Battle Carpentry - Woodwork Under Fire

[@Drachinifel]

Pinned post for Q&A :)

[@Frankenspank67]

How does it feel to be so awesome at what you do?

[@MrOldmanjenkin1]

did HMS warrior have a carpenter?

[@bkjeong4302]

Given that all-centreline main batteries seem like a no-brainer once the technology for turrets was in place, why did they take so long to come about, at least in some navies?

[@Frankenspank67]

The amount of rope on these ships is incredible. Do we know how they used to make rope back through the ages?

[@timschoenberger242]

In accounts of the sinking of the Titanic, Capt Smith orders the "carpenter to sound the ship." What was the role of this carpenter in the age of steel and steam?

[@alganhar1]

A quick addition regarding the Ships carpenter. At least in the Royal Navy. During the Age of Sail the Ships carpenter was one of the permanent Warrant Officers of the ship, which means unlike most of the crew, including the Captain and officers, the Ships Carpenter was permanently assigned to the ship. Even if the ship was placed 'in ordinary' (in reserve), the Ships carpenter would be one of the small number of men who would stay with the ship. Basically they would be responsible for the day to day maintenance of a ship in reserve That at least was the theory, obviously in practice many ships in reserve would have no permanent crew assigned simply because the Royal Navy had so many of the things! Still it does highlight the fact that the Ships Carpenter was part of a very small, very highly skilled group that included the Ships Gunner, the Ships Master, the Ships Sailmaker and a few others. Depending on the time period there were 5 -7 permanent Warrant officers. In many ways the ship was *their* ship, everyone else were just temporary occupants of the vessel. As you can imagine, this generally meant that those senior Warrant Officers knew their ship VERY well.

[@GerardMenvussa]

The ship was their baby :)

[@Toxophilix]

That's very interesting. I have sometimes wondered what was involved when ships were laid up in ordinary. Do you know any books that cover the subject, by any chance?

[@turkeytrac1]

Thats cool! I didn't know that, thank you for sharing that!

[@bholdr----0]

@@alganhar1 great f'n post! It is well put and succinct , a good explanation of warrant officers (specifically the 'Standing officers' the carpenter, the Purser and the Bousun.) Thanks... Also, a ship's carpenter came with a traditional nickname of 'Chips', like some other traditional naval nicknames in the age of sail: 'cookie' (the cook, obviously!), 'Jack in the dust'/'Jack Nastyface (the purser's assistant), 'Jemmy Ducks' (who was in charge of the ships poultry), and some others. Cheers!

[@matthewnewton8812]

@@bholdr----0British slang of the 18th century. Fascinating, as Spock would say. I wonder if there is anybody alive today who retains these skills. I don’t mean having learned them as a project of historical interest, but the skills having been passed on from generation to generation the way they used to be. If there is anybody left in that chain of knowledge.

[@rohmarts]

"Where are my Chisels?' "We fired them into the enemy's sails with the 8 pounder"

[@derrickstorm6976]

Nice one

[@PaulRudd1941]

I wonder if they had stainless steel tools available at some point in the age of sail. Those probably wouldn't be cheap

[@jamesvandemark2086]

With a carronade, one would hope!

[@tz8785]

@@PaulRudd1941 The yacht Germania was built from stainless steel in 1908, but I don't know whether those early steels were suitable for woodworking tools.

[@emanwe01]

​@@PaulRudd1941 stainless as we know it today (i.e. nickel chromium steel) was invented after the turn of the twentieth century. I don't know that they had a properly corrosion-resistant steel of any sort in circulation before that.

[@borisxanovavich4466]

"Carpenter, I require a new dining table with which to accept the enemy's surrender over dinner." "Very well sir, mahogany or oak?"

[@SonsOfLorgar]

*IRONWOOD* 😈

[@DutchBlackMantha]

*and ASH*

[@ifga16]

The ship I spent four year aboard made this task easier by lifting a table from the mess deck and throwing a green felt cloth over it. Just the right size to hold surrender documents for the Japanese representatives to sign. Afterwards the table was taken back to it's place until someone realized that this thing would be required for museum status. The table on display at the Smithsonian Museum may or may not be that table as they all looked alike and they were mixed together.

[@bebo4374]

Ash is not so good around water.

[@CSSVirginia]

Black locust

[@JonBrase]

23:29 The phrase "jury rig" in 21st century landlubber usage actually has its origins in this exact situation. The temporary mast was called a jury mast, and jury rigging was in this case the official term and not just slang.

[@ryanfrederick3376]

I've always wondered why the word "jury" is used in this instance, however.

[@FloatingLeaf1111]

So your telling me this isnt a rascist American slang term?

[@JonBrase]

@@ryanfrederick3376 The exact etymology is unknown, but one theory is that it's related to French "jour" (day), in the sense of "this mast will do for the day it'll take us to get home".

[@JonBrase]

@@FloatingLeaf1111The nautical use of "jury" meaning "temporary" is older than America, so yeah. Given the usual meaning of "jury", though, how the racist term "🤬-rig" was derived from "jury rig" (likely by people with no nautical knowledge) is fairly obvious.

[@Skeletors_Closet]

Yet another common phrase that comes from the age of sail 😂

[@natthaphonhongcharoen]

Good thing they do it under fire. Woodwork above fire seems unhealthy.

[@imdeadinside792]

Lmao

[@krakenpots5693]

*GROANS*

[@Foxttellio]

Ugg build floaty log!

[@abyssaljam441]

​@@Foxttellio to be fair log canoes can be burnt out...

[@albireoselous]

Yep this channel has the potential to be a true dad jokes paradise :)))

[@michaelholt8590]

"Battle carpentry " sounds like a hell of a trade skill. I bet they make a baddass set of cabinets. 😂😂😂

[@kelb76]

sounds like a class in D&D

[@michaelholt8590]

@kelb76 If white trash was a class.

[@VoreAxalon]

I could get behind that

[@tarapita]

Combat cupboards!

[@michaelholt8590]

@@tarapita hahahahah 🍺

[@W1gglePuppy]

I always love Patrick O'Brian's portrayals of ships carpenters, and Jacks interactions with them. Capable clever crew, that had the captains respect. And as they were permanent ships crew, he always portrayed them as willing to go the extra mile to save their ship. May be fiction, but he based so much on fact that it collaborates with what I've read and with this video.

[@RabidRazorback80]

The title sounds like a pitch for an aggressive woodworking show that would be hosted on what used to be the history channel

[@jaysonlima7196]

What has happened to the History Channel makes me sad.

[@CurtisWebb-en5kh]

Woke.

[@dailyprophet6641]

More like racing to assemble Ikea furniture.

[@danielosullivan9759]

It will keel!

[@Sid-jx4gl]

Tonight on battle carpentry,commando cabinetry

[@johnalees99]

Not quite the heat of battle, but a fairly urgent situation. Cook's first voyage up the east coast of Australia where HMB Endeavour struck a reef. The technique of fothering was employed. An old sail with wool tufts sewn into it that was lowered into place above the hole in the hull. Worked well enough to allow the pumps to keep up until the ship was pulled ashore near present day Cooktown for repairs to allow it to reach Batavia for more extensive repair.

[@themittonmethod1243]

modern smaller and even not quite so small vessels still use this technique as an emergency stopper to keep the vessel afloat when holed... some even carry material of specific sizes called "collision mats" pre-rigged with lines to old the square of (cloth) in place and allow some kind of way to be maintained and begin limping toward a hopeful harbour. cheers!

[@kenoliver8913]

It was actually careened at Endeavour Bay - the ship was beached parallel to the shore, an anchor was rigged to high on the mast, rowed out and dropped and at low tide the ship was winched over onto its beam ends to expose the hole. The broken planking could then be replaced from the outside. As an expedition ship Endeavour no doubt carried an unusually large stock of repair stores.

[@williamlloyd3769]

My WW2 era Gearing class destroyer had caches of wood beams, blocks and wedges for damage control purposes. Occasionally we went to the DC trainer and got soaked with seawater while trying to plug holes, gashes and other simulated battle damage. Too much fun!

[@kenoliver8913]

Timber beams for buttressing bulkheads (where the other side is flooded) was, and as far as I know still is, a standard store on warships. Timber is both more flexible and much easier to wedge or work than steel beams.

[@julianbailey2749]

Tom Scott has a good KZbin video on this kzbin.info/www/bejne/rommZ4hmg8t9nZo

[@FloatingLeaf1111]

​@julianbailey2749 how did you get this link to work?

[@julianbailey2749]

@@FloatingLeaf1111 I think that any links within you tube are allowed. Links to external sites aren't. But I haven't tested the theory recently.

[@questionmark05]

Always look forward to warship Wednesday. I'm still pleasantly surprised by the amount of content you produce every week, often more than gameplay channels, which don't have to research. Thanks, Drach.

[@jesstreloar7706]

30:40 The USS Reasoner FF-1063, a Knox class frigate, had been invited to Portland, Oregon for their Rose Festival. On the flight deck we had a, ('perfect') hull patch built against the hanger. As tour guide I noticed a couple of older gentlemen pointing and poking fun at our display. I approached and asked if I could help them. They complimented us on our display. Then told us how it was really done in WWII, "You throw stuff at the breech until the water slows down enough for the pumps. Then throw more stuff on top of that." Sage advice, from two that had saved their ship.

[@lukesames]

"You're on fire, which isn't good" -Drach

[@stevewindisch7400]

in one very real sense, while at sea we are always doing battle with her. Regarding commonly seen shot damage, having the gun tackle eyes shot out was another big one. We often see reports of "two gun ports battered into one", and that results in the loss of the ropes and pulleys holding the cannon. In rough water this was dangerous as a cannon careening across the deck out of control could be disastrous and deadly. The loose gun had to be quickly toppled over with a long breaker bar before it crashed though the ship's side. Also, having either the ship's wheel or the rudder itself shot away was actually fairly common. The iron pintles and gudgeons holding the rudder often broke off. Regarding a dis-masted ship, there was another reason to put up some sort of jury rig as soon as possible... even a few stay sails will help stop the horrible rolling that will happen in heavy seas, and allow the modicum of steerage way needed to keep from broaching-to (being parallel to the deep wave troughs which has been the end of many ships). And on this themes of being "always at war with the sea"; Damage to the bow from collision was especially bad, as it sprung timbers causing heavy leaks that fothering would rarely help with. Lastly, before the widespread implementation of effective lightening rods, masts could be literally exploded by being struck by lightening. During the Napoleonic era, when fairly good records were kept, the RN lost several times fewer ships to combat than to the ongoing battle with the sea.

[@quadg5296]

A loose cannon was a danger because of the large hatches, through all the decks. These hatches were used to fill the holds when in port but half covered with grating and used as companion ways at sea. grating could not hold the weight of a cannon. but was walked on by the crew and provided much needed ventilation and light to the lower decks. why they were numerous and not well sealed in. one large hatch per mast. so a loose cannon was want to fall through these hatches and smash straight through the bottom of the ship and sink her, when loose in a rough sea. why they often pushed a loose cannon over the side. because smashing through the side had far less chance of sinking them due to the tumblehome design and sailors have to be pragmatic. You just don't want an iron spear weighing several tons falling on your keel, or bottom, from height. I also think this is why they often put a ring of cannon balls around the hatches. ready use ammo but also a lip to brake a loose cannon on its carriage with small wheels. the crew can just step over them

[@felixtheswiss]

Not on wooden boats, but i know an old rhine captain. He learned his trade on the last paddletug of the swiss on the rhine. It touched quite often ground. In that case they were sent to the nearest butcher to buy a complete bacon side. (One half went to the kitchen) this was used skin to the leak as the seal. Behind that it was shored up with timber and then filled with concrete. He said that in the end the tug had a concrete hull.

[@wampuscat1831]

The term Carpenter almost denotes the wood working skill of these men . I have seen a Log Cabin built by one. ,it shamed others built near by.

[@BaronSamedi1959]

'''Cement boxes"are still a regular method to this day to plug holes in a modern vessel.

[@danielnoye223]

Precision engineering with the axe and the adze.

[@jackquillen9120]

There a documentary on the PT boats at the Elco factory and apparently every keel (maybe only for a year or two) were made by two Austrian brothers who were surgical with an adze and were able to make a finished surface down to 1/16 of an inch.

[@josephkartychak6789]

Having 3 kids and fixing a 100+ year old house is how I imagined making repairs underway during the age of sail was. It's just battle damage and repair and shoring up and measuring once and cutting twice and wrong tool for the wrong job and forcing square pegs into round holes, Good God!

[@4shink]

As a non-Ikea trained "carpenter" I resign myself to the fact that any repair, under fire or not, will require multiple trips to Home Depot, borrowing tools from various sources and, likely, drawing blood from some area of my extremities.

[@Thom4ES]

Duct tape , white glue , ( and coat hanger wire ) if it can't be fixed easy , bribe a brothering law...it's all I got : today

[@Skeletors_Closet]

As the brother in law that gets called about cars and sinks and toilets, I had a good laugh at this one. 😂 I’m glad I’m good for something! 😂😂😂

[@timgosling6189]

Back in 1982 I spent a lot of time on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. It was mostly just volcanic rock but Green Mountain did have quite dense vegitation and on the lea side I found a stand of tall Scots Pines. These looked very out of place among the tropical bush but I was told they were planted from seedlings by the Royal Navy in 1815, eventually to provide spare masts if required for visiting ships. Ascension was at that time designated as the guard station for St Helena wher Boney was interned. Given that it takes about 25 years for them to grow to full size, I thought that was good forward thinking.

[@josephdedrick9337]

Reminds me of the various forests planted durring the age of sail that are/were coming into the proper age category for use in the latter part of the 20th century. A little late for use, with the whole transition to steel ships but good foresight.

[@robertbamford8266]

My favorite technique (because of the sound of the name) is fothering - mixing rope and canvas as you described. As far as carpenters’ duties are concerned, scuttling a ship has always seemed to me to be the most dangerous. Chiseling a hole below the water line and punching out the plug. Timbers and wedges are still staples of damage control. Thanks as always for the video.

[@jdg3275]

The carpenter's mates were considered a splinter group

[@jamesbeeching6138]

Good video Drach!! You missed out one of the most useful packing material: Hammocks!! Very useful!!😊😊😊😊😊 Also a ships carpenter would have pre-cut plugs to put into any holes in the Hull.

[@metalburner357]

14:43 There also might not be much of a crew left to man that cannon after the carriage transforms into splinters occupying various parts of their bodies.

[@marckyle5895]

Tweezers were standard issue in the RN

[@BuzbyWuzby]

"Ships carpenter to the bridge, please!" was a phrase broadcast over tannoy systems on merchant / cruise ships to alert the crew to danger without alarming the passengers

[@freddiespreckley6324]

"MEO, Bridge, At the rush!" The most worrying pipe in the Royal Navy

[@BuzbyWuzby]

@@freddiespreckley6324 Medical Emergency Officer?

[@trickydicky2908]

Even small wood splinters infect easily. It boggles my mind, how carpenters and sailors dealt with the massive amount of splinters flying about, in battle!

[@paulholmes672]

Especially with the tar, pitch and other preservatives infused into the wood.

[@ronaldthompson4989]

And as seen in previous videos on this channel, not all "splinters" are created equal. Suspect it may be a bit traumatic to watch half a hull plank fly cross the deck and take your buddy's head off

[@ckiemnstr345]

What's interesting is that a lot of the damage control techniques are still used today. Instead of canvas we use rubber and instead of large planks of wood steel panels are used but for smaller penetrations wood is still used.

[@hughboyd2904]

Naval carpentry history plus a promo for a sci-fi fiction? Drach, you know your audience!

[@ikman4006]

Sci-fi means science fiction, so you’ve said “Science fiction fiction” 🗿

[@marckyle5895]

@@ikman4006 which means Science, since the fictions cancel each other.

[@steveschulte8696]

While not battle carpentry, the carpenter and his mates would maintain the ships boats, as boatwrights. A knocked down longboat might be in the hold for the occasion where it is needed. The gunner and his mates would be responsible for the guns and their carriages. Block and tackle would seem to be in the normal course of voyages be maintained by the boatswains and directed by the first lieutenant, as well as the gun crews and sailmakers. Extra sets of wood working tools would reside in the carpenter's stores, and maintained by them to prevent rust and such. Replacing the lower main mast is an endeavor, replacing the main top gallant mast is scary at sea.

[@impudentdomain]

However most large ships did carry one or two spare gun carriages because they could be damaged in many ways, not just during combat.

[@paulscott2037]

Feels like one of those rarely talked about roles that would make a hell of a book. Master and Commander, but the Lower Decks version.

[@sawyerawr5783]

In fairness they get a good showing in the Aubrey/Maturin series. One scene I liked was in the Ionian mission when Jack talks to the ship's carpenter about making 36-pounder sized plugs for the ship (he's about to go into battle with an enemy frigate that is all 18s with one random 36 in each broadside).

[@chrisjeffs9458]

There is such a book, called "The Golden Ocean", by Patrick O'Brian, the author of the Maturin/Aubrey series. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Ocean

[@anumeon]

IKEA style flatpack gun carriage.. :D

[@garychisholm2174]

I can just imagine 7 or 8 frustrated crew sitting around the removed parts staring bemusedly at the instructions; "No sir, I think it matches the spline if you hold it as if we were constructing it vertically "

[@Hybris51129]

Secret repair techniques of the Swedish Navy!

[@TomFynn]

"Why is that ship missing its sternpost rudder?" "There wasn't any in the box it came in."

[@vaclav_fejt]

Pictograms: A figure unpacking the parts on a carpet, a confused figure standing above a pile of parts, a smiling figure writing a letter to Småland.

[@anumeon]

@@vaclav_fejt That is why our beloved Vasa sank. Someone had tossed the instructions for the ballast area.

[@Cbabilon675]

In other words, being a ship's carpenter, when it comes to repair, it's all about location, location, location😂😂!

[@tomrecane6366]

I’m reading Patrick Obrien’s “The Nutmeg of Consolation” and while stranded on an Island they build a ship out of the wreckage of the old one.

[@bradenlawles7055]

I love that book (and series)!

[@kennethdeanmiller7324]

Necessity with the risk of starvation is quite a motivator. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. And do it quickly before all your stores run dry. You'd think it would be easier to just patch up the old ship but I'm guessing that was NOT an option or that's what they would have done. I would love to be young again and have the chance to build a wooden sail ship. Nothing huge but not really small either. But no cannons. Just a recreational sail ship.

[@tomrecane6366]

@@bradenlawles7055 I think this is my 4th or 5th reading. The spine is starting to go.

[@emmabird9745]

Excellent book, as are the rest of the series. Puts one in mind of "the flight of the phoenix".

[@Rob-e8w]

@@tomrecane6366 Yours or the book's ?

[@michaelandersen-kk4fc]

another point is that if a gun is damaged, its crew is probably also out of action. no point in repairing a gun, if it´s crew have shrapnel fever

[@caelestigladii]

It depends on which side of the ship the fun is. The currently unengaged side will not have its guns fully manned.

[@ninus17]

The danish navy still has Wood on their ships called crash timber, used for repairing hull breaches and bracing the patches against the inner structure. As well woodworking tools to shape the wood to fit

[@ZurLuften]

Can we get episode about sinking of HMS Victoria 1893? It is interesting part of Royal Navy history during interesting time of change of tecnology, tactics and "don't talk unless asked"

[@metalburner357]

The fact that her wreck stands vertical like a giant lawn dart is wild.

[@piedpiper1172]

@@metalburner357Man you weren’t kidding. Best image search in response to a comment I’ve done all year.

[@kimbaldunsmore4633]

My late father (a New Zealander) showed me how to careen a boat by hauling her down with block and tackle attached to the hounds (where the shrouds attach to the mast) but also how to set up a 'gin pole' to lift a mast out of the boat on the putty (sand flats). This involved setting up a shorter second mast alongside the original one and then finding the point of balance sometimes by trial and error (often by error alone!!). After a couple of tutorials by my dad, l could do all this all by myself, but that was in the good old days when careening and working on one's boat yourself on a sand flat was ok. Don't try it these days - the council ranger will put an orange sticker on your boat in a second.

[@jaysonlima7196]

Up where I am in Maine, careening is alive and well. Our few sandy/muddy bits of coast (which is rocks mostly) it's not uncommon mid season to see a boat dried out with a crib stuffed under her, while she gets a bottom job.

[@stevenlowe3026]

The French word carène means the underwater part of the hull. I only just discovered this. Fascinating.

[@bigsarge2085]

Fascinating as always, thank you! And I've been following Spacedock for years, and Sojourn since it was first announced.

[@magnusmalmborn8665]

On plugging holes, they sometimes carried lead plates that could be nailed over smaller holes. (Lead because it's soft and easy to shape to fit.)

[@murrayscott9546]

As part of his training for the Canadian Navy a couple of decades ago a friend was placed in the "wet room" . Basically a steel compartment with timbers, boards, wedges, sheeting about and a hammer. Holes in the walls. After given some time to familiarize, lights dim or go out and water rushes in from various directions. Your objective ? Stop the leaks ! Good luck !

[@marckyle5895]

An escape room which will drown you.

[@mpersad]

Genuinely, you consistently raise the already very high quality of the channel. Great work again, Drach!

[@erictalley9956]

I love the level of detail you get into on these kinds of videos.

[@William_Bryant]

“Call damage control. We need some new trim on the gun deck.”

[@KasperBoLarsen]

I just visited the Portsmouth historic Dockyards, and on board Warrior the carpenters workshop wasn't too bad ( I'm 6'2) but on board Victory it was tiny 😮

[@garykendall3776]

I had the pleasure during visits to Saint Petersburg, Russia, to have conducted tours of the shipyard where they were building a replica of Peter the Great's first major ship, the Poltava. What made it most interesting was that, as far as possible, they were using the original methodology. Large steamers to bend the large keel and rib timbers, etc. The masts and spars were rather large even for those days. Quite some carpentry on display as work continued during tours. We were kept out of the way by proper viewing galleries, although we were allowed on board into areas which were not being worked on at the particular time. Poltava is now sailing and looks quite impressive.

[@kimbaldunsmore4633]

And to add, damaged timber spars were often 'fished;. That was akin to binding a splint on a broken bone in a person to support the broken part. A few pieces of timber would be bound around the damaged bit with rope as a temporary repair. The rope would be wetted before, so that it shrank as it dried and made the repair more robust.

[@Lamprolign]

YES! Awesome! A Drach narrated Sojourn Lore video would allow me to die happy. 🤞🖖

[@geoffburrill9850]

There were cases where lost masts were recovered by crew in a boat from the sea after battle. However re stepping a large mast was very difficult at sea, assuming they could be repaired first.

[@inyobill]

11:49: Re: "yard storage" - nice illustration of spare yards and masts, top right.

[@JB0143RP]

One small item I thought you would mention with regards to a damaged gun carriage. One would assume if the gun carriage was destroyed by shot, all or at least a significant portion of that gun crew would be killed or otherwise disabled at the same time. Therefore even if the carriage could be fixed, there wouldn't be anyone to fire it.

[@brookeshenfield7156]

Aloha and Mahalo for more great content, and All Hail the Algorithm!

[@krakenpots5693]

Do you see torpedo boats?

[@brookeshenfield7156]

@@krakenpots5693 There are Japanese torpedo boats off the South shore of Maui as we speak! I can see the lights! Fire!

[@nikolaideianov5092]

​@@brookeshenfield7156HELP IM SINKING

[@mattwilliams3456]

Battle Carpentry sounds like a Japanese anime or game show title.

[@TomFynn]

It's like One Piece, but wielding three chisels at once.

[@titanscerw]

Never expected to be that interested in carpentry of battle variety! Long time naval fan of WWI and II eras, but this was welcomed surprise. Going to check this Sojourn of sponsor of yours! +][+

[@culturevulture3382]

A great collection of old engravings and paintings. Thank you.

[@NoewerrATall]

That was a very interesting video. I have kept voting for it on Patreon, and here it finally is! Like anything Drach, well worth waiting for.

[@jaimepowell5033]

From what I've studied, in the day of wooden ships & sail, the gunners tried hard not to sink ships. Most shots blow the waterline would be accidental. The reason? The "prize." The whole crew usually shared in the capture of the ship & whatever wealth was aboard her. Even a hulk with the ability to float had tremendous value, if you could somehow get it to a port where it could be rebuilt or broken up under controlled conditions. Captains & crews were always aware of the "prize."

[@nemo-79000]

I'm surprised the term Oakum was not mentioned which is often the best means of patching leaks or when used with lead to make permanent repair.

[@kemarisite]

16:22 "whos going to help lift the cannon onto the carriage?", this sounds like a job for the Kzinti Weightling Team (tm).

[@leobrancovich1743]

The best titles on KZbin! This one’s a classic!

[@keithbarron3654]

We used to go to Little Creek VA for RefTra. Thenavies wood mine sweepers were stationed there then(1980's) they used to save mop and broom handles, for repair work. I also remember that one of the crew on USS Stark remembered from reading sailing stories of using sail's for major water intrusion, they rigged tarp to cover hole at waterline, saving time at flooding overtaking. They used safety cables to support opening from further damage.

[@archiveacc3248]

This is my FAVORITE part of thr age of sail, thanks for the upload! Maybe a vid on general ships carpentry and also sailmaking would be primo 😀

[@jill-ti7oe]

On a visit to HMS Warrior decades ago, I found the carpenters, who were rebuilding the fittings, making wooden bars of chocolate. Made me larf, they looked delicious.

[@SwiftTrooper5]

In the USCG and US Navy, those in the Damage Control rating can promote to Warrant Officer and wear an carpenter's square as their specialty symbol. Still referred to affectionately as Carpenters.

[@chronus4421]

Great video, thanks Drach!

[@ChickenVhett]

I did not expect The Sojourn, however, it makes perfect sense. It's all Age of Sail/Napoleonic RN. There are sloops, brigs, corvettes, frigates, and rated ships of the line. The bridge is called the quarterdeck. Shuttles are longboats. Post-captain is a rank. Ships fire broadsides. Small-caliber point defence guns are called swivel guns. It's grounded sci-fi for Patrick O'Brien fans.

[@HeedTheLorax]

More interesting stuff I didn't know I didn't know. Gotta luv Drac !

[@Hybris51129]

I can just imagine the frustration that the Carpenter's must have gone through one longer voyages when it came to resupplying their stocks of raw wood. Oak for example doesn't grow that much, that I am aware of in the Caribbean and local woods maybe inferior depending on the task being asked off them.

[@crichtonbruce4329]

Woods like Cuban Mahogany, Teak, and others are considered excellent ship material. Much of Spain's navy was built in Havana because of this.

[@haytorrock3312]

Fothering is the word that comes to mind, using the pressure of the influx of water to block the hole with eitherba sail as mentioned, or sometines a basket filled with sail and rope debris which is lowered near the hole and somehow emptied in the flow of water.

[@RichardStephens-lq3ou]

Sometimes, the midshipmen, would assist the carpenter for damage control, to keep the ship from sinking, and while I can't remember the name of the packing material after so many years, it was similar to Cork and presses into small openings to keep out water

[@AJHyland63]

Captain Cook used unwound and cut rope wrapped into a sail that was pulled through a hole cause by hitting a coral reef in the Endeavour this plugs the hole and the rope fibres swell confirm the plug to the hole thus reduce,even stop water flow into the hole. This was good enough that he was able to find his way through the Great Barrier Reef to the mainland where he was able to beach the Endeavour and effect major repairs to the hull.

[@sfs2040]

OMG A SOJOURN AD BY DRACH YEEES

[@kranzonguam]

As a boat builder, i had always wondered if the ship's carpenter was a full time position, or a secondary speciality. Thank you for this video!!

[@TomFynn]

"Mr Carpenter, I require you to build me a...new ship." "Aye, aye, Captain. How many guns do you want it to carry?"

[@NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek]

Always Fascinating!!!!

[@davidhouston4810]

Very informative, Thank You.

[@IntrospectorGeneral]

Listening to this stirred an ancient memory of a childhood visit to to HMS Victory at Portsmouth in the mid-1950s. A fact that stuck with me was that one of Victory's carpenters at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar was William Bunt who was 6 feet 7 inches (201cm) tall. The deck height at the Orlop deck where he worked wad about 5 feet (153cm). The average height of sailors at that time was (very approximately) 5 feet 6 inches (168cm).

[@kirknay]

She had a list to port, her sails were in rags, the cook was with the carpenters with daggers and jags~

[@frankbodenschatz173]

Great episode Drach!

[@jill-ti7oe]

Age of Sail; Splendid.

[@johnfisher9692]

Carpenter" "I just fixed this STOP SHOOTING HOLES IN MY SHIP!!!" Captain" "Your ship?" Carpenter: "Do you want ot fix this...Sir?" Captain: "Carry on"

[@evensgrey]

Another issue with restoring a gun dismounted by enemy fire to action is the gun crew are probably not is very good condition after the gun they were standing next to got hit by an enemy shot and sprayed bits of wood at them at high speed.

[@mikeynth7919]

I recall this in a Hornblower novel when HMS Lydia is taken into a small bay and a replacement mizzen mast was stepped and other damage repaired.

[@65gtotrips]

This a great ! I’ve often wondered about this topic myself 👍

[@johnshepherd9676]

US Navy damage control specialists were rated as carpenter's mates through WWII.

[@mtnmanbill1186]

Anyone else get the picture of the carpenter running fixing holes screaming stop blowing holes in moly ship

[@Colt45hatchback]

Sort of, i imagined him just finishing fixing a hole tapping it with his hand "there, all done" only to take 3 steps away and another cannonball come through the same hole, turns around, sees it "ahh for F#### Sake!" 😂

[@culturevulture3382]

Well done Drach

[@bobfrye6965]

USS Bear fan club

[@howardmaryon]

Ikea flat-pack gun carriage? Now we know what sunk the “Vasa”

[@vaclav_fejt]

They put the parts the wrong way together and didn't call the service centre.

[@Shadooe]

C'mon, you KNOW we'd all buy one (several).

[@stevenlowe3026]

They lost the Allen keys.

[@RichardKroboth]

I hope you’ll do a video on battle carpentry in modern times. I’ve seen many photos of our WW2 vessels that had severe damage done and repair crews used coconut trees as a temporary fix.

[@dixiefallas7799]

Excellent thanks Drach 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@Eulemunin]

Yay the Sojourn is a great show. I aspire to be a ship carpenter.

[@lewiswestfall2687]

Thanks Drach

[@jukeseyable]

Its not so simple even today. Carpenter, joiner and cabanet maker are different elements within the wood working trade. Cabanet maker is self explanitory, they make furniture, tend to work to finer tollerences, and rarely see the liht of day, Joiners dont as a rule work on site they work in workshops making sub components, windows doors etc, generally you want to be within a mill in around 2 to 4 meters, all though bi fold doors are generally very tight on tollerences, depending on the runner system been used more like 1 mill in 4. Carpenters or chippies as they are commonly known work on siter deal with both structural elements, and fit the products made by joiners, they tend to work to slightly greater specs due to the larger scale of what they are dealing with, roof trusses, flooring joists etc, think 5 to 15 mill over an 5 to 10 meter linear distance. but folks who arehalf decent across all 3 specialities will achieve far better than the minimum. What has changed is the precision of the tools folks have at their disposal

[@AndrewC.McPherson-xf5zw]

I love my wednesday rum ration any time of the week.

[@ross.venner]

We still carry wedges (often conical) on modern yachts.

[@GABABQ2756]

Tapered plugs for holes, wedges to tighten shoring.

[@howardmaryon]

I visited Buckler’s Hard”. In the New Forest Hampshire, where the whole village was built around a large shipyard on the river Beaulieu. Everyone in the village was employed in shipbuilding , and over 60 years they built 43 ships for the Royal Navy, beginning with HMS Surprise in 1744.

[@mearalain3006]

Brilliant.

[@BalshazzarWastebasket]

anther fantastic age of sail post . Drach is a giant among men. a main mast in a world of pencils. i wonder if carpepters also did work on barrels. i mean those things used to be very expensive and not always easy to get, so the repairing of barrels must have been another big thing. also you talked about making tackle and repairing gun carriages. a carpenter probably would have needed a lathe for serious work like that. but that would require room. lathes that could turn things in decent length or diameter were pretty big. i always imagined tha ships carpenter as just having a good tool box ..

[@hisdadjames4876]

Yeah, I imagine that any battle damage to the rum barrel s would receive the carpenter’s immediate attention. 😐

[@Jayne22]

Love the various amusinf comments, giving interesting mental images. They did have me chuckling. 😅😅😅

[@Sturminfantrist]

Ahh Ships carpenter video thx but whats next the Cook ? what i really miss is a Video about Royal Marines and their Duty, function , numbers , Ranks , Training ect. on Frigates , ships of the line ect, aboard ships during the sailing age.

[@elanman608]

I would argue that an age of sail warships decks are very much structural. In the absence of any meaningful athwart-ships bulkheads the only shear diaphragms preventing the ships frame from racking are the hull planking which although massively thick is weakened by a row of bloody great gun ports between every above waterline deck and the decks themselves.