Masts
Fore and Main lower masts
Long
before the Flying Cloud was built in 1851 the U.S. had run out of tree
trunks large enough to be used for masts the size of the lower fore and main
mast on the Flying Cloud so shipbuilders were using Òmade mastsÓ
constructed on smaller timbers held together with iron hoops. None of the contemporary sources
specifically say that the Flying Cloud had made masts but it seems very
likely. For example, the McKay
ship Great Republic, launched in 1853, had made masts, as shown by the contemporary plans (see
figure 1) in the McLean booklet about
the ship. In addition, the Duncan
McLean descriptions of the McKay clippers ships Flying Fish, Bald Eagle,
Westward Ho!, Sovereign of the Seas, Romance of the Seas, Lightning, Empress of
the Seas, Donald McKay, Champion of the Seas, and Staffordshire, say
that these ships had made fore and main masts. If McKay used made fore and main
masts on all of these ships it would be very likely that he also used made fore
and main masts on the Flying Cloud even if McLeanÕs description[1]
does not mention the fact.
Crothers states
that the iron hoops on made masts were 4 inch wide and 1/2 inches thick separated
by about three feet.[2]
Figure 1: Portion of Plate No. 6 from the McLean booklet
Figure 2: Photograph from the 1880s of the Sea Witch looking
aft showing made fore and main masts
Some
made masts had chapels. Chapels were Òthe grooves in a built-up
or ÒmadeÓ wooden mast, by which several pieces of timber are used to fashion
it. É The chapels occurred where the various pieces of which the mast was made
were joined together.[3]
Since chapels on made masts were common in the mid 1850s, it is likely that the
Flying Cloud had chapels on her fore and main masts. An example of masts with chapels is
seen in figure 2. Note the small filler blocks under the iron hoops.
Crothers[4]
discusses how such masts were made, with a good drawing on page 65,
which shows chapels and Campbell[5]
has a discussion of made masts (which he calls Òfive-piece mastsÓ in his text
and Òmade mastsÓ in his drawing) with a drawing on page 113, also showing chapels, although he does not
call the groves ÒchapelsÓ.
Mizzen
lower mast
The
mizzen lower mast of the Flying Cloud was small enough in diameter to be
made from a single timber, and likely did not have iron hoops holding it
together (similar to the Sea Witch, as shown in figure 2), even though
the Boucher model of the Flying Cloud in the Boston MFA shows the mizzen
mast as a made mast with chapels and hoops.
Other
masts
All
the upper masts of the Flying Cloud were made from single timbers, and
did not have iron bands holding them together.
Rake
of masts on the Flying Cloud
McLean
reported that all of the Flying CloudÕs masts were raked at 1.25"
per foot.[6]
Size
of the Flying CloudÕs masts
McLean provided the following table of the dimensions of the
masts on the Flying Cloud.[7]
|
|
Diameter |
Length |
Mast Head |
|
Fore Lower |
35" |
82' |
13' |
|
Top |
17" |
46' |
9' |
|
Topgallant |
11" |
25' |
NA |
|
Royal |
10" |
17' |
NA |
|
Skysail |
8.5" |
13' |
pole 5' |
|
Main Lower |
36" |
88' |
14' |
|
Top |
18" |
51' |
9.5' |
|
Topgallant |
12" |
28' |
NA |
|
Royal |
11" |
19' |
NA |
|
Skysail |
9.5" |
14.5' |
pole 5.5' |
|
Mizen Lower |
26" |
78' |
12' |
|
Top |
12.5" |
40' |
8' |
|
Topgallant |
9" |
22' |
NA |
|
Royal |
8" |
14' |
NA |
|
Skysail |
7" |
10' |
pole 4' |
Note
that the length of the lower masts in the table above included the length below
the deck as well as the length of the mast head.
The
Flying CloudÕs yards were cut down a few times over her lifetime and, as shown
by John ScottÕs 1871 painting, adopted double topsails at some point, likely when she was
converted to be an immigrant transport for the route between England and
Australia.
Tapered
masts
Most
sources state that all masts on large sailing vessels were tapered, including
the lower masts, even if they were made masts. Donald McKay did use tapered mad
masts on his ships as can be seen in the plan of the main mast Duncan McLean included
in his booklet about the Great Republic. See figure 3. So it is reasonable to assume that the Flying
CloudÕs lower masts were tapered.
Figure 3: Portion of Plate No. 6 from the McLean booklet
The
taper of the mast section in figure 3 closely matches the taper described by Underhill[8]
and by Steel[9]
and shown in my drawing of the proportions of masts.
Colors
of masts
The
contemporary images of the Flying Cloud show that her lower masts and
tops were painted white.