Mooring lines

[southchinasea]

Definitive answer required please

I've always thought (20years or so) that an aft spring led from forward (on the boat) to an aft dock cleat and a fore spring led from the rear of the boat forward to a dock cleat. Last weekend I was advised I was wrong. Can one of our experts here clarify
Many thanks

 

[bedouin]

I'm no expert - but I understood that an aft spring leads to the aft of the boat, and a bow spring leads to the bow

 

[hutch]

Is it the terminology or where they are led from/to that has been questioned?

 

[steffen]

In the courses i took i was taught that the fore spriing leads from the bow to a dock cleat middle or aft of the boat.
Aft spring obviously vice versa: from the stern of the boat to a dock cleat middle or froont of the boat.

Its what the books say here in Holland, whether thats a definitive answer, i dont know.

Happy sailings, Steffen

 

[steffen]

In the courses i took i was taught that the fore spring leads from the bow to a dock cleat middle or aft of the boat.
Aft spring obviously vice versa: from the stern of the boat to a dock cleat middle or froont of the boat.

Its what the books say here in Holland, whether thats a definitive answer, i dont know.

Happy sailings, Steffen

 

[ccscott49]

You can also run them both from a centre cleat for and aft, so whats the question? If the warp is tied to the after end of the boat and then forward to the dock, that is the stern/aft spring and vice versa, as far as I know, the nomenclature comes from where the warp is made fast to on the boat and to where it goes, ie, centre cleat on boat to forward on dock, stern/aft spring. IMHO of course! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[steffen]

Sorry for the double posting; NM

nm

 

[Skyva_2]

A back spring leads from the dock towards the aft of the boat - but it could be tied off to a centre cleat, or the aft cleat of the boat. Thats the way its described on the Longbow course CD ROM.

To save confusion I usually refer to 'that spring there'!

Keith

 

[JeremyF]

Interesting to see the level of confusion here! Let me add to it....

I thought an aft spring did not go to a particular cleat on the deck or the pontoon, but was rigged to stop the boat going backwards. Vice versa for bow spring.

<font color=blue>Jeremy Flynn/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif
Dawn Chorus</font color=blue>

 

[ccscott49]

well, if its made fast to the bow and goes forward, it would stop the boat moving aft, but then it wouldn't be a spring. But a bow line, so it is important where it's made fast to on the boat and the quay?!? /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

 

[duke]

Extract from "Admiralty Manual of Seamanship (Volume 1) " -


"Any spring which prevent the ship from moving back (aft) is known as as a
BACK SPRING, and one that prevents a ship from moving forward (ahead) is
known as a HEAD SPRING".

This information is shown under the heading "BERTHING HAWSERS".

Hope this helps!

Duke.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by duke on 11/09/2002 18:09 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[JeremyF]

Good. So you agree with my understanding. Its not where the warps go, but what function they serve. Nice to be right!!

<font color=blue>Jeremy Flynn/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif
Dawn Chorus</font color=blue>

 

[southchinasea]

What fun...As Mr. Scott points out, ANY line which stops the vessel moving aft
could then be defined as an aft spring and could indeed include the bow line! We need Duke to tell us the Admiralty Manual of Seamanship (Vol 1) definition of Spring. I tend to agree with someone else that it is probably related to where on the boat (and maybe) quay the line is tied to prevent aft or forward movement and excluding bow/stern lines.

Cheers

 

[ccscott49]

No, I don't agree, a bow line is a bow line, but it also stops the boat moving aft, but a spring is a seperate warp, rigged as it's sole purpose of stopping the boat moving aft or frwd, so it does depend where it's fixed on the boat and quay. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

 

[JeremyF]

Brakes on board!

Hmm. I don't think I'm certain enough to state "that spring there" in case its not actually a spring. It might be a line, looking at some of the other postings

Very non-U, but I call the warp preventing the boat from going forward the Front Brake, and the Back Brake stops the boat going backwards!!

<font color=blue>Jeremy Flynn/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif
Dawn Chorus</font color=blue>

 

[jfkal]

A Dry dock is known as an aft-fore-spring-bow-anchor-line since it stops the boat from moving anywhere. My apologies for not being able to contribute anything more useful.

 

[duke]

More complete extract from Admiralty Manual of Seamanship, Volume 1 -

" BERTHING HAWSERS
Fig. 6-56 shows how berthing hawsers are used to secure a ship alongside a wall or jetty.

BREAST ROPES
It will be seen that she has two breast ropes, marked 2 and 5, which are known respectively as the fore and after breast ropes. They are used to breast the ship bodily towards the jetty when coming alongside, and when belayed they limit her distance fron the jetty. They are also used to hold a small ship upright against the jetty when she is resting on the bottom.

SPRINGS
The hawsers marked 3 and 4 are respectively known as the fore spring and the after spring.
Any spring which prevents the ship from moving back (aft) is known as a BACK SPRING, and one that prevents a ship from moving forward (ahead) is known as a HEAD SPRING.
When a ship is secured alongside, the head and back springs prevent her from
SURGING ahead or astern at her berth,and together they assist the breast ropes to keep her close alongside.
For a large ship, or a ship berthed near a busy fairway where she is more liable to surge, or for any ship berthed in heavy weather, the springs may be duplicated as shown in fig. 6-57. these springs are then named as follows:
1. Fore head spring
2. Fore back spring
3. After head spring
4. After back spring.

HEAD AND STERN ROPES
The hawsers marked 1 and 6 in fig. 6-56 are known respectively as the head rope and the stern rope. They assist the springs in preventing the ship from surging, and are also used to adjust the position of the ship along the jetty, especially when she is going alondside."

Now for the difficult part! The Admiralty is not responsible for my feeble attempt to
depict their drawing using a querty keyboard.

Fig. 6-56. Berthing hawsers

<> (port aft cleat) ----------------------------- <> (port bow cleat)
stern -------------------------------------------------------------------------------bow
<> (starboard aft cleat) <>(starbrd fore cleat x) <>(starbrd bow cleat)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!jetty

a (bollards)----b------------------c ------------------d -------------------e-------------f

Hawser 6 : connects port stern cleat to bollard a
Hawser 5 : connects starboard stern cleat to bollard b
Hawser 4 : connects starboard stern cleat to bollard d
Hawser 3 : connects starboard fore cleat x to bollard c
Hawser 2 : connects starboard bow cleat to bollard e
Hawser 1 : connects port bow cleat to bollard f



Fig 6-57. Springs


stern ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- bow

<> (aft stbd cleat) <> (stbd cleat x midships) <> (stbd cleat y midships) <>(stbd bow cleat)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!jetty

a (bollards)--------------b--------------------------------c---------------------d


Fore head spring : connects starboard bow cleat to bollard c
Fore back spring : connects starboard cleat y to bollard d
After head spring: connects starboard cleat x to bollard a
After back spring: connects starboard aft cleat to bollard b



Duke.





<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by duke on 12/09/2002 21:35 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[duke]

Apologies to all.

My schematic diagrams of fig. 6-56 and fig. 6-57 looked reasonably ok when
drafted but lots of spaces "disappeared" when posted.
It now requires Sherlock Holmes to decipher!

Duke.

 

[Guest]

Confusion

Hi,

> To save confusion I usually refer to 'that spring there'!

Followed by "No, darling. Your other right! Yes, the blue one, no no, the other blue one. Yes, the cleat, that's it, the cleat. The ..... that sort of bracket thingy the rope is tied to."

After a pause there is the sound of someone nochalantly setting the world 10Mtr sprint in full Oilies record and a sudden thud.

Then comes "No, really, it's OK. I like doing this and it hardly hurts at all."

Regards


Fred

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

 

[Guest]

Having served on the seas as a Deck Officer .... as many have on this and other forums - I'll add my penny'worth

A For'd spring is from fore part of vessel leads aft onto dock.
A Aft spring is from the aft part of the vessel leading forward onto the dock.

If anyone considers that wrong - then consider this ...... on a vessel we carried walkie-talkies when doing moorings ops. If the Bridge called onto the WT let go the aft spring and the Foward mooring team let go their spring - all would look pretty stupid !!!! But in fact the aft morring team let go theirs .... in all cases that I sailed with.

Yes the manuals talk about back-springs etc., but general modern day usage has changed to fore / aft springs terminology.