Posted by Bruce beveridge on March 25, 2000 at 22:55:33:
The hatches did not use rope to secure them.
As you know, the openings of the hatches were secured with wooden slabs placed over the opening to create a sturdy lid of sorts.
When a vessel goes to sea, its cargo hatches are made watertight by stretching heavy canvas tarpaulin over the wooden covers. the canvas covers the entire upper surface and extends for some distance down the sides of the coming, where it is tightly clamped by battening bars and wedges. The battening bars are of galvanized iron flat bar, about 2 1/2" by 5/8", and they completely encircle the hatchway; the butts must be kept away from corners, the bar being bent around these to ensure snug fitting the tarpaulin. The bars, pressing the canvas to the coming, rest within hatch battening cleats. The cleats are die forged or cast in steel, and are fastened to the coaming with 3/4" rivets; they usually outlive the coming and in repair work, the old cleats are attached to the new material. They should be placed not more than 2' apart along the coaming plate, beginning about 9"-10" from the corners, and far enough down from the ledges to provide easy fitting of the canvas. When the battening bars and canvas have been arranged for sailing, the whole is secured by driving oak or elm wedges between the hook of the cleat and the bar.
This is the arrangement of the Olympic class liners (and others for that matter) I have found a picture that confirms this, so no rope. A bar, like what is seen on an old barn door when placed inside those arm type things across two sets of doors, kind of like that.
this is from an old ship fitters handbook.
Bruce