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

Top (sailing ship)

On a traditional square rigged ship, the top is the platform at the upper end of each mast. This is not the masthead "crow's nest" of the popular imagination – above the mainmast is the main-topmast, main-topgallant-mast and main-royal-mast, so that the top is actually about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way...

 downwards and inwards to a point on the mast or lower shrouds, and carry the load of the shroud

Shroud (sailing)

On a sailboat, the shrouds are pieces of standing rigging which hold the mast up from side to side. There is frequently more than one shroud on each side of the boat....

s that rise from the edge of the top. This prevents any tendency of the top itself to tilt relative to the mast

Mast (sailing)

The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...

.

Climbing

In the most traditional ships, the futtock shrouds can be used to gain access to the tops. Sailors ascend ratlines

Ratlines

Ratlines, pronounced "rattlin's", are lengths of thin line tied between the shrouds of a sailing ship to form a ladder. Found on all square rigged ships, whose crews must go aloft to stow the square sails, they also appear on larger fore-and-aft rigged vessels to aid in repairs aloft or conduct a...

 on the ordinary shrouds until nearly at the top, then transfer to the futtock shrouds which will be reaching upwards and outwards above them. Using the futtock shrouds involves climbing the underside of an overhanging rope at about 45 degrees. Futtock shrouds may or may not have ratlines.

As well as climbing the futtock shrouds, most ships also allowed access to the top through the "lubber's hole" at the tip of the ordinary ratlines. However, this was generally scorned by experienced sailors, and reserved for those on their first few trips aloft.

Any traditionally-rigged ship will have futtock shrouds, but on some modern ones they are strictly for structural purposes, with climbing forbidden. These ships may also dispense with lubbers' holes, and instead opt for a "Jacob's ladder

Jacob's ladder (nautical)

The term Jacob's ladder applies to a kind of ladder found on some square rigged ships. To climb above the lower mast to the topmast and above, sailors must get around the top, a platform projecting from the mast. Although on many ships the only way round was the overhanging futtock shrouds,...

" that descends from the edge of the top to the ratlines vertically, rather than overhanging like the futtock shrouds.

Futtock band

In the mid-nineteenth century the futtock band was introduced, being a metal collar fitted to the mast below the top, to which the lower point of the futtock shrouds is attached. Before this the futtock shrouds were attached to the lower shrouds that rose directly to the top. In this arrangement lower shrouds must support a greater load, requiring the use of catharpin

Catharpin

Catharpin is a nautical term, which is often pronounced cat-harping. It describes one of the short ropes or iron clamps used to brace in the shrouds toward the masts so as to give a freer sweep to the yards. It is also the name of a small, few-store settlement in Virginia, north of Manassas...

s to provide bracing between port and starboard shrouds.

Futtock (frame)

In the construction of a wooden-hulled ship, the futtocks are the separate pieces of timber which compose the frame of the ship. There are four futtocks (component parts of the rib), and occasionally five, to a ship. Those next to the keel are called ground-futtocks, or navel-futtocks, and the rest are termed upper futtocks. The word itself is derived from a contraction of 'foot hook', indicating their role in providing a secure framework to a ship.