unrigging

Unrigging is the process of removing or dismantling the rigging from something, most often a ship or sailing vessel.

Where rigging involves setting up the ropes, cables, and equipment that control sails and masts, unrigging reverses that work—stripping down the gear for storage, repair, or decommissioning.

The term extends to other contexts where equipment has been rigged up and must be taken apart: We spent the afternoon unrigging the stage lights after the show.