Improvements in Masting and Rigging Ships and other Vessels.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application,. 10th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Dec., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Masting and Rigging Ships and other Vessels.
I, GEORGE ELLERTON POSGATE, of 89 St Thomas's Road, Hackney in the County
of Middlesex, Trinity Pilot, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists in substituting for the present method of masting and
rigging ships and other vessels an arrangement whereby the masts or spars, instead
of being planted with their heels at a considerable depth into the ship, are secured
with their lower ends to the highest convenient part of the hull affording the
requisite strength, and instead of being stayed by flexible rigging or shrouds that are
only intended to bear a tensional strain, they are supported by rigid stays or shrouds
that are secured with their lower ends firmly to the upper part of the hull of the
ship, and that act both as struts and ties to the masts, according as the strain is put
upon the latter in one direction or the other, so that practically I substitute for the
ordinary masts and spars and their rigging, a metal erection or framework that may be
trussed in any suitable way to afford it the requisite strength combined with
lightness. A similar construction is also applied to the bowsprit, and the various
spars of a vessel such as yards, booms gaffs derricks, shears, jibs, and the like, can be
fitted to such masts and bowsprits in a similar manner to that in which they are
applied to ordinary masts &c.
This improved construction can either be applied to masts &c. in their entirety, or
hey may be partially constructed according to the old system.
Thus for example, according to one arrangement, I construct only the lower part of
ship's mast according to my invention, in which case the ordinary lower mast and its
hrouds may be replaced by a central metal mast, the base or heel of which is fixed
ecurely to the upper part of the hull and which is stayed laterally by two or more
igid stays or shrouds extending at an angle from the sides of the deck, where they
re securely fixed to the hull, to the upper end of the mast, which is adapted to
ecure the topmast to it, which together with the topgallant mast, and their rigging
re constructed and fitted in the ordinary manner. Or instead of constructing a

page_text: central mast with lateral stays, I employ a framework consisting of three or more
legs all extending at the same angles or at different angles, in a similar manner to a
tripod, and strengthened if necessary by diagonal or other bracing.
Or, when constructing the entire mast according to my invention, I, in like manner,
make it either with a central main support and with rigid stays or shrouds extending
to different points in the height of the main support, such as to points corresponding
with the junctions of the ordinary top masts, and top gallant masts; or I construct
the mast without a central main support, but with a frame work of three or more
legs of equal strength, extending up to the top, and suitably braced together.
With these arrangements it will be seen that all the legs or supports may spring
from the sides of the vessel, so that masts can' in this way be fixed in positions where
it would be impossible to place masts constructed in 'the ordinary manner, such as
over the engine or boiler rooms &c.
In like manner, the bowsprit, instead of consisting of a spar extending inwards so
as to have its heel securely stepped against a point on the vessels deck or within the
hull at some distance from its attachment to the bows, is made to terminate at the
bows, where it is firmly fixed to the stem or other part, and it is stayed by means of
rigid stays, the inner ends of which are also securely fixed to convenient parts of the
bows, and this construction may either be applied to the entire bowsprit or the jib
boom may be fitted and rigged in the ordinary way. As in the case of the masts,
the bowsprit may be made to consist of three or more legs or supports of equal
strength instead of a main support with side stays.
When such masts or bowsprits are made entirely according to my invention, they
may be made in separate sections so as to be detachable from each other, or so that
the parts or the whole can be raised or lowered, like the different parts of ordinary
masts or bowsprits.
Shear legs or derricks may be fitted to the masts constructed according to my
invention in the same manner as to ordinary masts.
The several parts of the masts &c. are constructed of iron or steel of any desired
section, such as of tubular form, or of TH or L iron.
Dated this 10th day of July 1888.

page_text: Improvements in Masting and Rigging Ships and other Vessels.
I, GEORGE ELLERTON POSGATE, of 89 St. Thomas's Road, Hackney, in the County
of Middlesex, Trinity Pilot, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in substituting for the present method of masting and
rigging ships and other vessels an arrangement whereby the masts or spars instead
of being planted with their heels at a considerable depth into the ship, are secured
with their lower ends to the highest convenient part of the hull affording the
requisite strength, and instead of being rigged by flexible stays and shrouds that are
only intended to bear a tensional strain they are supported by rigid stays or shrouds
that are secured with their lower ends firmly to the upper part of the hull of the ship,
and that act both as struts and ties to the mast, according as the strain is put upon
the latter in one direction or the other, so that practically I substitute for the ordinary.
masts and spars and their rigging, a metal erection or framework that may be formed
in any suitable way to afford it the requisite strength combined with lightness. A
similar construction is also applied to the bowsprit, and the various spars of a vessel,
such as yards, booms, gaffs, derricks, shears, jibs, and others can be fitted to such
masts and bowsprits in a similar manner to that in which they are applied to ordinary
masts &c.
This improved construction can either be applied to masts &c. in their entirety,
or they may be partially constructed according to the old system..
Thus for example, according to one arrangement, I construct only the lower part
of a ship's mast according to my invention, in which case the ordinary lower mast and
fixed
its rigging may be replaced by a central metal mast, the base or heel of which
securely to the upper part of the hull and which is stayed laterally by two or more
rigid stays or shrouds extending at an angle from the sides of the deck, where they
are securely fixed to the hull.
The accompanying drawings represent some of the methods by which masts and
rigging can be fitted by this method.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings shew respectively a side elevation and a front
elevation of a mast constructed as just described. A is a mast by preference of steel
having its heel firmly secured in any suitable manner to the deck B, and which is
supported by two metal shrouds C C extending to the sides of the deck. These may
be braced together in any convenient manner as indicated by the dotted lines D.
The topmast E and topgallant mast F may either also both be made of tubular
metal, or the topmast may be of metal, and the topgallant mast of wood, or
both may be of wood.
They are secured by ordinary rigging G G.
According to another modification I construct the lower mast of a framework
consisting of three or more legs all extending at the same angle or at different angles,
in a similar manner to a tripod, and strengthened if necessary by diagonal or other
bracing.

page_text: Figs. 3 and 4 shew respectively a side view and a front view of a mast constructed
in this manner, namely with four legs AAAA two of which spring from the one side
of the deck, and the other two from the other side, so that the middle of the deck is
entirely free. With this arrangement I am enabled to place masts in positions on
the vessel where it is impossible to fix masts constructed in the ordinary way, such
as over the engine and boiler rooms &c.
The topmast E is stayed by means of rigid metal stays or shrouds C which have
bracings as indicated at DD; the topgallant mast F is provided with ordinary
rigging as at G in Fig. 5 which shews the same construction of mast as above
described, with the spars and sails attached.
Figs. 6 and 7 shew a side view and front view of a construction of mast in which
the whole of the shrouds are of rigid metal. In this case there is a central mast A
with two side shrouds C C as in the first described arrangement, the top and
topgallant masts EF being secured firstly by two shrouds C¹ C¹ extending up to the
top, and secondly by bracings D D¹. Figs. 8 and 9 shew a similar construction of
mast with a different arrangement of shrouds and bracings C C¹ C², D.
Figs. 10, 11 and 12 shew respectively the side and front views and a sectional plan
of a mast consisting of a continuous framed triangular metal structure, consisting of a
main support A and two side supports CC stayed together by diagonal and horizontal
bracings D D'.
The several parts are constructed in separate lengths connected by joints of any
suitable known construction whereby they can be readily disconnected when it is
desired to dismantle the ship.
Figs. 13 and 14 show an elevation and plan of a bowsprit and jibboom constructed
according to my invention. The bowsprit consists of a metal spar I the heel of which
is secured to the bows of the vessel in any suitable manner, and which is rigged by
rigid metal shrouds or stays J, J, braced together as shewn. The jibboom K may
either be of wood and secured by ordinary guys and stays L as shewn or it may
also be made of solid or tubular metal.
The bowsprit together with the jibboom may also be made to consist of three or
more legs or supports of equal strength braced together so as to form a complete
framework, instead of a main support or spar with shrouds and stays.
Such framed structures may be made of separate sections readily detachable from
each other so as to be raised, lowered or rigged inboard like ordinary masts and
bowsprits.
The various pieces of these frameworks and erections are constructed of iron or
steel of tubular TXHL or other suitable section.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method substantially as herein described of constructing the masts or spars
and rigging of vessels of iron or steel secured to the deck or outside of the hull
for the purposes set forth.
2. The construction of metal masts, spars, and rigging of vessels, substantially as
herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of November 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.