Discussion of Construction of 36 and 44 Gun Frigates, & Dangers During Launch

Item

Type

Letterbook Copy

Title

Discussion of Construction of 36 and 44 Gun Frigates, & Dangers During Launch

Description

Letter, discusses 36 and 44 gun Frigate construction; describes dangers of launching Frigate; discusses descent of keel.

short description

Ltr, dis descent of keel re Frigates.

year created

1795

month created

02

day created

07

recipient

in microfilm

in image

note

Cited in Humphreys to Fox, 05/13/1795, and Stodder to Pickering, 05/17/1795.

cited note

Cited document sent from one element of the war office to another

notable person/group

Timothy Pickering
Joshua Humphreys

notable location

Norfolk
Virginia

notable item/thing

keel
frigate
launching
ship
boat
vessel
gun
guns
oak
white oak
beams
auger
ripper
mortice
saw
salt
wedge
deck
copper
sheathing
bolts
frames
futtock
timber
deadwood
iron

notable phrase

keel of the frigate is laid with very little descent that I conceive to be improper
launching
ship's keel should be laid without any or a very small descent
make it much more dangerous in launching
guarded against in the most particular manner for when the launching ways are laid with a sufficient descent
every person acquainted with launching must acknowledge is very dangerous in order to prevent any thing of the kind
suggest the idea of requiring from the different builders the descent they mean to lay their keel with or direct that none should be laid with less descent than 3/4 of an inch to a foot
36 gun frigate
44 gun ships
order to give a durability to the white oak beams
propose they should be bored in each and with a two & half inch or three inch auger
ripper side
arms of the knees are long
mortice a small place in a vertical direction at the end of the hole large enough to take a small whip saw
place the beam through the middle
holes on the end should then be fill'd with salt
wedge should be drove in the middle of the beam to open the cut one half inch
fill it with salt before the deck is laid
corrosive qualities
copper sheathing
destroy the lower bolts of the frames
remedy that evil
propriety of having the lower bolts through the heel of the first futtock
timber
36 gun frigate
water that will generally remain in the ship
take the liberty of recommending the lower or first futtock heels to run on the deadwood
give great support to the futtock
frames are directed to be bolted with iron

document number

1795020740001

page start

1

number of pages

4

Transcribe this document

Document instances

In image In source Location in source
[view document] (7 pages) BBQ04 (7 pages) Collection: Josiah Fox Papers [unknown]
[view document] (0 pages) BBE03 (0 pages) Collection: Josiah Fox (1763 - 1847) Letterbook Papers. Reel #5 Series 1 Naval Architecture Shipbuilding Papers P: 2
[view document] (0 pages) [no image] Microfilm: Josiah Fox Papers [unknown]

Document names

Type Name Location Notes
Author Joshua Humphreys [unknown] [n/a]
Recipient Timothy Pickering [unknown] [n/a]