Her topmasts were gone, and she had, in other ways, evidently suffered from the heavy weather.
Another critical moment had arrived, and it was only to be hoped that the gale would not come down with greater force than before while she was in stays, or very likely at that moment her topmasts would be carried away.
The enemy were edging away from the wind, and several of their ships were changing stations in the line; some of them without topmasts and topsail yards.
The captain took a turn or two across the deck, looked up at the topmasts as he might have done if the schooner had been under way and he wanted to make sure that everything was drawing, and then he leaned up against the rail.
Our ship was less injured than most; for we only had our main-topmasts wounded.
Next day we had some more fighting, much in the same fashion as on the first, but more severe, several of our ships having lost their topmasts and yards, and two or three of the French being completely disabled.
All our topmasts being wounded, and the wind freshening, it became necessary to take a reef in the topsails.
Our topmasts had been struck; every stitch of canvas closely furled, and everything on deck securely lashed.
There was wind enough to warrant second earings being hardened down, all topmasts were housed, and with the tide flying to windward the ground was sidled over very fast.
Topmasts were housed, and they passed into the breakwater ready for the two-miles beat through Cherbourg Roads.
The topmasts were struck and every particle of top hamper was got down on deck.
A few, however, had followed our example by striking their topmasts and getting out fresh anchors.
In half a day I got the two topmasts aboard and the shears rigged and guyed as before.
Topsails would be a nuisance and a danger for a crew of two, so I heaved the topmasts on deck and lashed them fast.
Another day of heart-breaking and dangerous toil saw us in camp with the two topmasts to the good.
Lashing the two topmasts together, and making allowance for their unequal length, at the point of intersection I attached the double block of the main throat- halyards.
I have known topmasts to be carried away, but it generally occurred through some flaw in a bolt or unseen defect in the rigging.
A few topmasts carried away and other casualties in a gale of wind are everyday occurrences.
On the morning of that day, while the ship was in the trough of the waves, and with topmasts shipped, it was struck by a squall of rain and hail, accompanied by great darkness.
The brig's guns had been carefully ran to starboard and firmly lashed, and the yards lowered down, her topmasts struck, and all made ready for laying her right over in the mud at low water, so that her spars should be upon the shore.
Wherever practicable, I might explain, all railways have been carried across the canal at a height sufficient to allow even the lofty topmasts of the German warships to pass under by a comfortable margin.
But we saw them before that--we saw the two great towers of smoke that went high up into the sky when two of them blew up, and we saw the smoke from their funnels half an hour before their topmasts came above the horizon.
Rig in the jib-boom, and send down all but the lower-yard on deck, and both topmasts as well.
She hove in sight in the eastern quarter, about six bells in the forenoon watch; and the first sight that we got of her revealed that her jib-boom and both her topmasts were gone.
At this distance, and end-on as we are, with no canvas set and our topmasts struck, we must look like little more than a dot on the water.
It was as Mendouca had said; the brig when struck by the squall happened to be lying head on to it, and her topmasts bent like reeds ere they yielded to the pressure, and snapped short off by the caps.
We rode out a heavy gale in Kioge Bay, while some of the ships, dragging their anchors, were steaming ahead, with topmasts struck and two anchors down.
The ship had been refitting; her topmasts were struck; the yards were down and across the hammock nettings.
Topmasts to match, and there was some sail to drive a vessel.
They were wise to lash themselves up aloft, for with every tack, she rolled down into it as if she were never coming up, and when she did come up shook herself as if she would snap her topmasts off.
Everywhere it was topmasts being sent up, sails being dragged out, stays swayed taut, halyards and sheets rove--an overhauling generally.
Three days ago we were caught in a gale, and before the hands could shorten sail the topmasts were carried over the side, so you'll understand that we want all the help we can get.
The topmasts were got over side to shore the ship up, but the motion was so violent that the lashings gave way.
In order to lighten her as much as possible, the yards and topmasts were struck, and some of the provisions thrown overboard, and then strong hopes were entertained that she would float off the bank with the next tide.
To prevent her falling further over, the topmasts were cut away, and as the wind became more moderate towards daylight, the ship remained stationary, and all apprehensions were removed.
In the meantime all weight was removed from aloft, and the topmasts were lowered over the side, to shore her up.
The pilots supposed that the Romney would be dry at low water, the topmasts were therefore struck, and every preparation made to shore her up.
It was not till the year 1693 that men-of-war on the home service were allowed to carry to sea spare topmasts and sails.
Her topmasts were "housed," her boats and secondary armament removed, and her regulation coat of grey paint was streaked with rust and dirt.
Glasses were brought to bear upon the distant vessel, whose topmasts only were as yet visible from where the pirate captain stood.
The water closed over her decks, her lower masts disappeared, her topmasts followed, and the loose sails for a moment floated above the spot where she had been, and then sank also, drawn down by the halliards beneath the waters.
Within ten minutes of the time she got into action her topmasts alone appeared above the surface.
The officers who had remained behind and all the men to be found had hurried on board the ships directly the hurricane burst; additional hawsers had been got out; the topmasts had been struck, and everything necessary had been done.
Suddenly with a violent jerk up she rose again on an even keel with her topmasts carried away, and the rigging beating with fearful force about our heads.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "topmasts" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
