HMS AGAMEMNON 1781 from scratch - scale 1/75

[William1961]

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[iutar]

Also, let's look at the prototype.
In the Battle of the Saints, April 12, 1782, the ship Agamemnon has no covers on her hammock nets. And no other English ship has covers on her nets. The hammock nets are brown (compare with the white parts of the side and stern and the hammock net of the ship Duke)
In the Battle of the Nile, 1798, the ship Agamemnon has black covers on the hammock nets.

 

[William1961]

thank you Igor, very interresting.
My next question now is :
Do I really need to provide these hammock nets on the railings / balustrades ? Lot of models doesn't have that. For exemple the very beautiful model of the HMS Vanguard by your compatriot Winter. Our models are very similar and ships built at the same period.
I am not going to modify my current "open" railings in "solid" railings.
I admit to being a little confused with that.
I will read your answer with interest

 

[AllanKP69]

Do I really need to provide these hammock nets on the railings

Most contemporary models do not show the hammock cranes so you would be in good company if you leave them off. They were definitely used for a long time on the actual ships. If you trust the information in Goodwin's book The Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War page 211 the following may give some help.

Hammock Cranes
These first appeared around 1710, and were mainly fitted on smaller ships such as frigates and sloops. Their use being limited to the quarterdeck and forecastle. The stanchions, made from wrought iron, took the form of U-shaped brackets with a single spike at the base, set down into the planksheer. These cranes were then covered with a tarred canvas screen. An example of the form can be seen on the model of a 60 gun ship hull in the Establishment of 1710 in the Science Museum in South Kensington.

Over the next 30 years the employment of hammock cranes became fashionable, and they were used extensively on upper decks, including the poop decks of the larger vessels. Finally in 1746 the Navy Board recognized the advantages of this practice, and submitted a letter of authorization to the Admiralty on 26 September stating that they were to be fitted on all ships. Within ten years this arrangement had become universal throughout the Fleet.

By 1771 the design was altered becoming more square in shape with an additional tie bar set between the heads at each upright. This type can be see on board the Victory. This form is illustrated in Figures 8/7 2 and 3. (See below). Another alteration was the introduction of netting suspended between the inner and out stanchions. This proved more practical. The netting used had 4" to 6" holes. Canvas covers were still used but t was found that during hot weather the tar stained the hammocks. This was eliminated by a Navy Board order of 1780, that the covering clothes were to be painted either white or yellow.

In reading this, it sounds like the netting was not used until after 1771. IF that was the case, even with the normal spacing of 18" to 24" between the cranes what kept the hammocks secured inside the cranes? I am guessing they were merely tied to the cranes, but would love to learn more about this. With netting coming into use the spacing between the cranes could be much more and thus fewer required.

Allan

 

[William1961]

Thank you Allan,
I have read this page 3 times and I still can't make a choice .
Building from scratch is definitely not an easy thing....
I am going to ask Winter why this choice on his model ans let you know
William

 

[iutar]

Do I really need to provide these hammock nets on the railings / balustrades ?

In all cases, yes. The point is that hammocks laid in nets were intended to protect against enemy fire. The hammocks provided excellent protection from rifle and pistol bullets, and also prevented the enemy from aiming. Hammock nets were always installed on the forecastle and quarterdeck to protect the gun crews. Nets were also installed on the poop-deck to protect officers. In addition, nets were always placed on the waist to protect people moving along the bridges.
In old paintings, you can always tell a merchant ship from a warship. The warship has hammock nets.

What was the advantage of hammock nets? They allowed for a lower bulwark, thereby reducing parasitic windage. The parasitic windage of high bulwarks impaired the seaworthiness of ships. In fact, hammock nets filled with hammocks were only most effective during combat. In normal times, the hammocks were removed from the nets, and the ship's bulwarks seemed to decrease in height, making the ship more resistant to the wind.
That's why nets were nets—to let the wind pass through them. Until the mid-18th century, painted cloth (usually red with a white stripe) was used instead of nets. The cloth was removed when a crosswind struck. But then they started to put up nets because it was easier and there was no need to constantly remove the fabric.