Who invented the crows nest

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Sign me up. This presumes all such ships had only one mast. Love it! Somehow crows don't seem romantic enough to fit the world of sail, even on grubby little whalers.

I find that the first crow's nest was a barrel hoisted up to the topgallant crosstrees and lashed to the mast. Personally, I would want to know the name of the man who did the lashing! The thought of it all coming adrift with a poor sailor inside is rather numbing.

I came upon this blog in my own research into the crows nest. I had been analysing some etchings by Theodorus De Bry and was struck by the detail of what I would call the crows nest in some of his depictions. His Lisbon Harbour Scene from circa clearly shows enclosed railed platforms but the thing that grabbed me was the presence of the bunches of arrows.

The visual impact provided by the arrows is reminiscent of actual crows nests that tend to have long twigs projecting from them giving the nest a distinctive character. Being fixed on the summit of the mast, you ascend into it through a little trap-hatch in the bottom. On the after side, or side next the stern of the ship, is a comfortable seat, with a locker underneath for umbrellas, comforters, and coats.

In front is a leather rack, in which to keep your speaking trumpet, pipe, telescope, and other nautical conveniences. Skip to primary content. Skip to secondary content. Search for:.