The deadeye is a device used for tensioning lines. The deadeye from the museum collection is a wooden disc with three holes, enclosed in a metal shackle. It was made in the village of Unezhma, in the Onega Uyezd of the Arkhangelsk Governorate, in the early 20th century. At the end of the 19th century, there were more than 20 shipowners living in this village.

The development of international trade in the Russian North in the 17th century, as well as the transformations during the reign of Peter the Great, led to significant changes in maritime practices in the White Sea area. New types of ships started to appear, shipbuilding was developed, and expeditions were organized to the seas of the Arctic Ocean and the shores of the American continent.

Over time, larger naval vessels began to be built in Onega. Still, for a long time, the early traditions of Russian navigation were preserved in the coastal region around Onega. The sailors who fished in the northern seas developed a unique maritime culture with its own terminology and navigation techniques.

In the late 19th century, new types of vessels were already built in the White Sea area for fishing in the Barents Sea and off the coast of Novaya Zemlya. The deadeye, which was a round dumb sheave with three holes arranged in a triangle, remained an essential device.

In the sailing fleet, deadeyes were used in pairs, together with lanyards which served for adjusting the rigging. The upper deadeye had a groove around its circumference for a shroud, a piece of rigging that held the mast up.

The lower deadeye had an iron strop for fastening to the side of the ship or a chainplate, which is a metal strip, rod, or chain that extended outside the side of the ship and was firmly fastened to the hull.

The deadeye was traditionally made of hardwood. From the mid-19th century, it began to be cast from iron for larger ships. In the late 19th century, the deadeye took the form of triangular metal forging with a central window and grooves for lanyards. However, by the early 20th century, deadeyes had begun to fall out of use.