Top (sailing ship)
The top on a traditional
The main purpose of the top is to anchor the shrouds of the topmast that extends above it. Shrouds down to the side of the hull would be at too acute an angle from the mast, so crosstrees run sideways out from the mast to spread the topmast shrouds. These crosstrees rest on two trestle trees running fore and aft, which themselves are placed on top of the cheeks of hounds, bolted to the sides of the mast. Placing a few timbers onto the crosstrees produces a useful platform, the top. The futtock shrouds carry the load of the upper shrouds into the mast below.[2]
At the upper end of the topmast and topgallant, there is a similar situation regarding the next mast up (topgallant and royal respectively). At these points a smaller top might be constructed, but it is more usual simply to leave the shroud-bearing struts open, in which case they are known as crosstrees.
Access for sailors to the top may be by a Jacob's ladder, lubber's hole, or the futtock shrouds.
A foremast might be stepped into a similar fore-top platform on the foremast. A mizzen-top would be a platform on the mizzenmast.[3] Similar main-top and fore-top platforms have been retained on steam ships and motor vessels as preferred locations for installing rotating radar antennae.
Fighting top
A fighting top was an enlarged top with
External links
- Media related to Top (sailing) at Wikimedia Commons
- Media related to Fighting tops at Wikimedia Commons
Sources
- D. Van Nostrand. p. 826.
- ^ Charles G. Davis, The Ship Model Builders Assistant, Marine Research Society, Salem Massachusetts, 1926, side 62 / fig.:52
- ISBN 0-670-81416-4.