The Rigging—
It has been truly said that the rankest amateur modeller
can successfully rig, though he know not his mast from a hole in the
ground. Rigging is basically simple, the progressive addition of a
number of details, each logical and uncomplicated.
Let us first consider the square rigged ship. The rigging
of smaller vessels such as barks, brigs, brigantmes and the like is
similar in principle and detail to that of a full rigged ship which we
treat with here.
The rigging of the three masted ship was based on the
lower masts: fore, main and mizzen masts. Any mast mounted on these
takes the appropriate designation — fore topmast, main topmast or
mizzen topmast. Mounted on the topmasts were the topgallant masts—fore
topgallant, main topgallant, etc., Fig. 53.
YARDS to carry the square sails were hung from these
masts. Each yard was named after the sail it carried.
Definitions
SPARS — A general name for all timbers used in
setting up the rigging and sails when not specified by their actual
place name.
MASTS—Vertically fixed spars to which were swivelled:
YARDS — Which were spars used to support square
sails.
BOOMS & GAFFS — Spars by which fore-and-att
sails were spread.
THE MASTS
The LOWER MASTS were the heaviest spars on the ship,
setting (stepped) on the inner keelson. They had little taper, though
at the head (top end) they were flattened on the sides to take CHEEKS.
Above the cheek's the mast was squared for fitting of trestletrees,
cross'trees, the top and cap. These parts supported and stiffened the
topmast and its rigging. Fig. 53A.
To avoid confusion in terms note that the whole structure
with the platform at the head of the lower mast is known as the TOP
although it comprises trestletrees and crosstrees, whereas the whole
structure at the head of the topmast is known as the CROSSTREES, also
comprising trestletrees and crosstrees, but not platform (or very
rarely).
The shape and size of the platform TOP varies with the
period. Into the 17th century tops were round, as on the MAYFLOWER.
Fig.53D is typical for merchant sailing vessels late 18th to 19th
century; Fig. 53E, naval from say 1750 up to 1800 (a 100 gun 1st rate
would have a top about 21 feet wide).
Fig. 53F is for merchant vessels from about 1850, after
the introduction of double topsails. Some of these had 3 crosstrees
instead of the more usual 2.
