

There is a braking system on a windlass that allows it to rotate freely when the anchor is released. The end of the anchor rode, or chain, is fastened to bitts in a locker below decks. The anchor rode, or chain, passes up through the deck to the windlass via hawse pipes. When the anchor is raised, the windlass is prevented from rotating freely by pawls so that the anchor can be stopped at any point during raising, as necessary.

 

wq3296

[BareHook]

My point exactly, the Hannah has a windlass where the barrel is enclosed in the frame, so the only way to get turns of rope on the barrel to haul the anchor is for them to already be there, also how many turns? 2, 3 or 4?

 

ken

[Jim Lad]

Do you have a picture of what you describe, Spyglass?  Sounds like an unusual system to me!

 

The usual method of handling the anchor cable on a barrel windlass was for the cable to be taken around the barrel (0ver the top) about three turns.  When the anchor was to be let go enough slack of cable would be hauled over to barrel to roughly equal the expected depth of water.

 

John

[Chuck Seiler]

I had the same issues/concerns with schooner SULTANA.  My initial thought was that the cable was wrapped around the portion of the barrel outside the frames, but that puts a very strange angle in the line between the hawse, the windlass and the grating where the cable goes below deck.

 

Since there are two anchors, if they used the procedure outlined by John, would they just disconnect the cable from the unused anchor and leave it hanging from the cathead? 

[jud]

I

Suspect that anchor lines were never allowed to run over the Gypsies Heads or bits for that matter. Perhaps after using the Lead the cable was flaked out on deck and a stopper placed on the cable to stop the uncontrolled run after the anchor was bottomed, releasing the stopper would allow for controlled letting out of cable until the proper scope was out and then the cable was re-stoppered by stoppers attached to bits. Chains do run around the Wildcats when the anchor is let go but the brake always has control of how fast the chain runs out, without that brake, the weight of the chain rushing overboard would keep it running until all was overboard, chain and all.

I have knocked the keeper loose on pelican hooks, releasing the anchor held by them aboard the Ammen. On the other end of the sprectom I have thrown the anchor with about 20 feet of chain attached to braided rope over the side of the Cape Race, 34’ troller I rode from Bellingham to Alaska,fished and rode her back that fall. That anchoring system that summer was the jud system.

I have not found any satisfactory procedures recorded anywhere about letting go the anchor on the Sailing ships using Catheads, can see holding the anchor away from the side and out of the water from the cathead, but the hook shown holding the anchor bothers me, it needs a quick release of some kind, even a lashed line that was cut would work, without a quick reliease, a lot of time would be needed to free the anchor from the carhead and let it hang from the cable.

Enough from me.

Edited January 13, 2015 by jud

[trippwj]

For the time period of the Hannah, you may want to take a look at Falconer's An Universal Dictionary Of The Marine - the figure below is from the 1780 edition.  There are several sources where you can view or download on-line, including http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/title.htmland https://archive.org/details/universaldiction00falc

 

 

 

[trippwj]

How is the anchor cable rigged to a windlass? The cable must be free running when the anchor is dropped, so how do you get it wrapped around the windlass to haul in the anchor? Only way I can think of is to hook a loop on a pin and double wrap it to haul the anchor, but then it would be a big mess to unwrap and stow it away. On the schooner Hannah, I plan to have the anchors hanging from the catheads with cables attached, but am not sure how to route the cable through the windlass and then below.

 

Thanks,

Ken

I have come across another illustration which may be of some use.  It is from Röding, J. H. (1793)    Allgemeines Wörterbuch der Marine, Hamburg, Germany.  I found it on-line here http://www.staugustinelighthouse.org/LAMP/Research/Storm%20Wreck/ships-fittings-equipment

 

[Captain Al]

This is a very interesting topic to me today because I am just finishing the build of the main capstan on my Bounty and I've had a couple  questions in mind to throw out.  First, in this politically correct world we live in (and in this case rightly so), how in H does the kit manufacturer get away with calling the end pieces "niggerheads" and where did that term originate from?  Second question is what are the square holes in both these "niggerheads" and in the barrel of the windlass used for?  I'm guessing that on a vertical windlass spokes would be inserted in order for crew to operate/turn the thing.  But if this is so, why have I seen no kits, including mine (by A.L. and pretty detailed) that show the windlass or capstan with these spokes in place?  I reckon the same might be how the horizontal windlass was turned, with the spokes inserted into the "niggerhead."  But in that case only two crewmen could stand alongside and turn the thing.  The square holes on the surface of the barrel are even more puzzling.  I see in a picture above that pegs might be put in them to keep the rode isolated to a section of the barrel.  Is that the purpose and is it the only purpose?  Finally, how does a model builder get these tiny square holes into the piece?  In my case, for the barrel holes, I resorted to drilling small round holes in the lining before gluing the liners to the barrel.  I painted the barrel part black to emphasize the hole.  I did the same to the "niggerheads."  But I haven't figured out yet what I'll do on the smaller vertical capstan where the holes are not in the barrel but above it.  I may resort to just penciling in square holes and varnishing over it.  Any answers mates?

[Krelis]

I suppose the windlass could also be used with a messenger line to connect with the anchor cable? That would allow for dropping anchor without the windlass burning up

[Krelis]

model with messenger line, looks 'logical' to me.

[trippwj]

This is a very interesting topic to me today because I am just finishing the build of the main capstan on my Bounty and I've had a couple  questions in mind to throw out.  First, in this politically correct world we live in (and in this case rightly so), how in H does the kit manufacturer get away with calling the end pieces "niggerheads" and where did that term originate from?  Second question is what are the square holes in both these "niggerheads" and in the barrel of the windlass used for?  I'm guessing that on a vertical windlass spokes would be inserted in order for crew to operate/turn the thing.  But if this is so, why have I seen no kits, including mine (by A.L. and pretty detailed) that show the windlass or capstan with these spokes in place?  I reckon the same might be how the horizontal windlass was turned, with the spokes inserted into the "niggerhead."  But in that case only two crewmen could stand alongside and turn the thing.  The square holes on the surface of the barrel are even more puzzling.  I see in a picture above that pegs might be put in them to keep the rode isolated to a section of the barrel.  Is that the purpose and is it the only purpose?  Finally, how does a model builder get these tiny square holes into the piece?  In my case, for the barrel holes, I resorted to drilling small round holes in the lining before gluing the liners to the barrel.  I painted the barrel part black to emphasize the hole.  I did the same to the "niggerheads."  But I haven't figured out yet what I'll do on the smaller vertical capstan where the holes are not in the barrel but above it.  I may resort to just penciling in square holes and varnishing over it.  Any answers mates?

Not sure on all the aspects of the windlass above - generally, from what I have read, only 2 crew members operated the capstan.  When you look at the Capstan, the holes in the upper part above the barrel are where the poles are inserted and the crew members (the number per pole and number of pole depended on the size of the ship) would walk around the capstan pushing on the poles.  There would generally be a hole in both the pole and the capstan for a pin to be inserted to lock the poles in place to avoid them slipping out during use.

 

Still doing some more digging into older references as time allows - I'm sure that somewhere in one of the documents I have on seamanship &c. there is a description of operating the windlass.

[jud]

The crew would be lifting the levers for the windless and then letting the dogs hold the tension while the levers were moved, anyway that is what it looks like to me from photos, sketches and studying the windless on the Lady Washington. If the dogs were set for the levers to be pulled down, then the poor sailor pulling down and the dogs failed and the other lever was not ready, how far would he go over the bow. probably become a cook if recovered.

[Tadeusz43]

Hi,

I googled a few pictures from the net.

 

Tadeusz

Edited January 21, 2015 by Tadeusz43

[Krelis]

Interesting the Morgan windlass picture. I found another informative link, http://model-ship-plans.com/Clippers/Windlass%20and%20Forecastle%20Arrangement.html, with full description of the topic. On letting go it states:

 

"With the ship at anchor the strain on the cable was taken by the turns on the windlass barrel which was prevented from unwinding by a heavy iron plate ratchet (pawl) from another strong post, which dropped by gravity into an iron cogged rim around the middle of the barrel. Sometimes there were up to three of these pawls of varying lengths above one another. The windlass thus could only operate normally in one direction, bringing the cable aboard and not letting it go. When a ship was coming to anchor an estimate had to be made beforehand of the approximate length of cable required and this was brought up from the cable locker. The end of the cable was led over the top of the windlass barrel from aft with two complete turns and then forward through the hawse pipe and shackled to the anchor ring. The full length of required cable had now to be pulled around the windlass drum and laid along the deck in long loops until the turns around the windlass were at the end of the required length, or as nearly so as could be estimated. When the anchor was let go, the cable along the deck would run out until it was stopped by the turns around the windlass, which were left slack to avoid a sudden shock. Any additional length required had to be eased around the drum by means of long hooks, and additional hooks with two prongs were hooked onto links of the cable and attached to an eyebolt on the centre pawl bitt to help ease the strain on the windlass when riding at anchor"

[Tadeusz43]

Hi,

I am working on model of SS Savannah 1818 to build according Smithsonians plans.

Interesting is the information about windlass barrel.

 

Tadeusz

[trippwj]

I am still looking through my various and sundry pdf files (regrettably, most are scanned images of the pages so not searchable without running an OCR on them, which for some of these would take longer than skimming!), and came across the following from Blunt's Seamanship both in Theory and Practice...published in 1813.  (available on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books/about/Seamanship_both_in_theory_and_practice.html?id=cPpOAAAAYAAJ )

 

 

 

[BareHook]

Thanks for all the replies and pictures, lots of excellent info.

Ken

[Captain Al]

All this has been great info and very interesting from a nautical history standpoint.  But has anyone yet come up with the origin of the term "niggerhead?"  And for builders, has anyone a good idea as to how to put these square holes into the windlass barrel and/or a capstan?

[Krelis]

I do not think that an in depth analysis of the origins of the use of term "niggerhead" would add to the discussion, The word was used in a contemptuous way, fitting to the time.

[trippwj]

All this has been great info and very interesting from a nautical history standpoint.  But has anyone yet come up with the origin of the term "niggerhead?"  And for builders, has anyone a good idea as to how to put these square holes into the windlass barrel and/or a capstan?

In The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea (Peter Kemp, editor - 1976), there is a definition:

 

a name sometimes given to the bollards which line a quay or wharf and to which ships lying alongside secure their hawsers.  The name may have its origin from the fact that bollards are usually painted black...

 

Falconer (1784 edition) does not use the term nigger head.

[usedtosail]

Captain Al,

 

The way I have made square holes in a model is to drill a round hole, then use the tip of a large nail, which is cut in four faces, to press into the round holes, forming a square hole of sorts.

[Captain Al]

Tom, thank you for that idea.  It may even still work on mine.  But its now in my notebook of ideas and techniques.  Thanks.

 

I also would note to Jan, that I am in total agreement.....no in depth analysis of the term is needed, and it goes without saying that it was contemptuous and in keeping with the times.  My curiosity stemmed from the fact that Artesiana Latina continues to use the term.  I would write to them but I've tried on various occasions on different issues and have never received a reply.

[Tadeusz43]

Hi,

Maybe the first attached picture explains the origin of the name "niggerhead" ( on the picture on the right as on the left is the Admiral).
But then how to name next? They are multinational .

 

VCO Batavia

 

Tadeusz

[Mike Dowling]

Not sure what Jan.B's problem is ! Language is an interesting topic regardless of it's origins. Are we all expected to get so PC that we can't even have a sensible discussion anymore ? The world is going completely mad !!

[Krelis]

Mike you are right, an explanation which I found on the internet was "Because they look so good with a rope around them.", that turned me off a bit

[Captain Al]

Well thank you all for the input.  I think its better to know how such a distasteful word came into being than just slough it off and not be able to discuss it.  We're all in agreement I guess that while we find the word distasteful and wouldn't use it ourselves, discussing its origins does not make the discussion itself distasteful and contemptuous.