Why was this Navy lanyard knotted up this way?

[cannonmn]

Here are pix of what I believe to be an original Navy lanyard which came attached to the hammer and handle shown.

The entire lanyard cord is 38 inches long, and the knotted section is 19 inches long. The cord is oval in cross-section, which measures 0.22 x 0.3 inches.

The lanyard handle is steel.

I put a detailed writeup on this rig on the Company of Military Historians forum in case anyone is interested in the Dahlgren rifle it was once a part of, but all that wasn't needed for this question.

Why was the lanyard knotted up as shown?
http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/cannonmn/miscforumsetc/forums34/?action=view&current=f6cc544c.pbw

[brokenpole]

cannonmn,

I really have no idea so this is a guess.

During my time in the navy I spent time with several of the deck hands while on a surface ship and they did not like cutting any rope to exact length.  Seems they were taught to always cut long and then braid the rope for the proper length.  I saw that done quite a bit on the USS Orion.

Add to that if the rope was exact length and for some reason during action it broke it could make the operation of the gun unsafe or take the gun out of action.  Don't want to take the time to go get another peice of rope, if there was extra on board.

This way extra rope was always at the ready.  Just rebraid the lanyard and keep on truckin'.

Again this is a guess.

[FTB1-SS]

That is called a chain sinnet knot that is used to shorten a line for storage. It can be undone quickly by taking the last loop out and just pluuing on it.

[cannonmn]

chain sinnet knot that is used to shorten a line for storage.

How about that?  I learn something new on these boards every day.  So that makes perfect sense, if the lanyard broke on the single part, just pull out some links of the knot until it gets back to correct length!

So then if anyone wants to make up their lanyards like that, here's how:

http://www.animatedknots.com/chainsinnet/index.php

Thanks!

[brokenpole]

Figures...leave it to the "boat people" to come up with the answer.

BTW..."boat people" is a kind term for a bubble head or a squid.  As in a sub sailor.

[KABAR2]

It's not just boat people that use this, I have used it and learned it from my dad,

who had been in the navy,  he was a union carpenter and used it on extension cords,

I have seen others use it in the trades including electricians it may be a carry over

from being in the navy who knows, but it's handy when you need to uncoil an extension cord

and not have it tangle up like they do when you wind it in a big coil & we have all seen the

tangled mess they can become.  

[Cannoneer]

It's not just boat people that use this, I have used it and learned it from my dad,

who had been in the navy,  he was a union carpenter and used it on extension cords,

I have seen others use it in the trades including electricians it may be a carry over

from being in the navy who knows, but it's handy when you need to uncoil an extension cord

and not have it tangle up like they do when you wind it in a big coil & we have all seen the

tangled mess they can become.  

Allen, I'm certainly not denying your personal experience, but are you sure that it was the chain stitch/chain sinnet you were taught? I was first taught how to properly coil electrical extension cords when I worked in construction with relatives during high school summer breaks, thats when you'd have your weak hand out and be quickly wrapping the cord around your forearm with your strong hand when someone with experience would walk over and ask; "what the heck are you doing kid, didn't anyone ever show ya how to coil a cord the right way?" Maybe you could braid a thick extension cord this way, I've never tried, but even if you could, it sure would be awfully time consuming. Anyway this is how every electrician. carpenter, plumber, etc., that I've known has stored their electical ext. cord, and its the way I still do it.

With the cord laying on a flat surface.
http://www.animatedknots.com/coiling/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

While holding the cord up off the ground.
http://www.wikihow.com/Coil-Any-Kind-of-Cord

[A.Roads]

Another term for this knot is "daisy-chain" - we used this same knot system when skydiving, when you have landed you have a long length of many lines between yourself & your parachute & if you just bundle the whole lot up you stand a good chance of a tangle to sort out when you come to repack it, so a daisy-chain is a swift & neat way to stow the lines as one for the walk back to the hanger or whatever.
Adrian

[navygunner]

Have no idea why the fancy braid was used but for the record among the quarter gunners Kit were spare locks and lanyards not to mention friction primers and a linstock and slow match  had all bases covered.

geo

[Cat Whisperer]

That is called a chain sinnet knot that is used to shorten a line for storage. It can be undone quickly by taking the last loop out and just pluuing on it.

Thanks for NAMING it!

I've got friends that use that type of braid to store extension cords - easy and neat.

[Cannoneer]

Sorry Allen, you're right, I went lookin' and I found this Monkey Braid (second method shown) used on a thick ext. cord. This is news to me, I've never seen this before, but I still don't understand why someone would go to all this bother when the first method shown is so easy, and quick.

[Cat Whisperer]

It's fast (ok, a LITTLE slower than looping it up) and it DOES NOT tangle.

[cannonmn]

I still don't understand why someone would go to all this bother when the first method shown is so easy, and quick.

1.  Because they can

2.  Because the appearance of the cord when knotted up that way "sends a message."   (fill in yourself what messages it sends.)

[Cannoneer]

I still don't understand why someone would go to all this bother when the first method shown is so easy, and quick.

1.  Because they can
2.  Because the appearance of the cord when knotted up that way "sends a message."   (fill in yourself what messages it sends.)

Hhhmmmm, I think I see.

[Cannoneer]

It's fast (ok, a LITTLE slower than looping it up) and it DOES NOT tangle.

I had a reply all typed in early this morning, and when I hit post I knew the site had gone kaboom; Cat, that will give you some vague idea of just how powerful my now lost reply actually was. Anyhow, when I just now got back on I was still logged in and ready to run, so here's my second attempt at a reply (mind you, I'm not even going to try to duplicate the original's majesty).

Maybe more than a little bit slower would be a more apt description; in any event, if the coiling method is done properly it also does not tangle, and we both know that other descriptive terms like "neat" only reflect an individuals personal opinions and preferences. I think the chances may be better than fair that you and I will someday meet up at an artillery outing, so perhaps we'll have us a little contest, all we'll need is a 50' heavy/utility gauge extension cord, and a stopwatch; the stopwatch will only be needed to time me, for you we can gauge the time by the movement of the sun in the sky.

[cannonmn]

Old salts (this means Navy vets for you landlubbers) would probably just as soon take their power cords and flemish, flake, or fake them for storage.  Those are a little less convenient because unless you want to carry around a sizeable sheet of plywood with the cord laying on it, they aren't very portable.  They are faster to do than the chain sinnet knot and very neat lookin' however!

[cannonmn]

Here are some photos of Dahlgren 12-pounder (3.4-inch) steel rifles.  The last three pictues are of registry no. 298, dated 1863, now at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.  The lock (hammer) attached to the lanyard that started this discussion is marked for registry no. 300, which is not known to survive, but it would have been identical to no. 298.  Those photos were provided courtesy of the United States Navy.