Knowledge (XXG)

Crosstrees

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31: 166: 100:(width) and hence only a limited angle is possible for the guy-ropes to support very high masts. Thereby, the taller the ship's mast, the more narrow and unfeasible would be the angle between its support wires and its top. This is where a simple innovation like the crosstree helps to overcome such limitation. 107:
Each crosstree serves to spread another level of holding ropes on a fresh wider spar so as to provide support to the next mast top section. Effectively, the crosstree allows to extend the height, mount yet another layer of sail shrouds and option more wind power to the ships. The crosstree also
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The crosstree serves as a fresh base to spread the next level of supporting guy ropes, thereby providing a stable height extension to the masts. Without the crosstree, the ship's mast would have been severely limited in height, in relation to the beam of the ship.
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Any vertical structure like a mast is subject to dynamic swaying stress from wind, which levers immense force at the base of the mast. Such stress is countered through
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which are diagonally supporting ropes from mast top to its base. These ropes share the load on the mast tops and communicate that force to the base structure.
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so as to form an appropriate angular support against the sway the mast is exposed to, yet ships are fixed in their
170: 141: 137: 130: 61:. They may also be mounted at the upper end of the topgallant to anchor the shrouds from the 54: 97: 70: 58: 42: 180: 50: 125: 30: 62: 66: 165: 93: 86: 17: 74: 46: 29: 77:. In modern sailing vessels, spreaders serve the same purpose. 92:
The taller the mast, the wider a base is required for the
129: 65:(if fitted). Similar transverse spars remain on 8: 117: 69:and motor vessel masts to secure wire 27:Structural element of sailing vessels 7: 108:serves to spread the shroud tops. 25: 164: 34:Line art drawing of crosstrees. 1: 136:. New York: Viking. p.  53:that are used to anchor the 203: 45:at the upper ends of the 187:Sailing rigs and rigging 41:are the two horizontal 132:The Price of Admiralty 35: 33: 173:at Wikimedia Commons 36: 169:Media related to 16:(Redirected from 194: 168: 152: 151: 135: 122: 21: 202: 201: 197: 196: 195: 193: 192: 191: 177: 176: 161: 156: 155: 148: 124: 123: 119: 114: 83: 73:or signal flag 59:topgallant mast 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 200: 198: 190: 189: 179: 178: 175: 174: 160: 159:External links 157: 154: 153: 146: 116: 115: 113: 110: 82: 79: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 199: 188: 185: 184: 182: 172: 167: 163: 162: 158: 149: 147:0-670-81416-4 143: 139: 134: 133: 127: 121: 118: 111: 109: 105: 101: 99: 95: 90: 88: 80: 78: 76: 72: 68: 64: 60: 56: 52: 51:sailing ships 48: 44: 40: 32: 19: 131: 126:Keegan, John 120: 106: 102: 91: 84: 38: 37: 81:Explanation 171:Crosstrees 63:royal mast 39:Crosstrees 94:guy-wires 87:guy ropes 67:steamship 57:from the 18:Crosstree 181:Category 128:(1989). 75:halyards 71:antennae 47:topmasts 112:Sources 55:shrouds 144:  43:spars 142:ISBN 98:beam 138:277 49:of 183:: 140:. 150:. 20:)

Index

Crosstree

spars
topmasts
sailing ships
shrouds
topgallant mast
royal mast
steamship
antennae
halyards
guy ropes
guy-wires
beam
Keegan, John
The Price of Admiralty
277
ISBN
0-670-81416-4

Crosstrees
Category
Sailing rigs and rigging

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