Drag Ropes: How are they used??

[tankbarrell]

Ah but that doesn't say the 6 pdr ropes were the same as the light drag ropes in length, just rope size. The 6pdr handbook says the ropes are the 30' rope converted with an eye sliced on one end with chains for the rim hooks, so they cannot be the old 15' 6" rope, though they may be that length.

[Rob Beale]

The image below is the firepower museums 6 pdr. The drag ropes fitted look like early style light ropes with the leather lined eyes.

The stowage hooks for the rope look to have less than 2 yards circumference and there are probably about 6 or so loops of rope wound on.

Two ropes of 15 feet each are 2 x 5 yards = 10 yards

Can anyone measure the diameter of the hooks on the shield to compare with the diameter of the ropes please?

Alternatively can someone wind a 25 pdr rope on the hooks to see whether 30 foot of 1 inch dia rope will fit?

Rob

[tankbarrell]

Rob, as I said in the other thread, 6 pdrs can have two lengths of rope hooks. The shorter ones are not long enough to take a 25pdr rope, hence the reason I started that thread.

Most guns seem to have the shorter hooks as do the later auxiliary shields. I suspect the no2 ropes were 30' long in 2" rope (5/8" dia.).