The term Jacob's ladder, used on a ship, applies to two kinds of rope ladders. The term may also appear without the apostrophe, as Jacobs ladder.

Types

The first type of Jacob's ladder is a flexible hanging ladder. It consists of vertical ropes or chains supporting horizontal, historically round and wooden, rungs. Today, flat runged flexible ladders are also called Jacob's ladders. They are used to allow access over the side of ships, and as a result,

pilot ladder A pilot ladder is a highly specialized form of Ladder#Flexible ladders, rope ladder, typically used on board cargo ship, cargo vessels for the purposes of embarking and disembarking maritime pilot, pilots. The design and construction of the ladder ...

s are often incorrectly referred to as Jacob's ladders. A pilot ladder has specific regulations on step size, spacing and the use of spreaders. It is the use of spreaders (long treads that extend well past the vertical ropes) in a pilot ladder that distinguishes it from a Jacob's ladder. When not being used, the ladder is stowed away, usually rolled up, rather than left hanging. On late 19th-century warships, this kind of ladder would replace the normal fixed ladders on deck during battle. Fixed ladders, and railings, would be removed and replaced with Jacob's ladders and ropes in preparation for battle. This was done to prevent such wooden elements from blocking line of sight or turning into shrapnel when hit by enemy shells. The second type of Jacob's ladder applies to a kind of ladder found on

square rig Square rig is a generic type of sail plan, sail and rigging arrangement in which a sailing ship, sailing vessel's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spar (sailing), spars that are perpendicular (or wikt:square#Adjective, square) to t ...

ged ships. To climb above the lower mast to the

topmast The masts of traditional sailing ships were not single spars, but were constructed of separate sections or masts, each with its own rigging. The topmast is one of these. The topmast is semi-permanently attached to the upper front of the lower m ...

and above, sailors must get around the

top Top most commonly refers to: * Top, a basic term of orientation, distinguished from bottom, front, back, and sides * Spinning top, a ubiquitous traditional toy * Top (clothing), clothing designed to be worn over the torso * Mountain top, a moun ...

, a platform projecting from the mast. Although on many ships the only way round was the overhanging

futtock shrouds {{distinguish, text ={{nautical term, futtock, the hull frame component Futtock shrouds are rope, wire or chain links in the rigging of a traditional square rigged ship. They run from the outer edges of a top downwards and inwards to a point ...

, modern-day

tall ship A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigging, rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a r ...

s often provide an easier vertical ladder from the ratlines as well. This is the Jacob's ladder. While they were a popular way of boarding a vessel or carrying out shipside maintenance during the era of wooden ships, and even as recently as the 1950s, their use today on board modern

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

s is minimal due to obvious safety issues. Today, Jacob's ladders are used only to board

lifeboats Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

and

liferaft A lifeboat or liferaft is a small, rigid or inflatable boat carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard a ship. Lifeboat drills are required by law on larger commercial ships. Rafts ( liferafts) are also used. In the m ...

s and as a draft ladder.

Origin

The term "

Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder () is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of the dream has been de ...

" is said to have come from the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

, Genesis 28:12, when

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

has a dream of a ladder which reached to heaven.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob's Ladder (Nautical) Sailing ship components Vertical transport devices Watercraft components Ladders