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Observations on the Sailing Characteristics of the U.S. Brig Niagara
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236 memory Observations on the Sailing Characteristics of the U.S. Brig Niagara Walter P. Rybka In the constant search for a more accurate understanding of history, I intend this essay to better acquaint the reader with the shipboard environment , particularly the performance capabilities of the sailing warships of the Lake Erie squadrons, and how these factors affected the commanders’ choices. My observations are based on experience sailing in command of the present-day reconstruction of the U.S. Brig Niagara, which has conducted sail training cruises every summer since 1991.1 The present Niagara is the fourth version of this ship. The first, built in Erie in 1813, was scuttled in Misery Bay (within Erie’s harbor) in 1820. What was left was raised and rebuilt in 1913 for the centennial of the Battle of Lake Erie under the direction of navy lieutenant William L. Morrison. After being towed on a commemorative tour of Great Lakes ports, the ship was allowed to decay for many years. Another rebuilding was sporadically funded,partiallyasaWorksProgressAdministrationprojectbetween1933and 1943. The latter stages were supervised by Howard I. Chapelle. This vessel was dryberthedasanexhibituntiladvancingdecayledtotheresearch,design,and building of the present ship by Melbourne Smith between 1987 and 1990. Sixty frame futtocks from the original ship are incorporated in approximately their original positions, but only as a symbolic presence rather than as structural members.2 Some of the light joiner work in the wardroom is from original timbers re-sawn. As a practical matter, the Niagara is a new ship. What is original is the process by which we sail it, albeit with some different circumstances. The overall dimensions and shape of the lower hull were derived from the wreck of the original ship, raised in 1913. The known features—rake (angle off plumb) of stem and sternpost, keel assembly (backbone of the ship), and hull structure out to turn of bilge, mast steps, and – 236 – observations on the sailing characteristics of the niagara 237 height of deck, bulwarks, gunports—allowed projections to be made, filling in the missing pieces. The rest is based on Smith’s research into other ships by Noah Brown, the original builder, and U.S. Navy practice of the period. The Niagara and the Lawrence were very similar in length and breadth to oceangoing sloops of war carrying the same armament. What was very different about them was their need for shallow draft, both to get over the bar at the entrance to Erie and because the intended area of operation was known to have many shoals. The dominant characteristics of this configuration were greater speed in light air due to less wetted surface, but, at the same time, it had poor windward ability due to the hull form having inadequate lateral resistance. No ship can sail directly into the wind, but it can be sailed to get upwind (windward) of the starting position by steering far enough away from the wind direction that the sails, configured for this condition, stay full, keeping the wind on one side. Getting to windward depends on how close to the wind direction the ship can be made to point and still make forward progress. Shape of the hull is also part of the story, the type of rig and sail configuration being equally important. The shoal draft hull also has a lower range of stability than would a deeper vessel intended for ocean service. The result was greater vulnerability to heavy weather, requiring sails to be shortened earlier than was the case in standardconstruction naval vessels. Another characteristic of a shallow hull girder is that the vessel is more subject to wracking, twisting, and bending strains in rough seas that loosen the hull structure and result in heavy leaking. The Niagara has a lot of deadrise (the angle of the bottom rising outboard from the keel; a deep V-shaped hull would be described as high deadrise, while a flat-bottomed vessel has no deadrise) and a slack turn of the bilge (a large radius curve between bottom planking and topsides). The keel only projected seventeen inches below the garboard. Heeling her over 20 degrees would rotate the keel up and the bilge down to the point of shadowing the keel and thus helping the ship skate to leeward. A square rigger is rarely sailed at more than 10–15 degrees of heel, for beyond that it is very difficult for the crew to keep their feet or get much purchase on a line. Yet in...