Navigation
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- Construction and Sculpturing
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- and First cruise-
- The D'Enville Armada
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- 2nd battle of Finisterre
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- Castor Specifications
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- Masts and Yards
Masts and Yards
This diagram is a graphical view of numbers taken from pages
4 & 5 of the de Bory Journal mentioned earlier. I have put these two
pages in pdf format and can be
viewed here
 |
Formula's were used to determine the height of masts. As shown on the Specifications page, the Castor was built to have a beam of 31 ft. The main mast height would therefore be calculated to be 2.5 * times the beam length. i.e. 77.5 feet or 77 feet and 6 inches. de Bory's journal shows the Castors main mast height to be 77 feet.
The distance between the top of the main mast and the floor of
the crosstree on the mainmast is calculated as one ninth of
the main mast length *. This turns out
to be 8 feet 6 inches. The same figure is in the third column
of the mainmast list of de Bory's.
The height of the foremast is 69 feet. That is 8 feet '6 inches
less then the calculated main mast height of 77 feet ' 6 inches.
Also one ninth of the foremast length of 69 feet is 7
feet 8 inches. The third column for the foremast in de
Bory's list shows 7 feet 9 inches
The height of the mizzen mast in de Bory's list is 53 feet.
* Calculations from Jean Boudriot's book - the History of French Frigates
| de Bory list of Masts & Yards | Measurements French Feet | ||||
| Length | Diam | Dbling | |||
| Feet | Inches | ft-in | |||
| Grand mat | Main Mast | 77 | 23 | 8-6 | |
| Mat de mizaine | Foremast | 69 | 21 | 7-9 | |
| mat d'artimon | Mizzen Mast | 53 | 15 | 6 | |
| Beaupre | Bowsprit | 43 | 23 | ||
| Grand Mat d' hune | Main Topmast | 48 | 14 | 5-4 | |
| Petit Mat d' hune | Fore Topmast | 44 | 13 | 5 | |
| Perroquet d'artimon | Mizzen topmast | 27 | 7 | 3 | |
| Grand Perroquet | Main Topgallant | 24 | 7 | 3 | |
| Petit Perroquet | Fore Topgallant | 22 | 6 | 3-1 | |
| Grande Vergue | Main Yard | 69 | 14 | 3-1 | |
| Vergue de misaine | Fore main yard | 62 | 15 | 3 | |
| Vergue d'artimon (antenne) | Mizzen Yard | 62 | 12 | ||
| Verque de civdiere | Spritsail yard | 46 | 10 | 3 | |
| Vergue de Grand Hunier | Main topsail yard | 47 | 10 | 4 | |
| Vergue de Petit Hunier | Fore topsail yard | 42 | 9 | 3-6 | |
| Vergue de fougue ou peche | Mizzen cross jack | 42 | 7.5 | 2-6 | |
| Vegue de Grand Perroquet | Main upper topsail yard | 25 | 5 | 2 | |
| Vergue de Petit Perroquet | Fore upper topsail yard | 23 | 4 | 2 | |
| Vergue de Perroquet d' artimon | Mizzen top sail yard | 24 | 6 | 3-1 | |
The masts and yards were made with Cypress and Red Pine, the
blocks from Ash.
PIAF – 48582
Overall the Castor's masts were a few feet shorter then the
Renommee.
Unlike the Renommee the Castor does not have an upper top sail yard
on the mizzen mast. (mat et vergue de perruche).
The Bowsprit on the Castor is 4 feet shorter then that of the
Renommee. There is only the spritsail yard on the bowsprit ...
the Renommee also has a " contra-civadiere"
sail further up the bowsprit.
| Castor | Renommee | ||||
| Main Mast | 82.13 | 83.24 | 101% | ||
| Foremast | 73.60 | 76.00 | 103% | ||
| Mizzen Mast | 56.53 | 61.00 | 108% | ||
| Bowsprit | 45.86 | 50.00 | 109% | ||
| MainTopmast | 51.20 | 56.24 | 110% | ||
| Fore Topmast | 46.93 | 48.24 | 103% | ||
| Mizzen topmast | 28.80 | 31.25 | 109% | ||
| Main Topgallant | 25.60 | 26.00 | 102% | ||
| Fore Topgallant | 23.47 | 24.00 | 102% |
In de Bory's list of yards he lists for each a length a diameter and
another number in the third column. If this number is added to
the length given for the yard at
both ends of the same yard you get the true length of the yard.
The extra length are measurements for the yardarms. A yardarm
is the outer part of the yard beyond the ropes of the rigging.
The chart below show a comparison to the Castor and Renommee
yard lengths:
| Measurements in imperial feet | ||||||
| Castor | Dblng | Renommee | ||||
| Main Yard | 73.6 | 3.29 | 80.18 | 80 | 100% | |
| Fore main yard | 66.13 | 3.2 | 72.53 | 75.5 | 104% | |
| Mizzen Yard (Gaff) | 66.13 | 68 | 103% | |||
| Spritsail yard | 49.06 | 3.2 | 55.46 | 59 | 106% | |
| Main topsail yard | 50.13 | 4.27 | 58.67 | 57.5 | 98% | |
| Fore topsail yard | 44.8 | 3.73 | 52.26 | 51.5 | 99% | |
| Mizzen cross jack | 44.8 | 2.67 | 50.14 | 51.5 | 103% | |
| Main upper topsail yard | 26.67 | 2.13 | 30.93 | 33 | 107% | |
| Fore upper topsail yard | 24.53 | 2.13 | 28.79 | 27 | 94% | |
| Mizzen top sail yard | 25.6 | 3.29 | 32.18 | 33 | 103% | |
This recalculation would bring the lengths of yards comparison between the two ships more in line with smaller deviations as seen with the mast differences and it would explain what those third numbers are about.
In 1743 Sails for the Castor were ordered. click here to see sail document