Knowing the Ropes: The Need to Record Ropes and Rigging on Wreck-Sites and Some Techniques for Doing So

Abstract

Wreck-sites often produce large quantities of rope and rigging. For a number of reasons these are seldom systematically recorded or interpreted. It is argued here that the justifications produced for this are in many cases not tenable. However, one problem has been a lack of practical techniques, and insufficient training in how and what to record. This issue is discussed and some solutions offered. It is also argued that study of rigging could tell us much about the vessels, the processes of their wrecking, and the maritime world in which they operated.

Iron artefacts from the Akko Tower Wreck, Israel, and their contribution to the ship’s characterization

“…Rigging elements found on wreck sites may provide useful information regarding different aspects of the ship, such as the size of the vessel (Sanders 2010). The presence of the iron strap and the chain indicate that the deadeyes were the lower of pairs of deadeyes (Falconer 1780(Falconer , p. 1214Marquardt 2003, p. 61;Underhill 1949, pp.…”

The Cables and Cablets of the Mary Rose (1545)

“…As discussed in Sanders (: 1–2), in common with the majority of underwater excavations in the early 1980s, while samples were taken, cables were never a priority for study or conservation. Some excavated cable lengths and coils of cable were reburied off‐site so that precedence could be given to the many thousands of more fragile artefacts.…”

“…Cables are usually laid from 30–35°. The cantline of a rope can vary if the speed of the top varied considerably during the laying process, known as ‘closing’ in the case of a cable (Sanders, : 5). The ‘top’, often mounted on a ‘top cart’, guided the strands together during the laying and closing processes (labelled ‘T’ in Fig.…”

“…Yarns with loose ends create potential problems with maintaining yarn tension and will not carry load along their full length. Cables were in part a response to the problem of uneven tensioning of yarns in larger hawser‐laid ropes (Sanders, : 19). The only cable ‘dissected’ for this article which showed ‘puckered’ yarns that had been inadequately tensioned during the laying process was O9‐type 79A0609 (Fig.…”

Strands that Stand: using wire rope to date and identify archaeological sites

“…The abandoned lengths of wire rope can serve a purpose. As Damien Sanders has argued, the rigging components found on shipwreck sites offer much useful interpretative data and, despite the challenges of recording them accurately in situ , the potential value of harvesting this data far outweighs the challenges (2010: 2–26). Yet, organic‐based fibre rope is rarely preserved on shipwreck sites in quantities or in a condition that can be used to provide conclusive data: the few pieces which do survive are usually insufficient to tell much about the sail and rigging configuration with which they were originally associated (Muckelroy, : 217).…”