As you say Phil.....all probably academic
1. I could not see Pipe Fitters of
olde laying three x 90 degree bends in the exhaust pipe just to clear the swivel socket for the davit arm as it is only for winching up the anchor [rope]......so a simple hoop bridge with the swivel mounted on axis would appear sound
2. If there were no mounting hoop bridge in the Pipe Fitters Plan set, then the exhaust pipe could have been layed off axis as this would also make the physical point of exhaust from the hull an easier task being away from the centreline of the hull to either port or stdb
This is also based on the assumption that the steam winch was overboard exhausting & not a steam exhaust return condensation system
3. A third point is that exhaust steam in these systems would provide sufficient heat buildup in the exhaust line to cause a rubber booted foot a severe burn. From this, wrapping insulation cord over the exhaust line would not be out of place
4. The actual insulation for the time period probably would have been Asbestos lagging, painted with a sealer then a tinplate shield over the OD and around the bends. Being in the fwd location would have been subjected to quite an amount of water over the bow. This shielding would have necessitated regular maintenance to maintain any insulation integrity
So for us modellers, the cotton string sometimes lagged with filler & painted white may not be absolutely prototypical
but is our best bet
Derek
PS...it is a little difficult to tell from your photographs, but yes the davit is off axis to the stdb side, as is the exhaust pipe....we also see a locker on the stdb side that could house the anchor rope.......does the davit height clear the ventilator on the port side?...is the ship depicted with one anchor on the stdb side only?....certainly that foredeck on the stdb side could be busy