I saw on several models that on medium size vessels of the 18th century the rudder was connected to a large handle, the end of which was tied through some blocks to a steering wheel. All this openly lay on the deck, with ropes run across it several inches above the planks.Drum and tiller-rope steering-gear has been a longtime interest of mine. See: The Early History of the Steering Wheel (with Mark Myers). Mariner's Mirror Vol. 58 (1972); The Tiller Rope Slackness Problem, NRJ Vol. 36 (1991): pp. 11-17]; Seamanship in the Age of Sail, pp. 69-71; and the question is discussed again in Capstans and Windlasses used at Sea: An Illustrated History, published by Pier Books/DuPont Communications.Questions:
- 1. Didn't it all create one big mess and prevented proper access on the deck?
- 2. Can someone direct me to pictures of ships/models that show the system of ropes that tied the handle of the rudder to the steering wheel?
With rope and tiller steering, the main problem facing the designer is how to kinematically matching the arciform movement of the tiller-end to the linear shift of the rope on a cylindrical barrel. There are two mathematically perfect solutions: A quadrant and rollers as found in VICTORY (Pollard's method) and the use of a sliding-collar on the tiller (Rapson Slide), as found in CONSTITUTION and CONSTELLATION. Other approximate solutions were also put to use: appropriately placed pairs of leading blocks, ahead of and astern of the tiller end; non-cylindrical barrels, etc.
The whipstaff works very well near amidships, over the range where the helmsman
can pry or lever the tiller. As tiller-angle increases, leverage decreases
briskly and at large tiller-angles the helmsman would have to push or pull the
whipstaff almost axially ...like a dinghy-sailor's hiking stick. This would be
quite ineffective.
{
John H Harland
}
Back?