Posted on 02/28/2025 9:00:00 PM PST by ransomnote
A new month! Kinda snuck up on me.
Know your Nautical Terminology
capstan
A large winch with a vertical axis used to wind in anchors or to hoist other heavy objects, and sometimes to administer flogging over. A full-sized human-powered capstan is a waist-high cylindrical machine, operated by a number of hands who each insert a horizontal capstan bar in holes in the capstan and walk in a circle.
pawls
Small bars used to stop the barrel of a winch or capstan moving backward under an increased load or if the turning power was reduced. In early capstans, the pawls had to be manually moved in and out of the notches in which they worked. Later capstans had automatic pawls that dropped into notches as the barrel turned. In breaking out an anchor, a crew would "heave and pawl" if the bow was rising and falling with the waves, so giving a varying load on the cable.
The above deck portion of the capstan of USS Constitution with capstan bars in place. In heavy weather there may have been four men per bar needed to break the anchor free.
A drydock capstan showing the housing for a pawl.
SpyNavy
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
LOL
Time marches on. Thanks for the new thread.
Sort of reminds one of the original single thread forum posting, eh?🗿 Old home week.🤷
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