Page 95 - Nicolaes Witsen & Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age

nails, and also two thin ceiling strak es are applied underneath, before laying the beams, as at k; i is the Deck clamp [see fig. 2.62].
33. Fasten the Deck Clamp
The deck clamp was an ex ceptionally broad pl ank, half the stem’s thickness, to which the deck beams were se- cured with dove tails. The height of this c omponent was measured from the height of breadth ribband.
In the stern of Witsen’s pinas, where the ri sing of the deck would make the walking surface much too inclined if it c ontinued to follow the sheer , the deck was made flatfromthepoint wherethebulkheadofthegunroom would be. In some ship s, such as Prins Willem, the gu n room was made lower than the m ain deck and on ly ac- cessible by way of some steps.10 Later, as with the Dutch two-decker, the main dec k was made almost horizontal, and the place of the gun room no longer had to be taken into account when applying the deck clamp.11 (For a com- parison of these lower-deck designs, see fig. 2.71.)
Before the dec k beams were l aid, a c ouple of ceiling planks were placed underneath the deck clamp to prevent it from sagging.
34. Lay the Beams, with the Deck clamp underneath.
(152 II 47) When the Deck clamp is put in place, then the beams are laid, with dovetails in the Deck clamp as at a [in fig. 2.62], l is the beam.
Figure 2.71. Lower-deck runs. Above: The run of the lower deck of the Prins Willem (1649); the gun room is placed deeper that the rest of the lower deck. Center: The run of the lower deck of a Dutch two-decker; the deck is almost entirely flat. Below: The run of the lower deck of Witsen’s pinas; there is a break at the location of the bulwark for the gun room. (Drawing by A. J. Hoving)
(264 I 20)
The main deck, on men-of-war, must, to be ghting, be at for the better part: and some-
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t for
times it is made to rise a step forward, to make the ship look better forward.
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(267 I 45) The gun room should not be too low; be- cause then the water, which comes over the ship, will come into it and bring much misfortune.
How Ships Are Built in Holland Today
(75 I 4) About the Deck clamp, and others.
1. The Deck clamp, broad in the middle 2 feet 6
inches, aft 1 foot 10 inches, forward 1 foot 8 inches.
2. Thick in the middle 5 1⁄2 inches, for ward wide 1
foot 8 inches, aft 4 inches [should be 1 foot 4 inches]. 3. The Aft end lies 2 feet beneath the rst transoms: thereitisbroad1foot10 inches,atthemainframe51⁄2
inches beneath the foot of the quarter galleries, as also 26 feet before the tuck, w here it starts to drop, and at the tuck it lies 3 feet lower than the wing transom, 2 feet beneath the rst transom. [Witsen writes the two l ast measurements the other w ay around but apparently makes a mi stake: the tr ansom is beneath the w ing transom.]
4. The ceiling underneath 3 inches thick.
(74 II 39) At the main frame the deck clamp in m y Ship lies 51⁄2 inches below the height of breadth ribband.
12 Feet forward, 61⁄2 inches beneath the heigh t of breadth ribband.
11 Feet forward, 8 inches beneath the heigh t of breadth ribband.
12 Feet 5 inches aft, meaning, behind the main frame, 51⁄2 inches below the height of breadth ribband.
11 Feet 8 inches aft, 51⁄2 inches.
11 Feet 10 inches farther aft, 5 1⁄2 inches beneath the height of breadth ribband.
18 Feet 5 inches, below the height of breadth ribband aft 61⁄2 inches.
14 Feet and 61⁄2 inches aft, and below the master rib- band, which is, beneath the upper side, 1 foot and 5 1⁄2 inches.
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