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Thread: Mast Repair

  1. #1
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    Default Mast Repair

    I'm no expert in naval warfare in the age of sail, but I'm wondering how realistic it is to be able to repair a mast in the heat of combat. Or, does "mast damage" mean something different than what I'm thinking it means - aka a mainmast falling over? Is mast damage and its subsequent repair meant to be more abstract than simply having an actual broken mast? Thanks.

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    Some ships did carry entire spare masts, but my personal interpretation is "mast repair" in game is more like installing a spare yardarm to replace a broken one. Masts were basically entire tree trunks, requiring specialized crane/derrick structures like a sheer hulk to install and seat in their sockets.
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    Basically mast damage is cumulative Kirk.
    It could be a rent sail or sheets shot away for instance. Even a mast part shot away can be patched up in battle by the ships carpenter and his men. However, as you will see from the rules gradually damage takes its toll and masts do fall. If you get several hits and a mast finally goes, your ability to sail and manoeuvre is impaired until finally if all masts are shot away you become a floating hulk and surrender. Note that in real sea battles even hulks sometimes fought on. They were then prey to being raked or bombarded by enemy vessels positioned outside their own arc of fire, so they generally did not survive for long in this state.

    Rob.
    The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bligh View Post
    Basically mast damage is cumulative Kirk.
    It could be a rent sail or sheets shot away for instance. Even a mast part shot away can be patched up in battle by the ships carpenter and his men. However, as you will see from the rules gradually damage takes its toll and masts do fall. If you get several hits and a mast finally goes, your ability to sail and manoeuvre is impaired until finally if all masts are shot away you become a floating hulk and surrender. Note that in real sea battles even hulks sometimes fought on. They were then prey to being raked or bombarded by enemy vessels positioned outside their own arc of fire, so they generally did not survive for long in this state.

    Rob.
    Not sure what you mean by "If you get several hits and a mast finally goes..." I can pick a mast hit chit on the first hit of the game. That being said I guess I'll just have to consider a mast hit to be an abstraction for some part of a mast being shot away that the crew can repair real time. Thanks for the input.

  5. #5
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    How about this for an explanation; square riggers "masts were made up of 3 separate masts. The course was the big one at the bottom. Above that was the topmast, and above them all was the topgallant (t'gallant) mast. Who's to say which one got hit?

    I always figured that mast damage was damaging rigging that supported the masts. It could be knotted and spliced, or not and then the mast really was lost.

    Perhaps the rigging is shot up enough that the captain doesn't want to put a load on the mast in a mast hit?

  6. #6
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    I just wasn't sure what "mast damage" entailed. If it's more of an abstraction that says it's damage that causes the ship to lose speed but can still be repaired, I can live with that. I was picturing "mast damage" as it appeared in the final fight between the HMS Surprise and the Acheron where Captain Jack Aubrey brings down the mainmast of the Acheron. That was something that wasn't getting repaired in a few turns.

  7. #7
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    As you will see from the rules Kirk, the damage is cumulative and if enough mast hits are dished out eventually you will get an Acheron situation occurring.
    Rob.
    The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.

  8. #8
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    It just comes down to what's actually happening versus what one thinks is happening. When I read the rules page 33 appears to indicate mast damage is the loss of a main mast, but after seeing your guys replies I'm thinking that's not really the case. Thanks for the help.

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    There are spare spars carried, but aside from using one as a fish to prevent the failure of a sprung (but not collapsed) stick still in place, actually sending any aloft during a short-lull is extremely unlikely.

    After action these spare spars can be used to act as an A-frame replacing the mast (only with no topmast) or finished as and sent up as a topmast or yard. This requires time, space and leisure to complete the carried rough spar into a specific topmast or yard, and then to send it aloft, as well as the clearing away and repair of the damaged rig so the new parts can be sent up.

    In action, you *might* be able to send up and bend on new canvas during a lull, or more likely splice a repair to a line, fish a damaged but intact stick to prevent it's failure and to replace a line or block shot away, either directly or by 'making do' with what it left. It seems mostly that damaged rigging which was interfering with the operation of the remaining rig, or the handling of the vessel was the most common 'repair', if possible retaining the most material, but getting the useless bits out of the way of the working parts of the rigging.

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