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Question regarding gammoning of bowsprit USS Constitution

Jack Sparrow

Jack Sparrow

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Just wondering if anyone has photo of how the Constitution Gammoning is done? I am in the process of closing up the rails in the stem of the ship, and I am concerned that the gammoning will not be accessible with closing of the toprail done.
in the following image taken from the Bob Hunt instructions, you can see the two holes for the Gammoning and I believe that chains are used in this application. However, if I close off the top of the stem, then pulling the chains through those holes will be next to impossible. I don`t know how the chains are attached to the bowsprit itself. The plans show some metal straps on the bowsprit, but how do the chains attach to the metal straps?

View attachment 513411
 
thanks. I had seen something similar to this. I guess I`ll have to make a decision if I want to use chains or traditional rope.
 
that is interesting. The plans show it as chains. Maybe I should just make the holes into slots and gammon with rope.
 
Everything aboard a ship at sea is dynamic. In other words parts try to move relative to each other. This is especially true of wooden sailing ships where 1000’s of parts were secured with rope lashings, wooden treenails, etc.

The bowsprit was a heavy wooden spar located in a part of the ship subject to high accelerative forces from pitching. It would try to whip up and down relative to the hull structure. Chain gammoning being much harder than wood would act like a saw damaging the spar. Rope, an elastic material would allow the bowsprit to flex.

Keep in mind these kits build a Jackalope, not the ship that fought the Barbary Pirates, or the RN in 1812. As an active vessel she was preserved, but modified over time in accordance with changes in ship design. In the 1920’s she underwent a major overhaul at which a set of plans were made. These were offered free to the general public a few years ago. Unlike HMS Victory the US Navy passed up a major opportunity during the refit that prepared her to sail to restore her to her original appearance. Her 1920’s look was sufficient for a PR opportunity!

I suspect that the Model Shipways kit is based on these (free) 1920’s US Government plans. The boxed in head is a dead giveaway. Once she ceased active sailing chain could be used as gammoning and would be maintenance free.

Roger
 
Jack Sparrow said:
The plans show it as chains.
Click to expand...
Can you post a picture or say who drew the plans? To be 100% sure, send an email to Carl Herzog or Kate Monea, curators at the Constitution Museum and they will give you the correct information. If you don't already have the email address, PM me and I can send it to you. I would post it here but it is not a good idea to post email addresses on public sites,,,,, learned the hard way.

Allan
 
yes, the holes for gammoning should be slots. the bobstays would be just circular holes. Can you please provide a picture of the instructions?
1744646848089.png
 
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Here is a photo from a 1960 era restoration showing how the gammoning chains are secured to the hull. BTW, the image of rope gammoning in post #2 is NOT from the USS Constitution. It is just an example of rope gammoning.

Jon

Stbd-cutwtr-profile-1964_1.jpg
 
JSGerson said:
Here is a photo from a 1960 era restoration showing how the gammoning chains are secured to the hull.
Click to expand...
Great photo, thanks for posting it. I wonder when they first put chains on instead of rope, but at least we know there were chains at some point.
Allan
 
Here is the image from AotS book on the Constitution which plainly shows rope gammoning.
1745080026961.png
As does this image that is on the cover and the pages of index
1745080428520.png
In 1881, her masts were cut down. The erected a large barn like structure and she became a "receiving ship" where new recruits would be housed. Then for her 100th birthday, the structure was removed and some of the masts and much of the rigging was replaced around 1907. Perhaps it was during this refit that she was converted from rope to chain gammoning.

I would imagine you could contact the museum and they could answer the question.
 
JSGerson said:
Here is a photo from a 1960 era restoration showing how the gammoning chains are secured to the hull. BTW, the image of rope gammoning in post #2 is NOT from the USS Constitution. It is just an example of rope gammoning.

Jon

View attachment 514612
Click to expand...
I think ill stick to ropes. I have no room to work on putting chains that way.
 
I haven't gotten to point where I am installing the gammoning yet, but I plan to use chain because my model is based on the actual ship's contemporary look. However, I must take into consideration the choice between a model which just must look good versus a miniature reconstruction which must reflect the actual construction. I choose to make a model. That being said, my plan at this moment is to make the horizontal clamps that sits on the bowsprit and attach the chain to an eyebolt on the bottom side of the flange. The chain will drop down and be needled through one of the two predrilled holes under the bowsprit and back up the other side to the clamp where it will fastened to the other eyebolt on the clamp. This will be done for two chains. Mechanically it will hold the bowsprit fast. Making anchor eyebolts like the 1960s image would be too complicated and for the effort, won't even be seen. Hopefully my simplified method will do the trick and no one will be able to discern what method was used.

Jon
 
Jack Sparrow said:
Just wondering if anyone has photo of how the Constitution Gammoning is done? I am in the process of closing up the rails in the stem of the ship, and I am concerned that the gammoning will not be accessible with closing of the toprail done.
in the following image taken from the Bob Hunt instructions, you can see the two holes for the Gammoning and I believe that chains are used in this application. However, if I close off the top of the stem, then pulling the chains through those holes will be next to impossible. I don`t know how the chains are attached to the bowsprit itself. The plans show some metal straps on the bowsprit, but how do the chains attach to the metal straps?

View attachment 513411
Click to expand...
From what I've seen, it depends on the time period. I have attached a drawing from the National Archives files of the Sail plan for 1817 which shows rope. If I'm not mistaken, the current configuration of the ship is to reflect her during the war of 1812.

RG_19_Dash_108_12_2 - 1817 sail plan.jpg
 
Corsair II. See my post #6 above. Neither the kit nor the vessel on display at Boston reflects Constitution as she appeared in 1812. Among other things, her ugly boxed in head is from a much later period.

Roger
 
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