I was intending to display my HMS Dreadnought at anchor with boarding ladders rigged, some boats not stowed, and anti-torpedo nets deployed. I notice the booms are not very high above the waterline. It seems like some of the smaller boats probably would fit under the booms, but the larger ones, especially the steam launches, would not. How in the world could they use these larger boats with the nets deployed? Seems to me the most common use of boats would be at anchor, yet it seems the net booms would interfere with ship’s boats.
If I remember the old dusty tomes rightly, you rigged the nets only on the dies with the greatest risk if on a mooring (no doubt after bending a line on the mooring to veer the ship about in tide, wind, and current.).
That would let the boat booms on the opposite side be rigged and used–and the accommodation ladders, too.
On anchor, probably is when the full kit of nets might be out–maybe. Probably the nets were raised and dipped for boat operations in that case–just enough to let the boats in and out.
But, we cannot discount the professional skills of Bo’s’n’smates the world over. MacGuyver has nothing on a couple CPO and a deck gang. Never has, never will So, a spar probably would be rigged as a guyed jib derrick from the stern to sway boast over the nets. Would probably depend upon just how important the Commodore or Admirals mail and dispatches were.
Raising the nets up worked pretty well too. After all that operation had to happen to put them away.
Ah! Thanks, guys. So I’ll display it with nets on both sides.