Donkey head
On sailing ships, donkey's head is called the upper connecting part between the lower mast and the stanchions , between two stanchions and also between the bowsprit and jib boom .
History and Development
Since the end of the 15th century, the height of the previously one-piece masts was increased by means of attached rods in order to be able to sail more sails. To make this connection stiff, the upper part of the lower spar overlaps the lower part of the upper spar. This area is called doubling , the upper connecting element of which forms the donkey's head. Until well into the 19th century it was made of hardwood, often that of the elm . At the beginning of the same century, the first donkey heads were made from iron strips, but only in the time of the steel base masts at the turn of the next century did they replace the wooden ones in cast steel in all areas. The name can be traced back to the original curved shape, which was widespread in mainland Europe well into the 18th century and which can be associated with an animal's head.
literature
- Karl Heinz Marquardt: Masting and rigging of ships of the 18th century , Bielefeld, Delius-Klasing, 1986, ISBN 3-7688-0526-3
- Friedrich Ludwig Middendorf : Masting and rigging of the ships , Springer, Berlin, 1903
- Johann Hinrich Röding: General Dictionary of the Navy , Licentiat Nemnich / Hamburg & Gebauer / Halle, 1793
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Björn Landstöm, Seglande skepp , Bokförlaget Forum, Stockholm 1969