Backstays at the topmast head
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During the course of the 17th century the topmasts grew longer , the topsails grew ever larger, and the topgallant masts and topgallant sails were added; by then the topmast and topgallant shrouds were no longer capable of providing adequate support. Initially shifting backstays were fitted but by the middle of the 17th century standing backstays were added in Britain, initially one pair, but ultimately up to three pairs leading from the topmast crosstrees to the channels, and set up with deadeyes and lanyards.
The bacstays were shipped round the topinast head above the topmast shrouds in exactly the same way as the topmast shrouds, and from the first half of the 18th century it became usual to serve many of them over their ful length. After 1840 backstays were often made of steel wire ropes, like the shrouds and stays.
We now to have to differentiate between shifting and standing backstays. Shifting backstays were set up with tackles, the running part of which belayed inboard on a belaying pin or cleat. Standing backstays were attached with deadeyes (they were the same size as the topmast shroud deadeyes), blocks (the running part of which was made fast above the upper block, as with the deadeyes) , thimbles or rigging screws. The lower blocks of shifting backstays were fitted with a hook. which was engaged in a ring bolt oh the channel or on the ship's
side abaft the channel. If this ring bolt was located on the channel, it usually had its own small chain plate. The lower deadeyes, blocks and thimbles of standing backstays were fixed in place to the channels with small chain plates, although in some cases they had their own small backstay stools - or to ring bolts on the ship's side abaft the channels. Rigging screws were fixed to the channels or the ship's side with chain plates.
Backstays were fitted to topmasts, topgallant masts and royal masts. It was quite common to use a wide variety of methods to attach the backstays in one and the same ship. For example, including topgallant and royal masts HMS Victory, Lord Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, carries three pairs of shifting backstays with blocks on the foremast, three pairs of standing backstays with deadeyes and one pair of standing backstays with thimbles, all on the fore channel; two pairs of shifting backstays with blocks and two pairs of standing backstays with deadeyes on the main channel, plus one pair of shifting backstays with blocks, two pairs of standing backstays with deadeyes and one pair of standing backstays with thimbles on a stool abaft {he main channel; on the mizen mast one pair of shifting backstays with blocks on the mizen channel, two pairs of standing backstays with deadeyes and one pair of standing backstays with thimbles on a stool abaft the mizen mast channel. Before about the middle of the 19th century the backstays had a completely free run, but after that time they were led over spreaders on the crosstrees. |