Ghroznak Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I'm not a die hard naval enthusiast, but when it playing Naval Action I do like to use the proper terminology for the things happening in the game. For instance, it just sounds more right to say you lost your main mast, or that your mizzen mast was broken rather than "I lost the sail in the back" and "the middle pole just fell into the water". So I looked up some cross section images of sailships and found one that was really nice, however, it doesn't name all the sails... which made me curious... do they even have a name to designate them? Underneath you find the image that I googled, and I added red numbers and arrows to indicate the sails that seem to be 'unnamed'. Can you name those sails? 1 = ??? 2 = ??? 3 = ??? 4 = ??? 5 = ??? 6 = ??? 7 = ???
SYN_Bloody-Bandy Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 Here is a good reference for everything sails, and will help with figuring out maneuvering. Am in the process of accomplishing the scan for personal use, so it is incomplete. http://www.mediafire.com/view/nje742dzw5e5qvn/Seamanship_in_Age_of_Sail_Ch_1-6.pdf And a fine treatise on maneuverability in the Age of Sail... The Capability of Sailing Warships: Manoeuvrability The Northern Mariner (July 2004)http://www.cnrs-scrn.org/northern_mariner/vol14/tnm_14_3_57-68.pdf Both mention all the staysails you have pointed out. 1
Robert Danforth Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 All the ones you've labeled are Staysails of some form (although the forward ones are called Jibs). Specifically: 1. Jib 2. Fore topmast staysail 3. Main topgallant staysail 4. Middle staysail 5. Mizzen topgallant staysail 6. Mizzen topmast staysail 7. Mizzen staysail 1
Ghroznak Posted February 13, 2015 Author Posted February 13, 2015 Well, that was quickly answered by reading a couple of pages I'll repost the excerpt here as reference for anyone else who wonders. Keyword for my question was apparently 'staysail'
Robert Danforth Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 To add to that, you'll notice they're named for the mast they come from, so ones coming from the mainmast are main staysails, &c. Something to keep you from sounding like a 'lubber, though: don't pronounce them completely. Sailors are busy and have no time for all these syllables. So it's Main t'gallant stays'l, &c. 1
Ghroznak Posted February 13, 2015 Author Posted February 13, 2015 Well I feel more informed now and able to say things beyond "someone blew a hole in one of the triangle handkerchiefs" when my sails are getting ripped Thanks for the quick help! Next will figuring out what all those strings hanging from the sails are called 1
Robert Danforth Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I can't recommend this book enough: http://smile.amazon.com/Sea-Words-Third-Companion-Seafaring/dp/0805066152/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423835266&sr=8-1&keywords=a+sea+of+words It has everything you'd want.
Tom Pullings Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 Next will figuring out what all those strings hanging from the sails are called :-) That's called "learning the ropes"! Good luck with that. There are MANY more lines than sails on a ship. A bewildering array. But like the sails, the are grouped (usually according to function and sail). Halliards (or halyards...can you guess how they got their name) raise and lower yards, for instance, and sheets contol the shape of sails, etc. If it's any comfort, I can't think of why you'd ever need to know the name of any line for game purposes. Unless, for RP's sake, you just want to holler out something like "clear that wreckage and see to the braces!" or "sway up another t'gallant mast and brail those clews!" 1
jackplego Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 Well I feel more informed now and able to say things beyond "someone blew a hole in one of the triangle handkerchiefs" when my sails are getting ripped Thanks for the quick help! Next will figuring out what all those strings hanging from the sails are called I only know a few, but just for the basic lines. Sheets- these lines control the angle of the sails to the wind Halliard- these raise and lower the sails Shrouds/stays- the lines that hold the masts up. Ratlines- these are the horizontal lines on the shrouds. Used as a ladder to get to the fighting tops (the "crows nest" at the middle of the mast) there are hundreds of lines, and even more specific versions of these, but these are the basics.
maturin Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 All the ones you've labeled are Staysails of some form (although the forward ones are called Jibs). Specifically: 1. Jib 2. Fore topmast staysail 3. Main topgallant staysail 4. Middle staysail 5. Mizzen topgallant staysail 6. Mizzen topmast staysail 7. Mizzen staysail I may be mistaken, but I believe that 1. is the jib and 2. is the flying jib. The foretopmast staysail isn't set. And 4. is the maintopmast staysail. The middle staysail and mainstaysail aren't set. But damn, that maint'gallant staysail is massive. For game terms, it's enough to learn what each mast is, and know collectively what jibs and staysails are. You can refer to everything forward of the foremast as a jib and no one will judge you too harshly. And knowing the square sails bottom to top is good too. Courses, topsails, t'gallants. Edit: Mixed numbers 1 and 2 up after I scrolled away from the image. 1
Tom Pullings Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 If it helps, rigging is divided into standing rigging, like shrouds and stays, which keep all the masts and other parts that aren't attached in place, and running rigging, which control the yards and sails and other moving parts. There are really on a few main lines, but hundreds of auxiliary lines. I certainly don't know all of them, even though years of modeling and rigging these ships has taught me a fair bit. I'd love it if they'd model studding sails on the square-rigged ships. In OW, I'd love to be able to stretch every bit of cloth and just watch her sail!
Brigand Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I may be mistaken, but I believe that 1. is the jib and 2. is the flying jib. The foretopmast staysail isn't set. And 4. is the maintopmast staysail. The middle staysail and mainstaysail aren't set. But damn, that maint'gallant staysail is massive. For game terms, it's enough to learn what each mast is, and know collectively what jibs and staysails are. You can refer to everything forward of the foremast as a jib and no one will judge you too harshly. And knowing the square sails bottom to top is good too. Courses, topsails, t'gallants. I believe you've got the numbers for the jib and flying jib mixed up (I know you know the names, but let's not add confusion). ~Brigand 1
Robert Danforth Posted February 13, 2015 Posted February 13, 2015 I may be mistaken, but I believe that 1. is the jib and 2. is the flying jib. The foretopmast staysail isn't set. And 4. is the maintopmast staysail. The middle staysail and mainstaysail aren't set. But damn, that maint'gallant staysail is massive. For game terms, it's enough to learn what each mast is, and know collectively what jibs and staysails are. You can refer to everything forward of the foremast as a jib and no one will judge you too harshly. And knowing the square sails bottom to top is good too. Courses, topsails, t'gallants. Edit: Mixed numbers 1 and 2 up after I scrolled away from the image. That's possible (and likely), since the reference in the book has all sails set.
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