A little hammock history....

[gunner76]

Found these articles on Naval Hammocks from WWII

http://www.seasidehammocks.com/Naval+Hammock-sp36.html

http://www.readyayeready.com/navy-life/hammocks.htm

Watch out for those clews.

[Yakfoot]

When I was a boy 50 yrs ago my grandmother had a very rustic family summer camp. My grandfather had been in the military and had gotten military tents and navy hammocks before they had cabins built. We had those sailcloth hammocks up into my adulthood and by then they were probably 70+ years old. As kids we abused them unmercifully, trying to spin each other around in them. Man, that was a rough ride. They were nearly indestructible. That sailcloth was so hard stiff and tough I think it would have stopped musket balls. I have one like it today that my dad got thirty years ago.

[gunner76]

As kids we abused them unmercifully, trying to spin each other around in them. Man, that was a rough ride

That brings back memories. I remember doing the same thing. If you didn't get thrown out the line would break. Either way you ended up on the ground. Good times.

[Jsaults]

Somehow we ended up wit my uncle Ralph's canvas
Navy hammock, and I experimented with it for some time. As I recall, I was never able to get comfortable in it. Yet I slept in an Army surplus WW II jungle hammock often. Go figure.

Yak: Your comment "......I think it would have stopped musket balls..." is appropriate. It is my understanding that hammocks served dual purpose as hanging shields against wood shrapnel in the event of a cannonball striking the side of a wooden ship. Oak shards were as lethal as iron pieces back in the days of wooden Men of War.

Jim

[nailer]

Hi there!,

I got me one of those old naval hammocks two or three years ago, and that is what made me interest in hammocks and hammock camping. First did the clew´s nettles the traditional way and ended up doing them the more "modern" way as it is show in the picture. Those hammocks are made from a really thick canvas, almost impossible to find nowadays. Apparently #1 duck. Think in the canvas cover of a fire hose.The closer you get in the US is #4 or #2. The only web page I found that sold #1 duck was someone that sells tarps and refugee camp tents in Pakistan.

So, I started with this naval hammock from the GB Royal Navy from the 50's, which is kind of the most modern kind of naval hammock they made (it can be converted into a cot) and then got me a WWII or maybe older hammock with the eyelets sewn and a WWII one with brass groomets. Then it came a M-66 Vietnam Era hammock and finally a WWII army jungle hammock. With my Skeeter Beeter, DIY and 3 mayans that makes 10 hammocks so far. This can be quite addictive actually.

Here is a photo from ebay of the Royal Navy hammock of the 50´s, just like mine, kind of explaining how to make it into a cot. Now I am a little closer to do that. Don´t know how much will the image link last. You can see mine in my gallery.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...E:B:SS:US:1123

[gunner76]

Great photo.

[ShadowAlpha]

Very cool! Love old photos

[nailer]

Thanks. Gunner 76, I made an entry for this hammock in the hammock gear time line.

[gunner76]

Thanks. Gunner 76, I made an entry for this hammock in the hammock gear time line.

Thanks, lots of gear that still need to be added like whoopie slings, srl, hammock socks. Plus I would like to get all the manufactures on board to list when they released their different hammocks.