Down-Rigging HMS Victory

Recent surveys have indicated that Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory, was leaking, suffering from rot and being pulled apart by her own weight.   Now, as the first part of a major restoration project, the ship is being down-rigged. Twenty six miles of rigging will be removed.  Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the news along.

Victory is mine: Where Napoleon failed, our man in the rigging helps tear apart Nelson’s mighty flagship

Timelapse footage of HMS Victory Mast Removal

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Down-Rigging HMS Victory — 7 Comments

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  2. Curious that the downrigging was performed using a modern crane instead of making use of the rigging features described in the sources such as Steel and Boudriot — the Burton tackles and topropes. A traditional removal of yards, topgallant masts, and topmasts could have been very interesting to spectators (and to those of us viewing the video). But, I suppose it would take much longer.

  3. As a traditional sailor working on the Makali’i (a traditional Polynesian outrigger voyaging canoe) with electric power tools, once said: “If da ancestahs woulda had ’em, dey would’a used ’em, brah.”

  4. My suspicion is that asking modern riggers to use traditional methods would be as dangerous as asking traditional riggers to use modern cranes.

    Linda, if I am not mistaken King Kamehameha mounted a swivel gun and a cannon on his double canoe when going to war with Maui. He also hired English and American gunners. “Da ancestahs” were happy to use whatever technology they could lay their hands on.

  5. I have been on site when using the traditional method to down-rig and using cranes on traditional sailing vessels. It takes a lot longer to do it the traditional way, but there are other consequences, some not as obvious. Cranes tend to be insensitive to historic material if in collision. Traditional methods cost no more in comparison but also train some new blood! Just an incredible waste of opportunity to sharpen skills, train traditional riggers and show the world ‘how it’s supposed-to be done’! There may have also been an insurance issue that we don’t know-of here!

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