A stu dy o f M a rlin e spik e S e amanship whi ch embr a ces Be n d s tc e s e s aste n n s , Hi h , Ti , F i g an d S plices an d th eir Pr a ctic al Applic atio n . W t a ters o n C o rd a e M att n i h ch p g , i g , H ammo ck M akin g an d Wir e S teel Wo rk C ompil ed an d E d ited by A F L . Q D RI DGE D e dic at e d to th e S ailo rs o f th e U n it ed S t ates THE R U D D E R PUBLI S HI N G CO M P A N Y M R RA Y T T N E Y 9 U S REE , W O R K CI TY S A . U . C OP YR I GH T 1918 B Y THE RU DD ER PUBLISHING N E Y K A W OR , U . S . All Rig hts R es er v e d SE$ i3 18 P R E S S O F THO MSO N CO MPA N Y 9 M U RRA Y STREET N E W YOR K , V q, C ON T E N TS History of Knots Cordage Rope and I ts Care S imple Knots and Loop s a Knots for U niting Rope s Bends and Hitches Knots Formed o n Ropes by Their Own S trands S hortenings Ties Purchases and S lings M n n Fastenings , oori gs and Ri g Knots Lashings and S eizings S plicing and Rope Work Wire Rope S plici n g Matting Hammock Making PRE FAC E The study of knots is always fascinating . To twist r opes so that they will hold a nd not break is an a r t that comes natural to the sailor a n d the amateur will watch him in wonder as he does his work . Knots are j ust as important in these day s of steam vessels as they were in the days of the sailing vessel , and now when thousands of men are being trained to handle the fleets of ves s eI s buildi n g tyi n g knots is a part of their training . A t the Naval camps a n d the nautical schools the men are trained in squads a n d with a little practice they soon acquire the art . To aid those students this s book has been publi hed . It has been compiled from American and British Government records and from c o llec many other sources , so that it is as complete a s tion of knots as it is pos ible to obtain . s s m n e U . It will be of great a istance to of the . S “ U . S . U . S . n Navy , Naval Reserve , Ju ior Naval R e U . S . c S serve , the Nauti al chools and the U . S . Power S quadrons who are worki n g so loyally to $ aid their c in n ountry its time of eed . To these men this book is dedicated in the hope that it may be of some help to them in their work . H I STORY O F KNOTS a re Kn i n a n i , ots , accord g to ngenuous essayist “ $ probably as old as human fin gers a n d their history i lo s t in i i . s ant qu ty Doubtless w— hen man was first pla c ed on this earth he learned to make fastenings from the ten drils of climbing vi n es and trailing flowers whi c h twist themselves into odd fastenings as they lift themselves from the earth . The first cords were n S probably twisted g rasses a d rushes . ince those “ ' kn ts u s t r o we d early days q , like Topsy , have j g and ’ ma n s ingenuity has enabled him so to a rrange ropes n n r and cords that they will sustai weights , faste va ious articles t ogether a n d take up strai n s so that they will n hold u der ordinary conditions . S eamen are credited with havi n g devi s ed t h e most n n knots . They have i ve ted ties upon which dep end h ir ~ h i the safety of t e s p s and the lives of those on board . Operatives in many trades such as building have bor ~ rowed from the seamen their knots and applied them to n h a s their work . In some i stances the land operator invented new kn ots or ties to suit c onditio n s not fou n d on shipboard . To tie a kn ot properly or to be able to j oi n ropes s o that they will hold a n d withsta n d heavy strai n s is 10 so important with seamen that careful attention is paid to the instruction of the men in this particular work . At the many naval training camp s scattered about the country capabl e instructors show the r e c r uits how to properly make knots , ties , hitches , bends and splices , and until the recruit knows how to handle ropes quickly and properly he is not much use at sea . I oo o of n the nautical schools , t , and in the divisi ns the i i s t U . S . Power S quadron much attent on paid to his ’ part of the novice s instruction . The steamship is steadily driving th e sailing vessel f . O from the seas course on a sailing ship , where every spar is stayed by rope and where all the sails , n the propelling power , are ha dled by ropes , the ability to ~ p r o perly tie knots is more important than on a vessel driven by steam or oil engines , but on the powered vessel there are many occasions when it is necessary in to have a knowledge of knots , particularly handling o o carg es , in making fast t piers or moorings , in towing , in handling boats , and in hundreds of other instance s so that the steam engine is not making “ marlinespike $ seamanship a lost art . COR DAGE Rope is a word that is taken to mean almost every pliable material . Technically a rope is a cord one inch t . or more in diame er It is generally made of hemp , I n o i i . manila , coir, cott n, steel , ron or copper w re n k o i l studyi g the nature and uses of n ts , part cular y s those which come under the designation of splice , some knowledge of the mode and of the principles o n n which ropes are made , is esse tially necessary . The simplest and most effectual mode of obtaining the united strength of fibres composing the rope would be to lay them side by side and fa s ten th e m together o n at each end as in the selvagee , which is described 1 20 n n page . This pla , eve if the fibres of hemp n were of the necessary length , would be open to ma y obj ections ; hence it was necessary to devise some plan which would give unlimited length to the rope and at the same time preserve its torsion and portability . This has been achieved by the compressio n a n d twi s t o iff n i ing f the fibres in d erent directions , u t l they pro n duce a compact , hard and strong rope , neither breaki g the fibres on the one hand nor leaving them so loose as to be easily drawn out from the mass on th e other either extreme would be equally fatal in its results 1 2 and inj urious to the stability of the rope . This is _ achieved by the modern processes of rope making . First the fibres of hemp are loosely twisted to — n n gether , right ha ded , and form what is technically know o as yarn . Two or three yarns twisted t gether form a FIBRES TO CABLE strand ; three strands form a rope and three ropes a cable . The diagram illustrates this clearly . A i s a : yarn teased out to show the original fibre ;B shows the C yarn forming the strand ; the strands , H , and J form a nd G the rope D ; the ropes D , F , form the cable E . 1 3 A hawser rope is composed of three stran ds laid up left to right . - a - h a n d e d c o n s is ts A shroud laid rope , lso laid right , of four strands with a heart in the center . HAWSER ROPE SHROUD -LAID ROPE CABLE -LAID ROPE — A cable - laid rope is composed of three right handed - e - n s o hawser laid ropes laid up togeth r left ha ded , that o i s n i i m it may be said to c ns t of ne strands , or t ay be fo r m ed by three left- han ded ropes laid up right handed . I 4 S pun yarn is a number of yarns twisted up right h el t .