Page 136 - Nicolaes Witsen & Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age

Chapter Two
76. Place the Bitts
The bitts or standards were the vertical timbers of the rid- ing bitt, the he avy structure in the forec astle onto whic h the anchor cable was belayed. They were one third thicker than the stem and were par tly let into the forem ast part- ner. They bore against a deck beam forward, both on the main deck as well as on the upper deck.
It was actually “modern” to have the riding bitt in the forecastle. Before 166 1 the practic e was to stow the anchor cable in the hold, and the riding bitt would then stand on the main dec k. This practice was adhered to in later years for men- of-war, but for merc hantmen the ar - rangement described above was ad apted because of an incident in 1661, described by Van Yk as follows:
The [East India] Company had purchased a man-of- war, which it intended to use as an East Indiaman. While still in the Channel, the hold was found full of water and it was decided to return, fearing that the entire foreship had become undone. Back in the fatherland, however, it appeared that the water had entered the ship through the h awseholes, between frame and ceiling. The ship had never had that problem when a man-of-war, since it
had never been loaded as deeply before. (Van Yk, p. 108)
Theproblemwassolvedbyraising thestem,closing the hawseholes and m aking new ones one dec k higher, as was done with the beak head. The riding bitt was then placed in the forec astle, which head was p rolonged to the stem (a closed forec astle). The additional advantage was that the hold remained free for cargo, the disadvan- tage that the fore s ide of the lower dec k could no long er provide space for guns. Still, this arrang ement was such a success that, according to Van Yk, all subsequent East Indiamen were built this way.
77. The main and Fore knight.
(55 II 44) With Knights the yards are hoisted: . ..
(62 II 42) Stand below on the main deck; and are used to raise the sail with its yard, for the main mast as well as the foremast. Y et the knigh t for the mizzenmast is also used to haul and to pa y. The small standing blocks or knigh ts, which can be seen tted on the main knight, are used to house the topmasts with the top rope, and to raise and lower the top.
(71 II 11) 37. About the Knight.
8 Feet of the ship’s length, gives 1 inch of breadth: being a little thinner , but th e sheaves are this broad . On uyts the sheaves are set in the ship’ s side, instead of knights.
(55 II 45) the main knight is broad 1 foot 7 inches, thick 1 foot 6 inches, the shea ves long 1 foot 6 inches, thick 2 inches, the nail thick 2 in ches, the holes of the head 8 inches, the head long 1 foot, made octagonal at the top: the small knigh ts xed there, thick 10 inches, broad 1 foot, the holes long 12 1⁄2 inches, wide 2 inches, the head long 7 inches, above thick 7 inches, stand from the main 4 inches, above, below against it, here below often a crosspiece is made, tted with a small bolt at each end; its heads are long 8 inches. The knights today are often doubled.
Figure 2.149. A bitt.
Plate XXXVII.
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