Este glosario de términos náuticos es una lista alfabética de términos y expresiones relacionados con los barcos , el transporte marítimo , la marinería y la navegación en el agua (en su mayoría, aunque no necesariamente, en el mar). Algunos siguen vigentes, mientras que muchos datan de los siglos XVII al XIX. La palabra náutica deriva del latín nauticus , del griego nautikos , de nautēs : "marinero", de naus : "barco".
(de una vela ) Vela que se llena con el viento del lado opuesto al que normalmente se usa para mover el buque hacia adelante. En un barco de aparejo cuadrado , cualquiera de las velas cuadradas se puede arriostrar para que quede atrasada, con el propósito de reducir la velocidad (como cuando un navío de línea mantiene posición con otros), para virar hacia adelante o para ayudar a mover la proa del barco a través del ojo del viento al virar hacia adelante . Un cambio repentino en el viento también puede hacer que un barco de aparejo cuadrado quede "atrapado hacia atrás" involuntariamente con todas las velas atrasadas. Esta es una situación peligrosa que corre el riesgo de sufrir daños graves. En un barco con aparejo de proa y popa, una vela de proa se arriostra ya sea halándola a través con la escota de barlovento o virando hacia adelante sin soltar la escota. Se usa para virar hacia adelante o para ayudar a virar hacia adelante. [1] [2] Véase también atrasar y llenar .
a popa
Hacia popa , en relación con algún objeto (por ejemplo, "a popa de la cabina"). [3]
a popa del haz
Más a popa que el través; un rumbo relativo de más de 90 grados desde la proa; por ejemplo, "dos puntos a popa del través, lado de estribor" describiría "un objeto que se encuentra a 22,5 grados hacia la popa del barco, medido en el sentido de las agujas del reloj desde una línea perpendicular desde el lado derecho, centro, del barco, hacia el horizonte". [4]
abandonar el barco
Imperativo de abandonar el buque inmediatamente, generalmente ante un peligro inminente y abrumador. [5] Es una orden emitida por el capitán o una persona delegada al mando, y debe ser una orden verbal. Suele ser el último recurso después de que todas las demás medidas de mitigación han fracasado o se han vuelto imposibles, cuando la destrucción o pérdida del buque es inminente, y suele ir seguida de una orden de "tripular los botes salvavidas " o balsas salvavidas. [5] [6]
de través
En el haz; un rumbo relativo en ángulo recto con la quilla del barco; p. ej., que describe un objeto ubicado en un rumbo de 90 grados ( estribor ) o 270 grados ( babor ) medido en el sentido de las agujas del reloj desde la proa del barco. [7]
Un marino mercante calificado para realizar todas las tareas rutinarias en un buque, o un rango subalterno en algunas marinas.
a bordo
En un buque o dentro de él. Sinónimo de "a bordo". Véase también " a bordo " .
acerca de
Cambiar el rumbo de un barco virando . "Listos para virar" es la orden de prepararse para virar. [8]
Por encima de la mesa
En la cubierta o sobre ella; a la vista de todos; sin ocultar nada. Los piratas solían ocultar a sus tripulaciones bajo cubierta, creando así la falsa impresión de que un encuentro con otro barco era una cuestión casual y no un asalto planificado.
casco sobre el agua
Sección del casco de un buque que se encuentra por encima de la línea de flotación ; parte visible de un buque. Véase también partes superiores .
banderín de ausente
Un gallardete especial que se usa para indicar la ausencia de un oficial al mando de un barco, un almirante, un jefe de personal o un oficial cuya bandera aún ondea (un comandante de división, escuadrón o flotilla ).
Buque o casco utilizado como vivienda, generalmente cuando no hay suficientes alojamientos en tierra. Se puede utilizar un buque operativo, pero lo más habitual es que se utilice un casco modificado para albergar a los ocupantes.
Amnistía
Acto de perdón
Carta de un estado o potencia que autoriza la acción de un corsario . Véase también carta de marca .
Oficial naval de alto rango con rango de bandera. En orden ascendente de antigüedad en la Marina Real : contralmirante, vicealmirante, almirante (hasta aproximadamente 2001, cuando se discontinuaron todos los rangos británicos de cinco estrellas) , almirante de la flota y Lord Gran Almirante . En la Marina de los EE. UU .: contralmirante (mitad inferior), contralmirante, vicealmirante, almirante y (sin usar desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial ) almirante de flota.
El cuerpo de leyes que se ocupa de los casos marítimos. En el Reino Unido, lo administra el Tribunal del Almirantazgo , un tribunal especial dentro de la División del Tribunal Superior de Justicia . El Tribunal del Almirantazgo se encuentra actualmente en el edificio Rolls.
a la deriva
1. A flote y desligado de cualquier forma de la orilla o del fondo marino, pero sin navegar . Cuando se hace referencia a un buque, implica que el buque no está siendo controlado o no puede serlo y, por lo tanto, va adonde el viento y la corriente lo llevan; un buque en esta condición también puede describirse como "flojo de sus amarras" o "fuera de lugar". [3]
2. Cualquier equipo que no esté bien sujeto o almacenado correctamente.
3. Cualquier persona o cosa que se encuentre extraviada o desaparecida. Cuando se aplica a un miembro de la Marina o del Cuerpo de Marines, se dice que dicha persona está "ausente sin permiso" (AWOL, por sus siglas en inglés) o, en la terminología de la Marina y el Cuerpo de Marines de los EE. UU., es culpable de una "ausencia no autorizada" (UA, por sus siglas en inglés). [9]
1. (de un buque) Que flota libremente (no encallado ni hundido). El término también puede emplearse de manera más general para referirse a cualquier objeto o persona que flote.
2. En servicio, aunque no esté actualmente en navegación , pero no varado, sin tripulación, en reparación o en construcción (por ejemplo, "la compañía tiene 10 barcos a flote").
a proa
1. En, sobre o hacia la proa o parte delantera de un buque. [3]
1. Hacia la popa o parte trasera de un buque. [2] Contraste con proa .
2. La porción de un vaso que está detrás de la zona media del vaso.
después de la ceja
En los buques más grandes, una pasarela secundaria instalada en la zona de popa del centro del barco . En algunos buques militares, como los buques de guerra de los EE. UU., el personal alistado por debajo del E-7 sube al barco por la popa; los oficiales y el CPO / SCPO / MCPO suben al barco por la proa. [10]
Estructura de popa situada detrás del palo de mesana y por encima del espejo de popa en los grandes veleros, mucho más grande pero menos común que un castillo de proa. El castillo de popa alberga la cabina del capitán y, a veces, otras cabinas, y está coronado por la cubierta de toldilla .
cubierta de popa
La parte de la cubierta que está a popa o en medio del barco.
Que descansa sobre o toca el suelo o la tierra, o el fondo de un cuerpo de agua (ya sea de manera involuntaria o deliberada, como en un puerto de secado), a diferencia de estar a flote. [3]
adelante
Delante de la proa.
¡Ajá!
Adjetivo que indica un estado de desorden poco propio de un marinero. Se utiliza para describir algo torcido, torcido o incluso redondo pero fuera de lugar. [11] Por ejemplo, "¡Qué triste y torpe exhibición es esa embarcación en marcha! Todavía arrastran sus defensas en el oleaje y sus velas están todas ahuyentadas".
Hola
Un grito para llamar la atención. Se utiliza para llamar la atención de un barco o una embarcación, por ejemplo, "barco a la vista". [3]
Ahullarse
1. Yaciendo de costado sobre el mar.
2. Capear una tormenta sin velas y con el timón a sotavento.
1. Cualquier dispositivo externo a un buque o aeronave específicamente destinado a ayudar a los navegantes a determinar su posición o rumbo seguro, o a advertirles de peligros u obstrucciones a la navegación.
2. Cualquier tipo de señal que ayude al viajero en su navegación, especialmente en lo que respecta a los viajes náuticos o aéreos. Entre estas ayudas se encuentran habitualmente los faros , las boyas , las señales de niebla y las balizas diurnas.
Buque de guerra diseñado con la misión principal de desplegar y recuperar aeronaves en el mar, actuando así como una base aérea marítima. Desde 1918, el término generalmente se ha limitado a un buque de guerra con una amplia cubierta de vuelo diseñada para operar aeronaves de ala fija convencionales. En la jerga de la Marina de los EE. UU., también se lo denomina "flat top" o "bird farm".
corriente de aire
corriente de aire
Extensión vertical máxima de cualquier parte del buque por encima de la superficie del agua. Espacio libre necesario para pasar por debajo de un puente. [12]
Detener a una persona o cosa de manera repentina e imprevista. [9]
alisión
El impacto de un buque en movimiento con un objeto estacionario (no sumergido), como el estribo de un puente o un delfín, un muelle o embarcadero, u otro buque amarrado a un muelle o embarcadero. Se requiere algo más que un contacto incidental. Se dice que el buque "hace alicaídas" con el objeto fijo y se considera culpable. Contraste con colisión .
2. Por encima de la estructura sólida más alta del barco. [3]
3. Arriba o muy arriba.
junto a
Al lado de un barco o muelle. [3]
ama
Un casco secundario o flotador unido al casco primario de una embarcación para darle estabilidad, o a los cascos de un catamarán moderno .
en medio del barco
1. Posición situada a mitad de la longitud de un barco o embarcación. [13]
2. Una posición a mitad de camino entre los lados de babor y estribor de un barco o embarcación, como en "timon en medio", cuando el timón está en línea con la quilla. [13]
Una amplia variedad de buques de guerra diseñados para desembarcar y apoyar a los marines y las fuerzas terrestres en un asalto anfibio . Los buques de guerra anfibia varían en tamaño y capacidad, desde grandes buques oceánicos, algunos con cubiertas de vuelo de longitud completa, hasta pequeñas embarcaciones diseñadas para desembarcar personal y equipo directamente en una playa.
1. Cualquier objeto diseñado para impedir o frenar la deriva de un barco, sujeto al barco por una cuerda o cadena; generalmente un objeto de metal, un gancho o una especie de arado diseñado para agarrarse al fondo marino sólido debajo de la masa de agua. Véase también ancla de mar . [3]
2. Desplegar un ancla (por ejemplo, "ella ancló en alta mar"). [3]
bola de ancla
Una forma redonda y negra que se iza en la proa de un barco para indicar que está anclado.
refuerzo de ancla
Una pieza metálica o pieza fundida en un buque por la que pasa la cadena del ancla y sobre la que reposa el ancla cuando está completamente alojada. También se denomina placa de apoyo.
boya de ancla
Una boya pequeña sujeta a una cuerda atada a la corona de un ancla. La cuerda permite desenganchar el ancla de un obstáculo, como una roca o el cable del ancla de otra embarcación, impidiendo así que el ancla se levante de la forma habitual. [13]
cadena de ancla
También cable de anclaje .
Una cadena que conecta un barco a un ancla.
Detalle del ancla
Un grupo de hombres que manejan los aparejos de tierra cuando el barco está anclado o zarpando.
ancla a casa
Cuando el ancla está asegurada a bordo del buque para navegar, es decir, cuando no está desplegada. Normalmente se apoya justo fuera del escobén, en el lado exterior del casco, en la proa del buque.
luz de ancla
Luz blanca que muestra un barco para indicar que está fondeado. Un barco de más de 150 pies (46 m) de eslora muestra dos luces de este tipo. [3]
El ancla estaba montada
También simplemente montó .
La línea de ancla, cuerda o cable que conecta la cadena del ancla al buque.
Centinela ancla
También kellet .
Peso independiente en una cuerda separada que se sujeta de forma suelta al cabo del ancla para que pueda deslizarse fácilmente por él. Se fija a una distancia ligeramente mayor que el calado del barco. Se utiliza para evitar que el cabo del ancla se enganche en la quilla u otras estructuras submarinas cuando el barco está anclado y se mueve de forma aleatoria durante la marea baja .
reloj de ancla
Los tripulantes asignados para cuidar un barco mientras está anclado o amarrado, y encargados de tareas tales como asegurarse de que el ancla se mantenga en su sitio y que el barco no se desvíe. La mayoría de las unidades GPS marinas tienen una capacidad de alarma para vigilar el ancla.
cabrestante de ancla
Un cabrestante horizontal en la proa que se utiliza para levar el ancla. [2]
anclaje
Cualquier lugar adecuado para que un barco ancle, a menudo una zona de un puerto o bahía.
el ancla está levada
Se dice de un ancla para indicar que está a punto de tocar el fondo y que, por tanto, el barco ya no está anclado.
Andrés
Término tradicional de la jerga de cubierta inferior para referirse a la Marina Real .
Término que utiliza un submarinista para designar el ángulo entre el rumbo de un objetivo y la línea de visión del submarino. Se expresa como babor o estribor, por lo que nunca supera los 180 grados. Esta es una de las cifras que se introducen en la computadora de datos de torpedos que realiza todos los cálculos necesarios para un ataque con torpedos al objetivo. No debe confundirse con la duplicación del ángulo en la proa .
respuesta
La respuesta esperada de un buque a los mecanismos de control, como un viraje que "responde" al timón y al volante . "El barco no responde" podría ser el informe de un timonel cuando el giro del timón por orden de un piloto no produce el cambio de dirección esperado.
tanques antivuelco
Un par de tanques llenos de líquido montados en lados opuestos de un barco debajo de la línea de flotación . Los tanques están interconectados por tuberías o conductos para permitir que el agua fluya entre ellos y en la parte superior por conductos de ventilación o tuberías de aire. Las tuberías están dimensionadas de manera que, a medida que el líquido fluye de un lado a otro, amortigüe la cantidad de balanceo .
Una red submarina pesada unida a una barrera y colocada de manera que proteja un puerto, un fondeadero o un estrecho de la penetración de submarinos sumergidos .
a pique
Más o menos vertical. Mantener el cabo o la cadena del ancla lo más vertical posible sin soltar el ancla. [ cita requerida ]
Pieza de madera que se fija al lado posterior del codaste de roda y al lado delantero del codaste de popa de un barco construido con clinker, donde se asegura el entablado. [14]
La combinación del viento real y el viento en contra causado por el movimiento hacia adelante del barco. Por ejemplo, hace que un viento lateral leve parezca venir desde muy por delante del través.
arco de visibilidad
La parte del horizonte sobre la cual es visible una ayuda iluminada a la navegación desde el mar .
tablero de arco
Una tabla a lo largo de la popa donde comúnmente se pinta el nombre de un barco. [15]
Reglamento que rige las fuerzas militares y navales del Reino Unido y los EE. UU.; leído a cada tripulación del barco en el momento de la puesta en servicio y en intervalos específicos durante la puesta en servicio.
en línea recta
Medida por una línea recta entre dos puntos (que podría cruzar la tierra), de la misma manera que un cuervo u otro pájaro sería capaz de viajar en lugar de un barco, que debe rodear la tierra. Véase también círculo máximo .
Supuestamente es un acrónimo de Allied Submarine Devices Investigation Committee (Comité de Investigación de Dispositivos Submarinos Aliados) y un tipo de SONAR utilizado por los Aliados para detectar submarinos durante la Primera y la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El término se ha aplicado de forma genérica a los equipos de "detección por eco supersónico submarino" de submarinos y otros buques. [16]
en tierra
1. En la playa, la orilla o la tierra (a diferencia de a bordo o sobre una embarcación).
2. Hacia la orilla.
3. "Encallar": chocar con la orilla (a diferencia de "encallar", que es golpear una formación sumergida como un arrecife o un banco de arena).
Engranaje o engranajes que, al acoplarse a un motor, dan lugar a un movimiento o fuerza hacia atrás. Equivale a la marcha atrás en un automóvil con transmisión manual.
puerto de asilo
Puerto que se utiliza para protegerse de una tormenta. Véase puerto de refugio .
En ángulo recto con respecto a la proa y la popa o línea central de un barco.
auxiliar
1. Motor instalado en un buque de vela para proporcionar potencia mecánica al entrar en puerto o con vientos ligeros o contrarios.
2. Un buque en servicio naval pero tripulado total o mayoritariamente por civiles (como en el Servicio Auxiliar de la Flota Real y el Servicio Auxiliar Naval Real) [17]
Un buque de guerra diseñado para operar en cualquier número de funciones de apoyo a buques de combate y otras operaciones navales, incluida una amplia gama de actividades relacionadas con la reposición, el transporte, la reparación, los servicios portuarios y la investigación.
avast
Detenerse, cesar o desistir de lo que se está haciendo. Del holandés hou' vast ("aferrarse"), la forma imperativa de vasthouden ("aferrarse a") o la palabra italiana basta . [9] Compárese con Ya basta .
aviso
Anteriormente también asesor .
Una especie de barco de despacho o de asesoramiento que sobrevivió sobre todo en la Marina francesa. Se consideran equivalentes a las balandras modernas .
inundado
Tan bajo en el agua que el agua está constantemente lavando la superficie.
pesar
La posición de un ancla que está a punto de hacer contacto con el fondo.
fuego axial
Fuego orientado hacia los extremos del barco; lo opuesto al fuego lateral. En la era de la vela, esto se conocía como "fuego rastrillado".
Sí, sí
( / ˌ aɪ ˈ aɪ / ) Respuesta a una orden o comando para indicar que, en primer lugar, se escucha y, en segundo lugar, se entiende y se llevará a cabo (por ejemplo, "Sí, sí, señor" a los oficiales). También es la respuesta adecuada desde un barco que recibe una señal para indicar que hay un oficial a bordo.
círculo azimutal
Un instrumento utilizado para tomar la orientación de los objetos celestes.
Instrumento empleado para determinar la posición del Sol con respecto al norte magnético . El acimut de un objeto es su orientación respecto del observador medida como un ángulo en el sentido de las agujas del reloj desde el norte verdadero .
Pata de propulsión orientable que se coloca en la parte inferior del casco y lleva una hélice. Compárese propulsión de popa y propulsión a vela .
B
Plataforma B&R
Estilo de aparejo fijo utilizado en veleros que carece de backstay. Se dice que el mástil está sostenido como un "trípode", con crucetas inclinadas hacia atrás y un estay de proa. Se utiliza mucho en veleros de la marca Hunter, entre otros. Diseñado y bautizado por Lars Bergstrom y Sven Ridder. [ cita requerida ]
atrás
1. Hacer que una vela se llene con el viento del lado opuesto al que se usa normalmente para navegar hacia adelante. Una vela de proa y popa se arrima ya sea no moviendo la vela al virar o halándola a barlovento con la escota de barlovento. Una vela cuadrada se arrima halando las vergas alrededor con los tirantes. Luego se arrima la vela. [3]
2. (Con remos ) empujar contra el agua con el remo en la dirección opuesta a la que se utiliza normalmente para mover el barco hacia adelante. Esto se utiliza para reducir la velocidad del barco o para moverse hacia atrás al maniobrar. [3]
atrás y rellenar
Método para mantener bajo control un buque de aparejo cuadrado mientras se desplaza a la deriva con la marea a lo largo de un canal estrecho. El buque se encuentra de costado a la corriente, con la gavia mayor arriada y las gavias de proa y mesana desplegadas: esencialmente una posición de navegación a vela. La arriada y el arrollado selectivos de estas velas mueven el buque hacia adelante o hacia atrás, lo que permite mantenerlo en la mejor parte del canal. Se utilizan un foque y una gabarra para ayudar a equilibrar el plano vélico. Este método no se puede utilizar si el viento sopla en la misma dirección y a la misma velocidad que la marea. [18]
Un estay o cable que se extiende desde los tope del mástil, del mástil mayor , del mástil de juanete , del mástil real , del mástil de vela mayor hasta el costado del barco a popa del aparejo inferior; se utiliza para sostener el mástil. [19]
lavado a contracorriente
Agua empujada hacia atrás por la acción de la hélice . También el retroceso de las olas.
Cualquier dispositivo para eliminar el agua que ha entrado en un recipiente.
sacar de apuro
Alejándose de otras embarcaciones para obtener aire limpio . Se utiliza a menudo para situaciones de arranque.
calvo
Un tipo de velero escocés introducido en 1860, utilizado para pescar. Un baldie es un barco de vela carvel , con el mástil muy adelantado y aparejado con una vela de trinquete y, a veces, un foque. Algunos historiadores creen que "Baldie" es una contracción de "Garibaldi", una referencia al general y nacionalista italiano Giuseppe Garibaldi , cuyo nombre era muy conocido en la época en que se introdujo el baldie.
timón de equilibrio
Normalmente no se trata de un solo timón, sino de un conjunto de tres o cuatro timones que funcionan juntos para maniobrar un barco de vapor con ruedas de popa. Colocado justo delante de las ruedas de paletas, la eficacia del timón de equilibrio aumenta gracias al flujo de agua generado por las paletas, lo que proporciona a estos barcos de vapor un alto grado de maniobrabilidad. [20]
timón equilibrado
Un timón con una cantidad significativa de área por delante del eje rotacional, que mueve el centro hidrodinámico del timón más cerca del eje de rotación y reduce el torque requerido para dirigir. [21]
Material pesado que se coloca en una posición baja en el casco para proporcionar estabilidad. Puede ser material móvil, como grava o piedras, instalado de forma permanente o semipermanente, o integrado al casco, como la quilla de lastre (normalmente) de plomo o hierro fundido de un yate de vela. Véase también lastre . [3]
Un compartimento que puede llenarse total o parcialmente con agua, utilizado en barcos, submarinos y otros sumergibles para controlar la flotabilidad y la estabilidad.
Velero rápido, una forma primitiva de clipper, construido en la costa atlántica media de los Estados Unidos, especialmente en Baltimore, Maryland . Los clippers de Baltimore, populares como buques mercantes tanto en los Estados Unidos como en el Reino Unido a fines del siglo XVIII, generalmente eran goletas o bergantines de dos mástiles .
bolas para cuatro reloj
Jerga de la Marina de los EE. UU. para el turno de guardia entre las 00:00 y las 04:00 .
Una gran área de fondo marino elevado, lo suficientemente profundo para permitir la navegación. [3]
bata oriental
Un término tradicional de la Marina Real para referirse a un día o menos de descanso y relajación.
bar
Masa de arena o tierra que se eleva por encima de la profundidad general del fondo marino por el movimiento del agua. Las barras se encuentran a menudo en la desembocadura de los ríos o en las entradas de los puertos y pueden hacer que la navegación por ellas sea extremadamente peligrosa en algunos estados de marea y corriente, pero también pueden conferir tranquilidad en las aguas costeras al actuar como barrera para las grandes olas. Véase también toque y despegue y encallamiento .
Una técnica para aparejar temporalmente una escota floja de un velero de modo de permitir que el barco navegue más cerca del viento; es decir, usar la escota floja del foque para tirar del foque más cerca de la línea media, lo que permite un punto de navegación que de otra manera no sería alcanzable. [ cita requerida ]
1. Recinto blindado fijo que protege los cañones de un barco a bordo de buques de guerra sin torretas de cañones, generalmente en forma de un anillo de blindaje sobre el cual los cañones montados en una plataforma giratoria abierta en la parte superior podían disparar, en particular en barcos construidos durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX.
2. El tronco fijo interior del montaje del cañón de la torreta de un buque de guerra, sobre el cual gira la torreta, que contiene los montacargas para proyectiles y cordita de la sala de proyectiles y el polvorín, particularmente en los buques construidos después de fines del siglo XIX.
Lugre de dos o tres mástiles utilizado para pescar en las costas de España y Portugal y, más ampliamente, en el mar Mediterráneo a finales del siglo XVII y XVIII. La Marina Real Británica también los utilizó para incursiones en tierra y como barcos de despacho en el Mediterráneo.
Un acuerdo para el alquiler o arrendamiento de un buque, mediante el cual el propietario del buque no proporciona tripulación ni provisiones como parte del acuerdo; en cambio, las personas que alquilan el buque son responsables de su tripulación y aprovisionamiento.
postes desnudos
Navegar sin ninguna vela levantada, generalmente con viento fuerte.
1. Embarcación de fondo plano remolcada o autopropulsada, construida principalmente para el transporte fluvial, de canales o costero de mercancías pesadas.
2. Barcaza del almirante : Embarcación a disposición de un almirante para su uso como transporte entre un buque mayor y la costa, o dentro de un puerto.
Una instalación de atraque especializada diseñada para recibir una barcaza o un flotador para vehículos que se utiliza para transportar vehículos con ruedas a través de un cuerpo de agua.
En derecho marítimo, un acto de mala conducta grave contra un propietario de un buque o un fletador de un buque por parte del capitán o la tripulación de un buque que daña el buque o su carga . Los actos de baratería pueden incluir la deserción , el hundimiento ilegal , el robo del buque o la carga y la comisión de cualquier acción que pueda no ser en el mejor interés del propietario del buque o del fletador de un buque.
Prepararse para las inclemencias del tiempo asegurando las tapas de las escotillas de carga cerradas con listones de madera para evitar que entre agua desde cualquier ángulo.
1. Un anuncio hecho a bordo de un buque de guerra naval para indicar a la tripulación que se prepare para la batalla, un daño inminente o cualquier otra emergencia (como un incendio).
2. Puestos específicos en un buque de guerra naval a los que se asignan uno o más miembros de la tripulación cuando se llama a los puestos de batalla.
Un tipo de gran buque capital de la primera mitad del siglo XX, similar en tamaño, apariencia y costo a un acorazado y típicamente armado con el mismo tipo de cañones pesados, pero con un blindaje mucho más ligero (a escala de un crucero) y por lo tanto más rápido que un acorazado pero más vulnerable a los daños.
Tipo de buque de guerra de gran tamaño y fuertemente blindado de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX y la primera mitad del siglo XX, armado con cañones de gran calibre y diseñado para luchar contra otros acorazados en línea de batalla. Fue el sucesor del navío de línea utilizado durante la era de la vela .
playa
O la playa
Término que se utiliza de forma amplia para referirse a la tierra o la orilla, y no necesariamente de forma literal a una playa . Por ejemplo, se puede decir que un barco que vira hacia la orilla viró hacia la playa , y se puede decir que una persona u objeto que se encuentra en tierra está en la playa . Véase también en la playa .
Encallar deliberadamente un buque para cargarlo o descargarlo (como en el caso de las embarcaciones de desembarco ) o, a veces, para evitar que un buque averiado se hunda o para facilitar reparaciones por debajo de la línea de flotación .
faro
Ayuda fija a la navegación, iluminada o no, colocada directamente sobre la superficie de la Tierra. Algunos ejemplos son los faros y las balizas diurnas.
1. El ariete en la proa de una galera de combate de la época antigua y medieval.
2. Parte saliente de la sección delantera de un barco de vela de los siglos XVI al XVIII, generalmente ornamentada, que se utilizaba como plataforma de trabajo para los marineros que manejaban las velas del bauprés. También albergaba los baños de la tripulación.
haz
El ancho de un buque en su punto más ancho, o un punto a lo largo del barco en el punto medio de su longitud.
extremos de la viga
Los costados de un barco. Describir un barco como "sobre sus travesaños" puede significar que el buque está literalmente de costado y posiblemente a punto de volcar; más a menudo, la frase significa que el buque está escorado 45 grados o más.
alcance del haz
Navegación con el viento atravesando el ancho del buque. Normalmente, este es el punto de navegación más rápido para un buque con aparejo de proa y popa.
mar de vigas
Un mar en el que las olas se mueven perpendicularmente al rumbo de un barco. [22]
viento de haz
Un viento que sopla perpendicularmente al rumbo de un barco.
oso
Una piedra grande y cuadrada que se utiliza con arena para raspar y limpiar cubiertas de madera.
vencer
También llevarse , llevarse . Véase también caerse.
Girar o dirigir un buque en dirección contraria al viento, a menudo con referencia a un tránsito. [2]
Navegar lo más cerca posible del viento (quizás sólo unos 60°) en zigzag para alcanzar una dirección de ceñida hacia la que de otro modo sería imposible navegar directamente. Véase también virar .
Una escala que describe la velocidad del viento, ideada por el almirante Sir Francis Beaufort en 1808, en la que los vientos se clasifican según los efectos de su fuerza sobre la superficie del mar o sobre un buque (originalmente, la cantidad de velas que una fragata completamente aparejada podía llevar).
calmar
Cortar el viento a una embarcación de vela, ya sea por la proximidad de la tierra o por otra embarcación.
encalmado
Incapaz de moverse por falta de viento, se dice de un barco de vela; resignado a dejarse llevar por la corriente en lugar de moverse mediante un manejo controlado de las velas.
abedul
Un trozo corto de línea generalmente empalmado en un círculo o con un ojo en cada extremo.
Antes del mástil
Literalmente, la zona de un barco delante del mástil de proa (el castillo de proa). Se utiliza con más frecuencia para referirse a los hombres cuyas habitaciones se encuentran aquí: los oficiales se alojaban normalmente en las zonas más a popa del barco (cerca del alcázar ), mientras que los oficiales en formación vivían entre los dos extremos del barco y se los conocía como "guardiamarinas". Se decía que los miembros de la tripulación que empezaban como marineros y luego se convertían en guardiamarinas y, más tarde, en oficiales, iban de "un extremo del barco al otro". Véase también hawsepiper .
amarrar
1. Fijar una cuerda alrededor de un accesorio, generalmente una cornamusa o un pasador de seguridad.
2. Para asegurar a una persona que escala de manera similar.
3. Una orden para detener una actividad actual o revocar una orden antes de su ejecución.
Barra móvil corta de hierro o madera dura a la que se puede asegurar o "asegurar" el aparejo móvil. Los pasadores de amarre se insertan en agujeros en un riel de pasadores. [19]
Capa de blindaje de metal pesado que se coloca sobre el casco exterior de un buque de guerra, generalmente en acorazados, cruceros de batalla, cruceros y portaaviones, y que suele cubrir el buque desde la cubierta principal hasta cierta distancia por debajo de la línea de flotación . Si se construye dentro del casco, en lugar de formar el casco exterior, el cinturón se instalaría en un ángulo inclinado para mejorar la protección del buque de guerra contra los proyectiles que impactan en el casco.
Vela mayor triangular , sin larguero superior , que se iza hasta el mástil mediante una única driza unida al tope de la vela. Esta configuración, introducida en Europa alrededor de 1920, permite el uso de un mástil alto, lo que permite colocar las velas más altas donde la velocidad del viento es mayor.
Un velero con aparejo de proa y popa, con un solo mástil y una vela mayor de aparejo bermudeño y una vela de proa sencilla. El balandro bermudeño es un tipo muy común de yate de vela moderno.
1. Un lugar en un puerto o bahía utilizado específicamente para amarrar embarcaciones cuando no están en el mar.
2. Margen de seguridad que debe mantener un buque respecto de otro buque o de un obstáculo, de ahí la frase "dar un amplio margen". [25]
3. Una cama o lugar para dormir en un barco o buque.
4. Un trabajo o puesto de trabajo en un barco o buque.
El mejor cenador
La mayor de las dos anclas que se llevan en la proa; llamada así porque era la última y "mejor" esperanza para anclar un barco.
Entre el diablo y el profundo mar azul
Ver costura del diablo .
Entre el viento y el agua
La parte del casco de un barco que a veces queda sumergida y a veces sale a la superficie por el balanceo del barco.
ensenada
1. Un bucle en una cuerda o línea: un enganche o nudo atado "en la cuerda" es aquel que se hace en el medio de una cuerda, sin acceso a los extremos. [2]
Pequeño velero mercante europeo con dos mástiles, el mayor con aparejo latino y vela mayor trapezoidal, y el trinquete con vela mayor cuadrada convencional . Se utiliza en los Países Bajos para el tráfico costero y fluvial y, ocasionalmente, en el mar del Norte, pero se utiliza con más frecuencia en el mar Mediterráneo.
1. La parte del casco sobre la que se apoya el buque si toca tierra; el extremo exterior de los pisos. La "vuelta de la sentina" es la parte del casco que cambia de los lados (aproximadamente) verticales del casco al fondo más horizontal del buque. [26]
2. (Generalmente en plural: "sentinas") El compartimiento en la parte inferior del casco de un barco o embarcación donde se acumula el agua y debe ser bombeada fuera del buque; el espacio entre el revestimiento del casco inferior y el techo de la bodega. [2]
3. Dañar el casco en la zona de la sentina, generalmente al encallar o golpear un obstáculo.
4. Reprobar una materia académica (“bilge”) o un plan de estudios (“bilge out”).
Una de las dos quillas que se encuentran a cada lado del casco, generalmente inclinadas hacia afuera. En los yates , permiten el uso de un amarre de secado, con el barco en posición vertical sobre las quillas (y a menudo sobre una quilla ) cuando baja la marea.
se achicó en su ancla
Un barco que ha navegado sobre su propia ancla de tal manera que el cable del ancla pasa por debajo del casco.
factura
La extremidad del brazo de un ancla; la punta o más allá de la uña.
El soporte en el que se monta la brújula del barco, generalmente cerca del timón, lo que permite una fácil referencia por parte del timonel.
lista de bitácora
Lista de enfermos de un barco. La lista de los hombres que no podían presentarse a trabajar era entregada al oficial o al segundo de guardia por el médico del barco. La lista se guardaba en la bitácora.
granja de aves
Argot de la Marina de los Estados Unidos para referirse a un portaaviones.
morder
Verbo utilizado en referencia a un timón , como en "el timón comienza a morder". Cuando un buque tiene gobierno, el timón actuará para gobernar el buque, es decir, tiene suficiente flujo de agua a su alrededor para gobernarlo. Físicamente, esto se nota cuando se utiliza la caña del timón o el timón sin asistencia, ya que el timón muestra resistencia a ser girado desde la posición de avance recto; esta resistencia es el "mordisco" del timón y es la forma en que el timonel percibe por primera vez que un buque ha adquirido gobierno.
bita
1. Poste o par de postes montados en la proa del barco para sujetar cuerdas o cables.
2. Una viga vertical fuerte de madera o hierro sujeta a través de las vigas de la cubierta que se utiliza para asegurar cuerdas o cabos. [2]
cabezas de bit
Las partes superiores de dos vigas macizas que sostienen el molinete de una barcaza de vela. [2]
El último trozo o extremo suelto de una cuerda o cable. El cable del ancla se ata a las bitas; cuando el cable está completamente suelto, se ha llegado al final.
La tripulación de ingeniería del buque, es decir, los miembros de la tripulación que trabajan en la sala de máquinas, la sala de bomberos y/o la sala de calderas del buque, llamados así porque normalmente estaban cubiertos de polvo de carbón durante la época de los barcos de vapor a carbón.
intermitente
Una luz de búsqueda que se utiliza para hacer señales mediante un código. Generalmente está equipada con un obturador controlado por resorte.
Polea con una o más roldanas o ranuras sobre las que se desplaza una cuerda. Puede utilizarse para cambiar la dirección de la cuerda o en pares para formar un aparejo. [2]
bloque, violín
Un bloque con dos poleas en el mismo plano, una más pequeña que la otra, lo que le da al bloque una apariencia un tanto de violín.
bloquear, arrebatar
Un bloque de polea simple con un extremo del marco articulado y que se puede abrir para admitir una línea sin tener que forzar un extremo a través de la abertura.
Bandera que ondean como enseña ciertos barcos británicos. Antes de 1864, la ondeaban los barcos del Escuadrón Azul de la Marina Real ; desde que la reorganización de la Marina Real en 1864 eliminó su uso naval, la han ondeado en su lugar los buques mercantes británicos cuyos oficiales y tripulación incluyen un cierto número prescrito (que ha variado a lo largo de los años) de personal retirado de la Marina Real o de la Reserva Naval Real o están comandados por un oficial de la Reserva Naval Real en posesión de una orden del gobierno; los buques de investigación reales por orden, independientemente de su dotación por personal naval, de reserva naval y de la Marina Mercante ; o los yates registrados en Gran Bretaña pertenecientes a miembros de ciertos clubes náuticos , aunque se les prohibió a los yates ondear la bandera azul durante la Primera y la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Bandera azul y blanca (la bandera que representa la letra P ) izada en la proa de los barcos que están a punto de zarpar. Antiguamente era un barco blanco sobre fondo azul, pero luego era un cuadrado blanco sobre fondo azul.
1. Aquella parte del océano que se encuentra a más de unos cientos de millas náuticas de la costa, y por tanto más allá del límite exterior del agua verde.
2. De manera más general, el océano abierto o el mar profundo.
Poste con una punta roma y un gancho en el extremo, a veces con un anillo en el extremo opuesto al que se puede atar una cuerda. Generalmente se usa para ayudar a atracar y desatracar un barco, con su gancho para jalar un barco hacia un muelle y el extremo romo para empujarlo lejos de un muelle, así como para alcanzar el agua y ayudar a las personas a atrapar boyas u otros objetos flotantes o para alcanzar a personas en el agua.
guardián del barco
Un barquero era un marinero que conocía el puerto a la perfección y era capaz de actuar como piloto. Estaba al mando después de que el último piloto se marchara a bordo de un barco y trajera la embarcación de regreso al puerto. Se le exigía que supiera utilizar un sextante , ya que podía estar a 300 millas del puerto.
Edificio especialmente diseñado para el almacenamiento de embarcaciones, generalmente ubicado en aguas abiertas, como lagos o ríos. Los cobertizos para embarcaciones se utilizan normalmente para almacenar embarcaciones deportivas o de ocio más pequeñas, a menudo botes de remos , pero a veces embarcaciones como bateas o pequeñas embarcaciones a motor .
Miembro de la tripulación de un barco ballenero del siglo XIX, responsable de tirar del remo delantero de un barco ballenero y de arponear a las ballenas.
También llamada de contramaestre , flauta de contramaestre , pito de contramaestre o silbato de contramaestre .
Un tubo de tono alto o un silbato sin diafragma utilizado en los barcos de guerra por el contramaestre, históricamente para pasar órdenes a la tripulación, pero en los tiempos modernos limitado a un uso ceremonial.
1. Tabla corta o trozo de lona pesada, sujeta con una brida de cuerdas, que se utiliza para elevar a un hombre por encima del barco o por encima de su costado para pintar o realizar trabajos similares. Las sillas de contramaestre modernas incorporan arneses de seguridad para evitar que el ocupante se caiga.
2. Silla de metal utilizada para traslados de personal de barco a barco en el mar mientras está en marcha.
pipa del contramaestre
silbato del contramaestre
Ver llamada del contramaestre.
Carpintero de barcos
Fabricante de embarcaciones, especialmente de construcción tradicional en madera.
chelín
mosca de la muerte
Un banderín o bandera que lleva los colores del propietario y está montado en el tronco de la vela mayor . [2]
Un estay que mantiene el bauprés hacia abajo, contrarrestando el efecto del estay de proa y la elevación de las velas. Generalmente está hecho de alambre o cadena para eliminar el estiramiento. [2]
plan corporal
En construcción naval , elevación final que muestra el contorno de los lados de un barco en ciertos puntos de su longitud.
De "bol" o "bole", tronco redondo de un árbol. Pilar vertical sustancial al que se pueden sujetar cuerdas. Generalmente se encuentra en el muelle, no en el barco.
También bombardear , bombardear , bombardear , bombardear barco o bombardear barco .
Un tipo de embarcación de vela de madera especializada de finales del siglo XVII y mediados del XIX, diseñada para bombardear posiciones fijas en tierra, armada para este propósito con morteros montados cerca de la proa.
bombardear
También escrito bombarde .
1. Una embarcación pequeña, de dos mástiles, común en el Mediterráneo en los siglos XVIII y XIX, de diseño similar a un ketch inglés.
2. Nombre alternativo utilizado en los siglos XVIII y XIX para designar a un buque bomba.
Corredor de Bombay
Una cucaracha grande.
Jacky unido
Un tipo de tabaco o pastel dulce.
hueso en sus dientes
Frase que describe la apariencia de un barco que levanta una ola prominente en la proa mientras navega a gran velocidad. Desde un punto de observación frente al barco, la ola que se levanta a ambos lados de la proa evoca la imagen de un perro que lleva un hueso en la boca, y se dice que el barco tiene un hueso en los dientes .
capó
Una tira adicional de lona atada al pie de una vela para aumentar su área en vientos suaves. [27]
bobo
Un tipo de ave que tiene poco miedo y por lo tanto es particularmente fácil de atrapar.
trampilla de piqueros
Un marco elevado o una especie de capota que cubre una pequeña escotilla en un barco.
auge
1. Una barrera flotante para controlar la navegación dentro y fuera de ríos y puertos.
2. Un mástil unido al pie de una vela de proa y popa. [19]
3. Un mástil para extender el pie de la vela cangreja, la vela de proa o el foque. [19]
Un marco en el que descansa la botavara cuando la vela no está izada.
horca de auge
Un travesaño elevado que sostiene una botavara cuando se baja la vela (y que evita la necesidad de un elevador superior ).
estruendo
También plataforma de botavara .
Barcaza con aparejo de queche, con cangreja (en lugar de cebadera ) y botavara en la mayor y la mesana . El aparejo de botavara también podría referirse a las primeras barcazas con aparejo de cúter. [2]
A sail control that lets one apply downward tension on a boom, countering the upward tension provided by the sail. The boom vang adds an element of control to sail shape when the sheet is let out enough that it no longer pulls the boom down. Boom vang tension helps control leech twist, a primary component of sail power.
boomkin
See bumpkin.
booms
Masts or yards, lying on board in reserve.
boot-top
The area on the ship's hull along the waterline, usually painted a contrasting color.
bore
(As in, bore up or bore away) To assume a position to engage, or disengage, the enemy ships.
Pledging a ship as security in a financial transaction.
bow
1. The front of a vessel.
2. Either side of the front (or bow) of the vessel, i.e. the port bow and starboard bow. Something ahead and to the left of the vessel is "off the port bow", while something ahead and to the right of the vessel is "off the starboard bow". When "bow" is used in this way, the front of the vessel sometimes is called her bows (plural), a collective reference to her port and starboard bows synonymous with bow (singular).
A spar projecting from the bow that is used as an anchor for the forestay and other rigging. On a barge it may be pivoted so it may be steeved up in harbor.[2]
bows under
Said of a vessel shipping water over her bow, e.g., "The ship was bows under during the storm."
A small propeller or water-jet at the bow, used for manoeuvring larger vessels at slow speed. May be mounted externally, or in a tunnel running through the bow from side to side.
A feature of some ships, particularly ferries and roll-on/roll-off ships, that allows a vessel's bow to articulate up and down to provide access to her cargo ramp and storage deck near the waterline.
bow wave
The wave created on either side of a vessel's bow as she moves through the water.
On square rigged ships, a line attached to the end of ayard to rotate it around a vertical axis, for trimming the sail. Braces are fitted in pairs to each yard, one at each end.
brace abox
To bring the foreyards flat aback to stop the ship.
1. To furl a sail by pulling it in towards the mast and/or to the yard or gaff on which it is set . Where the brailing action is mostly moving towards the mast, it is termed "brailing in". If the sail is generally moving up to a spar, that is called "brailing up".[28]
2. A line used to haul the edges or corners of a sail up or in, either preparatory to furling or as the act of furling the sail. Some brails do not have a more specific name, especially on a fore and aft sail. In other cases, clewlines, buntlines and leechlines may be considered types of brails.[29]
brail net
A type of net incorporating brail lines on a small fishing net on a boat.
brailer
A device consisting of a net of small-mesh webbing attached to a frame, used aboard fishing vessels for unloading large quantities of fish.
brake
The handle of the pump, by which it is worked.
brass monkey, brass monkey weather
Used in the expression "it is cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey".
Apocryphally, it is often claimed that a brass monkey was a frame used to hold cannon balls, and low temperature would cause the frame to contract to a greater degree than the iron balls and thus allow them to roll off. See brass monkey for the probable actual etymology.
brass pounder
Early 20th-century slang term for a vessel's radio operator, so-called because he repeatedly struck a brass key on his transmitter to broadcast in Morse code.
Goods that must be loaded aboard a ship individually and not in intermodal containers or in bulk, carried by a general cargo ship.
breaker
1. A shallow portion of a reef over which waves break.
2. A breaking wave that breaks into foam against the shore, a shoal, a rock or a reef. Sailors use breakers to warn themselves of their vessel's proximity to an underwater hazard to navigation or, at night or during periods of poor visibility, of their vessel's proximity to shore.
3. A ship breaker, often used in the plural, e.g. "The old ship went to the breakers".
4. A small cask of liquid kept permanently in a ship's boat in case of becoming separated from the ship or if used as a lifeboat.
breakwater
1. A structure constructed on a coast as part of a coastal defense system or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.
2. A structure built on the forecastle of a ship intended to divert water away from the forward superstructure or gun mounts.
A ring lifebuoy fitted with canvas breeches, functionally similar to a zip line, used to transfer people from one ship to another or to rescue people from a wrecked or sinking ship by moving them to another ship or to the shore.
breastrope
A mooring rope fastened anywhere on a ship's side that goes directly to the quay, so that it is roughly at right angles to both.[30]
A narrow walkway extending outward from both sides of a pilothouse to the full width of a ship or slightly beyond, to allow bridge personnel a full view to aid in the maneuvering of the ship, such as when docking.
2. An American term foe an interior area of a ship that is used to detain prisoners (possibly prisoners-of-war, in wartime) or stowaways, and to punish delinquent crew members. Usually resembles a prison cell with bars and a locked, hinged door.
A type of sloop-of-war introduced in the 1770s that had two square-rigged masts like a brig (in contrast to ship sloops of the time, which had three masts).
1. When a sailing or power vessel loses directional control when travelling with a following sea. The vessel turns sideways to the wind and waves and in more serious cases may capsize or pitchpole. Advice on dealing with heavy weather includes various strategies for avoiding this happening.[13][31]
2. An unintentional appearance above the surface of all or part of a submerged submarine, a dangerous event when the submarine is in proximity to enemy forces or near any ship which might collide with her.
broad
Wide in appearance from the vantage point of a lookout or other person viewing activity in the vicinity of a ship, e.g. another ship off the starboard bow with her side facing the viewer's ship could be described as "broad on the starboard bow" of the viewer's ship.
An area of the southern North Sea which is fairly consistently 14 fathoms (84 feet; 26 metres) deep. On a nautical chart with depths indicated in fathoms, it appears as a broad area with many "14" notations.
2. All the guns on one side of a warship or mounted (in rotating turrets or barbettes) so as to be able to fire on the same side of a warship.
3. The simultaneous firing of all the guns on one side of a warship or able to fire on the same side of a warship.
4. Weight of broadside: the combined weight of all projectiles a ship can fire in a broadside engagement, or the combined weight of all the shells which a group of ships that have formed a line of battle can collectively fire on the same side.
A route used by ships in the 17th century while sailing east from the Cape of Good Hope to the Netherlands East Indies which took advantage of the strong westerly winds in the southern Indian Ocean known as the "Roaring Forties" to speed the trip but required ships to turn north in the eastern Indian Ocean to reach the East Indies. With no accurate means of determining longitude at the time, ships which missed the northward turn ran the risk of being wrecked on the west coast of Australia.
brow
See gangplank.
brown water
1. A collective term for rivers and coastal waters.
A type of sailboat developed in the Chesapeake Bay by the early 1880s for oyster dredging, superseded as the chief oystering boat in the bay by the skipjack at the end of the 19th century.
A protruding bulb at the bow of a ship just below the waterline which modifies the way water flows around the hull, reducing drag and thus increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency and stability.
One of the lines leading from the foot of a square sail over a block at the head and down to the deck; and used to haul it up to the yard when furling.[33]
buoy
A floating object, usually anchored at a given position and fulfilling one of a number of uses, recognised by a defined shape and color for each, including aids to navigation, warnings of danger such as submerged wrecks or divers, or for attaching mooring lines, lobster pots, etc.
buoyed up
Lifted by a buoy, especially a cable that has been lifted to prevent it from trailing on the bottom.
The Builder's Old Measurement, expressed in "tons bm" or "tons BOM", a volumetric measurement of cubic cargo capacity, not of weight. This is the tonnage of a ship, based on the number of tuns of wine that it could carry in its holds. One 252-gallon tun of wine takes up approximately 100 cubic feet, and weighs 2,240 lbs (1 long ton, or Imperial ton).
A dish of ships biscuit crumbs and minced salt pork, usually a meal of last resort for officers when other food stores are exhausted.
butt
Where the butt of one plank joins with the butt of another.
by and large
By means into the wind, while large means with the wind. "By and large" is therefore used to indicate all possible situations, e.g. "the ship handles well both by and large".[citation needed]
A type of powered pleasure craft that provides accommodation for its crew and passengers inside the structure of the craft. A cabin cruiser usually is 7.6 to 13.7 metres (25 to 45 ft) in length, with a powered pleasure craft larger than that considered a motor yacht.
A measure of length or distance equivalent to 1⁄10 nautical mile (608 feet; 185 metres) in the United Kingdom and 100 fathoms (600 feet; 183 metres) in the United States; other countries use different equivalents.
The transport of goods or passengers between two points in the same country along coastal routes by a vessel registered in another country. Originally applied only to shipping, the term now also is applied to analogous transport via aviation, railways, or road transport.
1. Loaded vessels lashed tightly, one on each side of another vessel, and then emptied to provide additional buoyancy that reduces the draft of the ship in the middle.
2. Floating platforms brought alongside for use by yard workers or crew.
can
A type of navigational buoy, often a vertical drum, but otherwise always square in silhouette, colored red in IALA region A (Europe, Africa, Greenland, and most of Asia and Oceania) or green in IALA region B (the Americas, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines). In channel marking its use is opposite that of a nun buoy.
canal boat
A specialized watercraft designed for operation on a canal. During the Age of Sail, canal boats typically lacked sails and masts and relied on towboats and mules to move from place to place.[34]
canal schooner
Also sailing canal boat or sailing canal schooner.
A specialized type of canal boat developed in North America in the early 19th century and used on the Great Lakes and in Lake Champlain. Unlike conventional canal boats of the era, which lacked a means of propulsion, canal schooners had a schoonerrig which allowed them to sail from place to place, but could lower their masts and raise their centreboards, allowing mules to tow them through canals. The design allowed their operators to save money by reducing their reliance on towing and paying fewer towing charges.[34]
canaller
A ship designed to transit the locks of the Welland Canal.
A type of antipersonnel cannon load in which lead balls or other loose metallic items were enclosed in a tin or iron shell. On firing, the shell would disintegrate, releasing the smaller metal objects with a shotgun-like effect.
canoe stern
A design for the stern of a yacht such that it is pointed like a bow, rather than squared off as a transom.
canvas
A collective term for all of the sails on a vessel; the total area of all sails aboard her may be expressed as the area of her canvas. Care needs to be taken in understanding what may appear to be an area of canvas for a sail; a stated number may be the length of canvas that is needed off the roll, and it was made several different standard widths.
cap
A fitting or band used to connect the head of one mast to the lower portion of the mast above.[33]
Cape Horn fever
A feigned illness from which a malingerer is pretending to suffer.
Cape Horn roller
Also graybeard.
A type of large ocean wave commonly encountered in the stormy seas of the Southern Ocean south of South America's Cape Horn, often exceeding 60 feet (18.3 m) in height. The geography of the Southern Ocean, uninterrupted by continents, creates an endless fetch that is favorable for the propagation of such waves.
cap-stay
A backstay leading from a mast cap to the ship's side.[33]
One of a set of ships considered a navy's most important warships, generally possessing the heaviest firepower and armor and traditionally much larger than other naval vessels, but not formally defined. During the Age of Sail, capital ships were generally understood to be ships of the line; during the second half of the 19th century and the 20th century, they were typically battleships and battlecruisers; and since the mid-20th century, the term may also include aircraft carriers and ballistic missile submarines.
(of a vessel) To list so severely that the vessel rolls over, exposing the keel. On large vessels, this often results in the sinking of the ship. Compare turtling.
A large winch with a vertical axis used to wind in anchors or to hoist other heavy objects, and sometimes to administer flogging over. A full-sized human-powered capstan is a waist-high cylindrical machine, operated by a number of hands who each insert a horizontal capstan bar in holes in the capstan and walk in a circle.
captain
1. The person lawfully in command of a vessel. "Captain" is an informal title of respect given to the commander of a naval vessel regardless of his or her formal rank; aboard a merchant ship, the ship's captain is called her master.
1. In the United Kingdom, a Royal Navy officer, usually a captain, responsible for the day-to-day operation of a naval dockyard.
2. In the United States, a US Coast Guard officer, usually a captain, responsible for enforcement of safety, security, and marine environmental protection regulations in a commercial port.
captain's daughter
Another name for the cat o' nine tails, which in principle is only used on board on the captain's (or a court martial's) personal orders.
A cargo ship specially designed or fitted to carry large numbers of automobiles. Modern pure car carriers have a fully enclosed, box-like superstructure that extends along the entire length and across the entire breadth of the ship, enclosing the automobiles. The similar pure car/truck carrier can also accommodate trucks.
A small, highly maneuverable sailing ship with a lateen rig, used by the Portuguese in the 15th and 16th centuries to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.
cardinal
Referring to the four main points of the compass: north, south, east, and west. See also bearing.
A type of merchant ship that became common just after the middle of the 19th century, configured primarily for the transportation of general cargo but also for the transportation of at least some passengers. Almost completely replaced by more specialized cargo ships during the second half of the 20th century.
Any ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another, including general cargo ships (designed to carry break bulk cargo), bulk carriers, container ships, multipurpose vessels, and tankers. Tankers, however, although technically cargo ships, are routinely thought of as constituting a completely separate category.
cargoman
A cargo ship.
carpenter
1. In the Age of Sail, a warrant officer responsible for the hull, masts, spars, and boats of a vessel, and also for sounding the well to see if the vessel was making water.
2. A senior rating responsible for all of the woodwork aboard a vessel.
carpenter's walk
On a tall ship, a is a narrow unlit passageway or bulkhead often with a low (four-foot) ceiling that is fitted around the hull at its waterline. The carpenter's walk allowed the ship's carpenter to tour the entire waterline area of a ship to inspect it for water leaks.[35][36] Because of its dark and seldom-visited nature and location far below decks, it was also sometimes used by mutinous sailors as a secluded place to plan a rebellion against the ship's officers.[37]
A short, smoothbore, cast-iron naval cannon, used from the 1770s to the 1850s as a powerful, short-range, anti-ship and anti-crew weapon.
carry away
To suddenly break a spar, rope or other part of a ship's equipment. May be caused, for example, by overloading, stress of weather, collision or battle damage.[3][30][38]
A ship employed on humanitarian voyages, in particular to carry communications or prisoners between belligerents during wartime. A cartel flies distinctive flags, including a flag of truce, traditionally is unarmed except for a lone signaling gun, and under international law is not subject to seizure or capture during her outbound and return voyages as long as she engages in no warlike acts.
A comparison of the clinker and carvel styles of boat constructionA method of constructing a wooden hull in which planks are butted edge-to-edge on a robust frame, so giving a smooth hull surface; traditionally the planks are not attached to each other, only to the frame, and have only a caulking sealant between them to make them watertight.[27] Contrast clinker-built.
A light metal structure, usually incorporating a deck, built over the upper surface of a submarine's pressure hull to create a flat surface on which crew members can walk. A feature of submarines built prior to the mid-20th century, but not of more modern submarines.
cat
1. To prepare an anchor after raising it by lifting it with a tackle to the cathead, prior to securing (fishing) it alongside for sea. An anchor raised to the cathead is said to be catted.
A short, multi-tailed whip or flail kept by the bosun's mate to flog sailors (and soldiers in the army) who had committed infractions while at sea. When not in use, the cat was often kept in a baize bag, a possible origin for the term "cat out of the bag".[40] "Not enough room to swing a cat" also derives from this.
To create a watertight seal between structures. In traditional carvel construction, this involved hammering oakum (recycled rope fibres) or caulking cotton into the slightly tapered fine gaps between the hull or deck planks and, in older methods, covering with tar. The expansion of the fibres in water tightens up the hull, making it less prone to racking movement, as well as making the joint watertight.[26]
Navigation by the position of celestial objects, including the stars, Sun, and Moon, using tools aboard ship such as a sextant, chronometer, and compass, as well as published tables of the expected positions of celestial objects on specific dates. Celestial navigation was the primary method of navigation until the development of electronic global positioning systems such as LORAN and GPS.
ceiling
Planking attached to the inside of the frames or floors of a wooden hull. It serves to separate the cargo from the hull planking itself, but also has a structural role, contributing to the strength of the hull.. The ceiling has different names in different places; e.g. limber boards, spirketting, quickwork, etc. The lower part of the ceiling is, confusingly to a landsman, what you are standing on at the bottom of the hold of a wooden ship.[27][42]: glossary
Also center of pressure (American spelling) or centre of pressure (British spelling).
The point of origin of net aerodynamic force upon a sail, roughly located in the geometric center of the sail, though the actual position of the center of effort will vary with sail plan, sail trim, or airfoil profile, boat trim, and point of sail.
The point of origin of net hydrodynamic resistance on the submerged structure of a boat, especially a sailboat. This is the pivot point the boat turns about when unbalanced external forces are applied, similar to the center of gravity. On a perfectly balanced sailboat, the center of effort will align vertically with the center of lateral resistance. If this is not the case, the boat will be unbalanced and will exhibit either lee helm or weather helm and will be difficult to control.
Diagram of the position of a centerboard on a boat
Also centerplate (American spelling), centreplate (British spelling).
A wooden board or metal plate which can be pivoted through a fore-and-aft slot along the centerline in the hull of a sailing vessel, functioning as a retractable keel to help the boat resist leeway by moving its center of lateral resistance. Very common in dinghies, but also found in some larger boats. A daggerboard serves the same purpose but slides vertically rather than pivoting.
An imaginary line down the center of a vessel lengthwise. Any structure or anything mounted or carried on a vessel that straddles this line and is equidistant from either side of the vessel is said to be "on the centerline".
Wear on a line or sail caused by constant rubbing against another surface.
chafing gear
Material applied to a line or spar to prevent or reduce chafing. See baggywrinkle and puddening.[33]
chain locker
A space in the forward part of a ship, typically beneath the bow in front of the foremost collision bulkhead, that contains the anchor chain when the anchor is secured for sea.
Iron bars bolted to a ship's side to which the deadeyes or rigging screws of the lower figging and the back-stays are bolted.[33]
chain-wale
Also channel.
A broad, thick plank that projects horizontally from each of a ship's sides abreast a mast (distinguished as the fore, main, or mizzen channel accordingly), serving to extend the base for the shrouds, which support the mast.[33]
1. A small boat that functions as a shallop, water taxi, or gondola.
2. In Portuguese, a small boat used for cabotage, propelled by either oars or sails. Those equipped with sails have a single mast.
3. A type of whaling boat used by the Basques in the mid-16th century in what is now Newfoundland and Labrador.
change tack
Also switch tack.
To change course or heading.
channel fever
1. The impatient excitement in a ship's crew as the end of a voyage becomes imminent. Characteristics include crew members working harder to get the ship sailing faster, off-watch personnel being on deck to keep track of progress, and everyone being packed and in their shore-going clothes (ready to be paid off) the moment the vessel arrives in port.[43]
2. (obsolete usage) A crew member avoiding duties with a feigned illness, usually after leaving port.
A term used by the British East India Company from the 17th to the 19th centuries for a merchant ship it chartered to make a single, often one-way, voyage between England (later the United Kingdom) and ports east of the Cape of Good Hope, a trade over which the company held a strict monopoly. A charter ship during its single voyage was employed in much the same way as what the company called an extra ship, though the company usually hired charter ships on special terms and for much shorter periods.[44]
charthouse
A compartment from which the ship was navigated, especially in the Royal Navy.
chartplotter
An electronic instrument that places the position of the ship (from a GPS receiver) onto a digital nautical chart displayed on a monitor, thereby replacing all manual navigation functions. Chartplotters also display information collected from all shipboard electronic instruments and often directly control autopilots.
A cannon pointing forward or aft, often of longer range than other guns. Those on the bow (bow chasers) were used to fire upon a ship ahead, while those on the rear (stern chasers) were used to ward off pursuing vessels. Unlike guns pointing to the side, chasers could be brought to bear in a chase without slowing down the vessel.
A decked commercial sailing vessel engaged in the transportation of fresh fish directly from fishing grounds to ports in Brittany between the 18th century and around the third quarter of the 19th century. Three-mastedluggers replaced the vessels originally serving in this role; the luggers then were replaced successively by dundees, brigs, and schooners.
cheeks
1. Wooden blocks at the side of a spar.
2. Flat plates of iron or wood bolted to the masthead to form angle supports for the cross-trees.[33]
2. A line formed where the sides of a boat meet the bottom.[2] Soft chine is when the two sides join at a shallow angle, and hard chine is when they join at a steep angle.
chock
A hole or ring attached to the hull to guide a line via that point; an opening in a ship's bulwark, normally oval in shape, designed to allow mooring lines to be fastened to cleats or bits mounted to the ship's deck. See also Panama chock and Dutchman's chock.
chock-a-block
Rigging blocks that are so tight against one another that they cannot be further tightened.[2]
chop
Waves, usually created by the wind, which are smaller and shorter-lived than swell.
A timekeeping device accurate enough to be used aboard a ship to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation. The invention of the marine chronometer in the 18th century was a major technical achievement for maritime navigation.
A fortified safe room on a vessel to take shelter in the event of pirate attack. Previously, a fortified room to protect ammunition and machinery from damage.
The British Naval Ensign or flag of the British Merchant Navy, a red flag with the Union Flag in the upper left corner. Colloquially called the "red duster".
1. Strictly, a group of government ships, especially naval ships, of the same or similar design.
2. Informally, a group of private or commercial ships of the same or similar design.
3. A standard of construction for merchant vessels, including standards for specific types or specialized capabilities of some types of merchant vessels (see, for example, ice class). A ship meeting the standard is in class, while one not meeting it is out of class.
class leader
Synonym for lead ship.
classification society
Also classification organisation(American spelling) or classification organization(British spelling)
A certificate issued by a port indicating that a ship carries no infectious diseases. Also called a pratique.
clean slate
At the helm, the watchkeeper would record details of speed, distances, headings, etc. on a slate. At the beginning of a new watch the slate would be wiped clean.
A stationary device used to secure a rope aboard a vessel.[2]
clench
A method of fixing together two pieces of wood, usually overlapping planks, by driving a nail through both planks as well as a washer-like rove. The nail is then burred or riveted over to complete the fastening.
clew
One of the lower corners of a square sail, or, on a triangular sail, the corner at the end of the boom.[2]
A comparison of the clinker and carvel styles of boat constructionA method of constructing hulls that involves overlapping planks and/or plates, much like Viking longships, resulting in speed and flexibility in small boat hulls. Contrast carvel-built.
1. A sailing vessel designed primarily for speed. While the square-rigged clipper ships of the middle of the 19th century are well known, others, such as Baltimore Clippers and opium clippers could be rigged differently, often as schooners, and a small number of 19th-century clippers were built as barques.
A bend used to attach a rope to a post or bollard. Also used to finish tying off the foresail.[2]
club hauling
A maneuver by which a ship drops one of its anchors at high speed in order to turn abruptly. This was sometimes used as a means of obtaining a good firing angle on a pursuing vessel. See kedge.
Loading coal for use as fuel aboard a steamship. A time-consuming, laborious, and dirty process often undertaken by the entire crew, coaling was a necessity from the early days of steam in the 19th century until the early 20th century, when oil supplanted coal as the fuel of choice for steamships.
A type of open traditional fishing boat with a flat bottom and high bow which developed on the northeast coast of England.
cockbill
To angle a square-riggedyard away from the horizontal so that it is out of the way for loading or unloading, or so that the ship may lie alongside another ship without the yards touching.
An insulating space between two watertight bulkheads or decks within a ship.
cog
A type of sailing ship, with a single mast and a single square-riggedsail first developed in the 10th century and widely used, particularly in the Baltic Sea region, in seagoing trade from the 12th through the 14th centuries. It had a distinctive hull design: the flat bottom was carvel-built and the sides were clinker-built.[45]: 225–227
A way of loading a vessel that gives military forces embarked aboard her immediate access to weapons, ammunition, and supplies needed when conducting an amphibious landing. In combat loading, cargo is stowed in such a way that unloading of equipment will match up with the personnel that are landing and in the order they land, so that they have immediate access to the gear they need for combat as soon as they land. Combat loading gives primary consideration to the ease and sequence with which troops, equipment, and supplies can be made ready for combat, sacrificing the more efficient use of cargo space that ship operators seek when loading a ship for the routine transportation of personnel and cargo.
To formally place (a naval vessel) into active service, after which the vessel is said to be in commission. Sometimes used less formally to mean placing a commercial ship into service.
1. (rank) Prior to 1997, the title used in the Royal Navy for an officer of the rank of captain who was given temporary command of a squadron. At the end of the deployment of the squadron, or in the presence of an admiral, he would revert to his de facto rank of captain.
2. (rank) A military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain but below a rear admiral. Often equivalent to the rank of "flotilla admiral" or sometimes "counter admiral" in non-English-speaking navies.
3. (convoy commodore) A civilian put in charge of the good order of the merchant ships in British convoys during World War II, but with no authority over naval ships escorting the convoy.
A raised and windowed hatchway in a ship's deck, with a ladder leading below and the hooded entrance-hatch to the main cabins.
complement
1. The number of persons in a ship's crew, including officers.
2. A collective term for all of the persons in a ship's crew, including officers.
comprise
To include or contain. As applied to a naval task force, the listing of all assigned units for a single transient purpose or mission (e.g. "The task force comprises Ship A, Ship B, and Ship C"). "Comprise" means exhaustive inclusion – there are not any other parts to the task force, and each ship has a permanent squadron existence, independent of the task force.
A vessel constructed of steel and ferrocement (a type of reinforced concrete) rather than of more traditional materials, such as steel, iron, or wood.[46]
confined waters
Waters where there is little space to maneuver.
conn
Also con, conne, conde, cunde, or cun.
To direct a ship or submarine from a position of command. While performing this duty, an officer is said to have the conn.
conning officer
An officer on a naval vessel responsible for instructing the helmsman on the course to steer. While performing this duty, the officer is said to have the conn.
1. An armored control tower of an iron or steel warship built between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries from which the ship was navigated in battle.
2. A tower-like structure on the dorsal (topside) surface of a submarine, serving in submarines built before the mid-20th century as a connecting structure between the bridge and pressure hull and housing instruments and controls from which the periscopes were used to direct the submarine and launch torpedo attacks. Since the mid-20th century, it has been replaced by the sail (United States usage) or fin (European and Commonwealth usage), a structure similar in appearance that no longer plays a role in directing the submarine.
Unpowered Great Lakes vessels, usually a fully loaded schooner, barge, or steamer barge, towed by a larger steamer that would often tow more than one barge. The consort system was used in the Great Lakes from the 1860s to around 1920.
When two boats are approaching each other from any angle and this angle remains the same over time (constant bearing) they are on a collision course. Because of the implication of collision, "constant bearing, decreasing range" has come to mean a problem or an obstacle which is incoming.[47]
1. A flush-decked sailing warship of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries having a single tier of guns, ranked next below a frigate. In the US Navy, it is referred to as a sloop-of-war.
2. A lightly armed and armored warship of the 20th and 21st centuries, smaller than a frigate and capable of transoceanic duty.
A steam-powered wooden warship protected from enemy fire by bales of cotton lining its sides, most commonly associated with some of the warships employed by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861–1865).
counter
The part of the stern above the waterline that extends beyond the rudder stock culminating in a small transom. A long counter increases the waterline length when the boat is heeled, so increasing hull speed. See also truncated counter.
counterflood
To deliberately flood compartments on the opposite side from already flooded ones. Usually done to reduce a list.
country ship
A term used by the British East India Company from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century for a merchant ship owned by local owners east of the Cape of Good Hope which traded within that area and gathered cargoes for shipment west of the Cape to England (later the United Kingdom) by the company's "chartered ships", "extra ships", and "regular ships". "Country ships" were strictly prohibited from trading west of the Cape, which would violate the company's strict monopoly on that trade.[44] Country ships were also important in the opium trade from India into China until supplanted by the faster opium clipper.[51]: 51
course
1. The direction in which a vessel is being steered, usually given in degrees.
2. The lowest square sail on a square rigged mast, except where that mast is the mizzen – in which case the name cro'jack (cross-jack) or mizzen-sail is used.[52]
cowl
1. A ship's ventilator with a bell-shaped top that can be swiveled to catch the wind and force it below.
2. A vertical projection of a ship's funnel that directs the smoke away from the bridge.
The part of a naval vessel containing the residential quarters and wardroom for chief petty officers. CPO country is off-limits to more junior enlisted personnel unless they are there on official business.
crab
A winch used for raising the leeboard, with a barrel for pulling in the staysail sheets.[2]
A ship with a crane and specialized for lifting heavy loads.
cranse iron
Also crance, crans, or cranze iron.
The metal fitting mounted at the end of a bowsprit to which the forestay (or jibstay), bobstay, and bowsprit shrouds are attached. It is also where the tack of the outermost headsail is fastened.[13]
A term used in the United States to describe military high-speed offshore rescue boats, similar in size and performance to motor torpedo boats, used to rescue pilots and aircrews of crashed aircraft.
Crazy Ivan
US Navy slang for a maneuver in which a submerged Soviet or Russian submarine suddenly turns 180 degrees or through 360 degrees to detect submarines following it.
crew
1. On warships and merchant ships, all of those members of a ship's company who are not officers.
2. On leisure vessels with no formal chain of command, all of those persons who are not the skipper or passengers.
A vessel specialized for the transportation of offshore support personnel and cargo to and from offshore installations such as oil platforms, drilling rigs, drill ships, dive ships, and wind farms. Also known as a fast support vessel or fast supply vessel.
The services rendered by specialised shipping companies to manage the human resources and manning of all types of vessels, including recruitment, deployment to vessel, scheduling, and training, as well as the ongoing management and administrative duties of seafarers, such as payroll, travel arrangements, insurance and health schemes, overall career development, and day-to-day welfare. Also known as crewing.
cringle
A loop of rope, usually at the corners of a sail, for fixing the sail to a spar. They are often reinforced with a metal eye.[2]
cro'jack
Also crossjack.
The square sail set on the lower mizzen yard of a square-rigged ship. Many full-rigged ships would not set a sail in this position, as it would be interfered with by the spanker[53]
Two horizontal struts at the upper ends of the topmasts of sailboats, used to anchor the shrouds from the topgallant mast. Lateral spreaders for the topmast shrouds (standing back stays).[2]
A masthead constructed with sides and sometimes a roof to shelter the lookouts from the weather, generally by whaling vessels. The term has also become generic for what is properly called a masthead.
A passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way. Transportation is not the prime purpose, as cruise ships operate mostly on routes that return passengers to their originating port. A cruise ship contrasts with a passenger liner, which is a passenger ship that provides a scheduled service between published ports primarily as a mode of transportation. Large, prestigious passenger ships used for either purpose are sometimes called ocean liners.
1. From the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, a classification for a wide variety of gun- and sometimes torpedo-armed warships, usually but not always armored, intended for independent scouting, raiding, or commerce protection; some were designed also to provide direct support to a battle fleet. Cruisers carried out functions performed previously by the cruising ships (sailing frigates and sloops-of-war) of the Age of Sail.
2. From the early to the mid-20th century, a type of armored warship with varying armament and of various sizes, but always smaller than a battleship and larger than a destroyer, capable of both direct support of a battle fleet and of independent operations, armed with guns and sometimes torpedoes.
3. After the mid-20th century, various types of warships of intermediate size armed with guided missiles and sometimes guns, intended for air defense of aircraft carriers and associated task forces or for anti-ship missile attacks against such forces; virtually indistinguishable from large destroyers since the late 20th century.
4. A yacht with one or more cabins containing the facilities for living aboard, thus capable of making voyages.
crutches
Metal Y-shaped pins used to fix oars while rowing.
A join between two lines, similar to an eye-splice, where each rope end is joined to the other a short distance along, making an opening that closes under tension.
cuntline
The "valley" between the strands of a rope or cable. Before serving a section of laid rope, e.g. to protect it from chafing, it may be "wormed" by laying yarns in the cuntlines, giving that section an even cylindrical shape.
cut and run
When wanting to make a quick escape, a ship might cut lashings to sails or cables for anchors, causing damage to the rigging, or losing an anchor, but shortening the time needed to make ready by bypassing the proper procedures.
cut of his jib
The "cut" of a sail refers to its shape. Since this would often vary between ships, it could be used both to identify a familiar vessel at a distance, and to judge the possible sailing qualities of an unknown one. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ships of different nations used visually distinctive types of jibs that could be determined at a distance, providing an easy way to determine friend from foe.[55] Also used figuratively of people.[56]
A typical cutter rigging: one mast bearing a fore-and-aft-rigged mainsail (A) and foresail (forestaysail) (B), a bowsprit (C), a jib (D), and a flying jib (E)
1. A sailing vessel defined by its rig. In European waters this is a single-masted fore and aft rig with two or more headsails In North American waters, the definition also considers whether or not the bowsprit is permanently fixed and also takes into account the position of the mast. A standing (permanently fixed) bowsprit and a forward mast position, but with two or more headsails would be classed as a sloop in the North American definition. A running bowsprit, a forestay (carrying a staysail) that is fixed to the stemhead, a jib that is set flying and a mast position that is more aft is a cutter.
2. A type of ship's boat powered by sail or oars, though more optimised for sail than many types of ship's boat.
3. A small- or medium-sized vessel used by governmental agencies or law enforcement in the exercise of official authority, such as harbor pilots' cutters, US Coast Guard cutters, and UK Border Agency cutters.
4. A type of decked sailing vessel originating in the early 18th century designed for speed. Many were used as small warships. Originally cutter referred only to a type of hull, but it came to refer to the rig, which was single-masted with both fore-and-aft and square sails. A cutter rig had very large sail areas available for use in light winds.
A surprise attack by small boats, often at night, against an anchored vessel in which the small-boat crews boarded and captured or destroyed the target vessel. Cutting out became a popular tactic in the latter part of the 18th century and saw extensive use during the Napoleonic Wars. Cutting out was still in use in the mid-19th century, in conflicts such as the Mexican-American War and American Civil War.
A type of light centerboard that is lifted vertically; sometimes in pairs, with the leeward one lowered when beating.
dan
dan-buoy
A temporary marker buoy consisting of a long pole with flag and/or light at the top and, lower down, a float and a ballast weight to make it float vertically. May be used with or without an anchor to attach it to the sea bed. In naval use often marks a swept channel created by minesweeping. In other uses may mark fishing equipment (nets or pots), an anchor, or, most commonly, is attached to a lifebuoy to throw into the sea to mark the position of a man overboard.[13][3]
A mine warfare vessel, usually a small trawler, fitted for laying dans. Danlayers served as a part of minesweeping flotillas during and immediately after World War II (1939–1945).
An unlighted fixed structure equipped with a dayboard for daytime identification.
day-blink
The moment at dawn where, from some point on the mast, a lookout can see above low-lying mist around the ship.
dayboard
The daytime identifier of an aid to navigation presenting one of several standard shapes (square, triangle, or rectangle) and colors (red, green, white, orange, yellow, or black).
day boat
1. A sailing boat without overnight accommodation, sometimes with a small cabin, used for pleasure sailing. Typically around 20 feet (6.1 m) in length[13]
2. (United States): a steamboat built for daytime service; as opposed to a night boat.
dead ahead
Exactly ahead; directly ahead; directly in front.
dead horse
Debt owed for advanced pay.[39] The "flogging a dead horse" ceremony at sea celebrated discharge of the debt.
dead in the water
Not moving (used only when a vessel is afloat and neither tied up nor anchored). The term is abbreviated to DIW by the US Navy. It is often used to indicate that a pirate or drug runner vessel has been immobilised.
A wooden block with three holes (but no pulleys) spliced to a shroud. It adjusts the tension in the standing rigging of large sailing vessels, by lacing through the holes with a lanyard to the deck. It performs the same job as a turnbuckle.[2]
deadhead
A snag.
deadlight
A strong shutter fitted over a porthole or other opening that can be closed in bad weather.
A method of navigation that estimates a ship's position from the distance run measured by the log and the course steered. If corrections for factors such as tide and leeway are then made, this provides an estimated position.[57] Dead reckoning contrasts with fixing a position with astronomical navigation or satellite navigation. Some sources consider that a dead reckoning position does include adjustments for wind and tide, so care is needed in interpretation of this term.[58]
deadrise
The angle of the hull surface, relative to horizontal, as measured on either side of the keel on a line drawn towards the turn of the bilge. Without any other qualifier, it is taken at the midships cross-section of the hull. This can be expressed in degrees or sometimes as a vertical linear measure (such as inches) at a standard distance from the keel. A hull with a lot of deadrise has an obvious "V" shape to the bottom of the hull, whereas no deadrise denotes sheer sides and a flat-bottomed hull. It is usually taken to be one of several measures of the "sharpness" of a hull. It can also be referred to as the "rise of floor".[59]
deadwood
In a traditional wooden hull, blocks of timber on the top of the keel that form the shape of the hull where its section is too narrow for the method of construction employed elsewhere. It is often used forward of the sternpost.[26]
In a keel boat, the act of broaching to windward, putting the spinnaker pole into the water and causing a crash-gybe of the boom and mainsail, which sweep across the deck and plunge down into the water. During a death roll, the boat rolls from side to side, becoming gradually more unstable until either it capsizes or the skipper reacts correctly to prevent it.
The process of leaving a ship or aircraft, or removing goods from a ship or aircraft.
debunk
The process of removing fuel from a vessel. After a shipwreck, a "debunkering" operation will be performed in an effort to minimize damage and protect the environment from fuel spills.
deck
1. The top of a ship or vessel; the surface that is removed to accommodate the seating area.
2. Any of the structures forming the approximately horizontal surfaces in the ship's general structure. Unlike flats, they are a structural part of the ship.
A gun mounted on the deck of a submarine for use in surface combat. Common on submarines of the first half of the 20th century, deck guns became obsolete as submarines became capable of sustained underwater operations after World War II.
deck hand
Also decky.
A person whose job involves aiding the deck supervisor in (un)mooring, anchoring, maintenance, and general evolutions on deck.
deck supervisor
The person in charge of all evolutions and maintenance on deck; sometimes split into two groups: forward deck supervisor and aft deck supervisor.
The underside of the deck above. The inside of the boat is normally paneled over to hide the structure, pipes, electrical wires. It can be in thin wood planks, often covered with a vinyl lining, or in thin PVC or now even in fiberglass planks.
deckhouse
A cabin that protrudes above a ship's deck.
decks awash
A situation in which the deck of the vessel is partially or wholly submerged, possibly as a result of excessive listing or a loss of buoyancy.
To formally take (a naval vessel) out of active service, after which the vessel is said to be out of commission or decommissioned. Sometimes used less formally to mean taking a commercial ship out of service.
A fee paid by a charter party to a shipowner if the time taken to load or unload a vessel exceeds the laytime – the amount of time stipulated for loading or unloading – specified in a voyage charter.
A ship that acts as a mobile or fixed base for other ships and submarines or that supports a naval base.
depth of hold
The distance between the underside of the main deck (or its supporting beams) and the top of the limber boards (the part of the ceiling that lies alongside the keelson), measured at the middle frame. It is one of the key measurements in working out the measurement tonnage in most systems.[26]
A fee paid by a shipowner to a charter party if the time taken to load or unload a vessel is less than the laytime – the amount of time stipulated for loading or unloading – specified in a voyage charter.
A type of fast and maneuverable small warship introduced in the 1890s to protect capital ships from torpedo boat attack, and since increased in size and capabilities to become a long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or battle group and defend them against submarines, surface ships, aircraft, or missiles. Originally torpedo boat destroyer. In US Navy slang, also called a tin can or small boy.
A US Navy term for a smaller, lightly armed warship built in large numbers during World War II (and in smaller numbers thereafter), cheaper, slower, and less-well-armed than a destroyer but larger and more heavily armed than a corvette and designed to escort convoys of merchant ships or naval auxiliaries or second-line naval forces. Employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also used to provide some protection against aircraft and smaller surface ships. Generally known as frigates in other navies, and designated as such in the US Navy as well by the 1970s.
A naval auxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships. Known in British English as a destroyer depot ship.
devil seam
The devil was possibly a slang term for the garboard seam, hence "between the devil and the deep blue sea" being an allusion to keel hauling, but a more popular version seems to be the seam between the waterway and the stanchions, which would be difficult to get at, requiring a cranked caulking iron, and a restricted swing of the caulking mallet.
devil to pay
Also devil to pay, and no pitch hot.
"Paying" the devil is sealing the devil seam. It is a difficult and unpleasant job (with no resources) because of the shape of the seam (up against the stanchions) or if the devil refers to the garboard seam, it must be done with the ship slipped or careened.
A type of chain stopper often used to secure an anchor in its hawsepipe. Consists of a two-pronged hook that fits over a link of chain, a turnbuckle and a short chain fastened to a strong point.
dhow
The generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region, typically weighing 300 to 500 tons, with a long, thin hull. They are trading vessels primarily used to carry heavy items, like fruit, fresh water, or merchandise. Crews vary from about thirty to around twelve, depending on the size of the vessel.
diamonds
Glass prisms that were laid between the wooden deck planks to allow natural light below were referred to as diamonds due to the sparkle they gave off in the sunlight.
1. A type of small boat, often carried or towed as a ship's boat by a larger vessel.
2. A small racing yacht or recreational open sailing boat, often used for beginner training rather than sailing full-sized yachts.
3. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor, but some are rigged for sailing.
dipping the eye
Dipping the eyeA method of attaching more than one hawser to a single bollard, so that each can be lifted off without disturbing the other(s). The second hawser is passed under the first, then up through the eye of the first (hence the name), before being secured over the bollard.
A vessel ranging in size from a small boat to a large ship tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship, from ship to shore, or, occasionally, from shore to shore.
Also drogher, raft ship, timber drogher, or timber ship.
A barely seaworthy ship of the 19th century assembled from large timbers lashed or pegged together and designed to make a single voyage from North America to the United Kingdom and then to be disassembled so that her timbers could be sold, thus avoiding high British taxes on lumber imported as cargo. When British taxes on imported lumber fell, the construction of disposable ships ceased.
A flag flown to distinguish ships of one seagoing service of a given country from ships of the country's other seagoing service(s) when ships of more than one of the country's seagoing services fly the same ensign.
1. Especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a permanent battle formation of a fleet, often smaller than a squadron, equipped and trained to operate as a tactical unit under the overall command of a higher command, such as a fleet or squadron.
2. Especially in modern usage, an administrative naval command, smaller than a squadron and often subordinate to an administrative squadron, responsible for the manning, training, supply, and maintenance of a group of ships or submarines but not for directing their operations at sea.[citation needed]
In British usage, a shore-based naval officer responsible for the efficient working of the transports and boats of the flotilla, division, or squadron under his charge.
dock
1. In American usage, a fixed structure attached to shore to which a vessel is secured when in port, generally synonymous with pier and wharf, except that pier tends to refer to structures used for tying up commercial ships and to structures extending from shore for use in fishing, while dock refers more generally to facilities used for tying up ships or boats, including recreational craft.
2. In British usage, the body of water between two piers or wharves that accommodates vessels tied up at the piers or wharves.
A facility where ships or boats are built and repaired. Routinely used as a synonym for shipyard, although dockyard is sometimes associated more closely with a facility used for maintenance and basing activities, while shipyard sometimes is associated more closely with a facility used in construction.
dodger
A hood forward of a hatch or cockpit to protect the crew from wind and spray. Can be soft or hard.
dog
Also door dog and hatch dog.
Device to secure doors and hatches. Typically used for watertight openings, but can apply elsewhere. "Dogging the hatches" is a common phrase.
A short watch period, generally half the usual time (e.g., a two-hour watch rather than a four-hour one). Such watches might be included in order to rotate the system over different days for fairness, or to allow both watches to eat their meals at approximately normal times.
doghouse
A slang term (in the US, mostly) for a raised portion of a ship's deck. A doghouse is usually added to improve headroom below or to shelter a hatch.
dogvane
A small weather vane, sometimes improvised with a scrap of cloth, yarn, or other light material mounted within sight of the helmsman. See tell-tale.
A structure consisting of a number of piles driven into the seabed or riverbed as a marker.
dolphin striker
A spar protruding vertically beneath a bowsprit, usually attached to the boswprit cap, used provide a mechanically advantageous run for the martingale stay, and other ropes of a ship's rigging.
A small auxiliary engine used either to start a larger engine or independently, e.g. for pumping water on steamships.[61]
donkeyman
One of a ship's engineering crew. Often a crewman responsible for maintaining a steam donkey, or any machinery other than the main engines. On some ships, the Petty Officer in charge of engineroom ratings.
A dorade box (also called a dorade vent, collector box, or simply a "ventilator") is a type of vent that permits the passage of air in and out of the cabin or engine room of a boat while keeping rain, spray, and sea wash out.
dory
Also doree, dori, or (Royal Navy) dorey.
A shallow-draft, lightweight boat, about 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 ft) long, with high sides, a flat bottom, and sharp bows. Traditionally used as fishing boats, both in coastal waters and in the open sea.
double-banked
(of the arrangement of oars on a boat) having two oarsmen seated on each thwart, each of whom operates one oar on their side of the boat. This contrasts with single-banked, where only one oarsman is seated on each thwart operating one oar on one side of the boat, with the oars alternating between port and starboard along the length of the boat. A third arrangement is to have one rower on each thwart working two oars, one on each side of the boat.[62]: 135
double-shotted
The practice of loading smoothbore cannon with two cannonballs.
doubling the angle on the bow
A technique for establishing the distance from a point on land, such as a headland that is being passed. This is a type of running bearing which requires no plotting on the chart. The ship is sailed on a constant course and speed. The distance shown on the log is noted when the relative bearing of a fixed point is taken, and the increase in that bearing is watched until it is twice the original bearing, and the log is read again. The distance travelled between the two bearings is the distance of the ship from the fixed point when the second bearing was taken. Allowances for tidal streams may or may not be allowed for, depending on the accuracy required.[63][64]
Dover cliffs
A slang term for very rough seas with large white-capped waves.
downbound
1. Travel downstream, with a following current.[65]
The entry of water through any opening into the hull or superstructure of an undamaged vessel, such as an open door or porthole, loose or open hatch, ventilator opening, etc. Downflooding can occur due to a ship's trim, if she heels or lists, or if she becomes totally or partially submerged.
One of a family of traditional paddled long boats of various designs and sizes found throughout Asia, Africa, and the Pacific islands. For competitive events, they are generally rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails. Dragon boat races are traditionally held during the annual summer solstice festival.
A type of battleship designed with an "all-big-gun" armament layout in which the ship's primary gun power resided in a primary battery of its largest guns intended for use at long range, with other gun armament limited to small weapons intended for close-range defense against torpedo boats and other small warships. Most, but not all, dreadnoughts also had steam turbine propulsion. Predominant from 1906, dreadnoughts differed from earlier steam battleships, retroactively dubbed predreadnoughts, which had only a few large guns, relied on an intermediate secondary battery used at shorter ranges for most of their offensive power, and had triple-expansion steam engines.
To string International Code of Signals flags, arranged at random, from stemhead to masthead, between mastheads (if the vessel has more than one mast), and then down to the taffrail, on a ship in harbor as a sign of celebration of a national, local, or personal anniversary, event, holiday, or occasion. When a ship is properly dressed overall, ensigns fly at each masthead unless displaced by another flag (e.g. that of a flag officer on board), in addition to the ensign flown in the usual position at the stern.
dressing down
1. Treating old sails with oil or wax to renew them.
2. A verbal reprimand.
dressing lines
Lines running from stemhead to masthead, between mastheads, and then down to the taffrail, to which flags are attached when a ship is dressed overall.
The fifth mast of a six-masted barquentine or gaff schooner. It is preceded by the jigger mast and followed by the spanker mast. The sixth mast of the only seven-masted vessel, the gaff schooner Thomas W. Lawson, was normally called the pusher-mast.
A device to slow a boat down in a storm so that it does not speed excessively down the slope of a wave and crash into the next one. It is generally constructed of heavy flexible material in the shape of a cone. See also sea anchor.
drudging
A technique of maintaining steerageway when going downstream with neither engine nor wind to sail. The vessel uses its anchor to draw itself head-to-stream, then lifts the anchor and drifts stern-first downstream, ferry gliding to maintain position within the stream. As steerage begins to reduce, the vessel anchors again and then repeats the whole procedure as required.
A narrow basin or vessel used for the construction, maintenance, and repair of ships, boats, and other watercraft that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform.
drying harbour
Also drying mooring.
A harbour where the water wholly or partly recedes as the tide goes out, leaving any vessel moored there aground.
dunnage
1. Loose packing material used to protect a ship's cargo from damage during transport. See also fardage.
Any of several types of traditional flat-bottomed shoal-draught sailing barge, originally used for carrying cargo in the Zuyder Zee and on the rivers of the Netherlands.
Dutch built
Term of abuse implying shoddiness or (when directed at a person) stupidity or stubbornness, usually embellished with other oaths and insults tagged on fore and aft.
E
earings
Small lines by which the uppermost corners of the largest sails are secured to the yardarms.
A condition in which a sailing vessel (especially one that sails poorly to windward) is confined between two capes or headlands by a wind blowing directly onshore.
en echelon
Diagram showing the Minas Geraes-class battleship with its central guns arranged en echelon.An arrangement of gun turrets whereby the turret on one side of the ship is placed further aft than the one on the other side, so that both turrets can fire to either side.
One of the machinery spaces of a vessel, usually the largest one, containing the ship's prime mover (usually a diesel or steam engine or a gas or steam turbine). Larger vessels may have more than one engine room.
ensign
1. (flag) The principal flag or banner flown by a ship to indicate her nationality.
A type of aircraft carrier, smaller and slower than a fleet carrier, used by some navies in World War II to escort convoys, ferry aircraft, and provide air support for amphibious operations.
estimated position
An approximate geographical position obtained by making allowances for leeway, tide, and currents to a dead reckoning position (which is calculated from the distance run and the course steered).
A piece of ship's equipment used to produce fresh drinking water from sea water by distillation.
executive officer
The officer second in command on a warship. Also called "X.O." in the United States and "Number One" in the Royal Navy and Commonwealth navies.
extra ship
A term used by the British East India Company from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century for merchant ships it hired to make voyages for it between England (later the United Kingdom) and ports east of the Cape of Good Hope, a trade over which the company held a strict monopoly. "Extra ships" were chartered for a single round-trip voyage beginning during a single sailing season (September to April) and augmented the voyages of "regular ships", which were merchant ships under long-term charter to make repeated voyages for the company over many seasons. However, if an "extra ship" operated well and the company needed its services, the company often chartered it repeatedly over a number of seasons.[44]
extremis
Also in extremis.
The point under International Rules of the Road (Navigation Rules) at which the privileged (or stand-on) vessel on collision course with a burdened (or give-way) vessel determines it must maneuver to avoid a collision. Prior to extremis, the privileged vessel must maintain course and speed and the burdened vessel must maneuver to avoid collision.
A closed loop or eye at the end of a line, rope, cable, etc. It is made by unraveling its end and joining it to itself by intertwining it into the lay of the line. Eye splices are very strong and compact and are frequently employed in moorings and docking lines, among other uses.
A large oceangoing vessel with extensive on-board facilities for processing and freezing caught fish or whales. Some also serve as mother ships for smaller fishing or whaling vessels. Those used for processing fish are also known as fish processing vessels.
fair
1. A smooth curve, usually referring to a line of the hull with minimum localised deviations.
2. To make something flush.
3. A line is fair when it has a clear run.
4. A wind or current is fair when it offers an advantage to a boat.
fair winds and following seas
A blessing wishing the recipient a safe journey and good fortune.
1. A navigable channel (e.g. in a harbor or offshore) that is the usual course taken by vessels in the area.
2. In military and naval terms, a channel from offshore, in a river, or in a harbor that has enough depth to accommodate the draft of large vessels.
fake
A single turn of rope in a coil or on a drum. A group of fakes is known as a tier. See also fake down.[13][3][38]: 200, 286
fake down
To lay a coil of rope down so that it will run easily; that is, with rope feeding off the top of the coil and the bitter end at the bottom. Often confused with flake. See also range.[3]
Also bear down, bear away, bear off, or head down.
To change the direction of sail so as to point in a direction that is more downwind; to bring the bow leeward. This is the opposite of pointing up or heading up.
fantail
The aft end of a ship, also known as the poop deck.
fardage
Wood placed in the bottom of a ship to keep cargo dry. See also dunnage.
fashion boards
Loose boards that slide in grooves to close off a companionway or cabin entrance.[2]
fast
Fastened or held firmly (e.g. "fast aground": stuck on the seabed; or "made fast": tied securely).[2]
A small, fast, agile warship armed with anti-ship missiles, guns, or torpedoes. The fast attack craft replaced the torpedo boat during the second half of the 20th century in the role of a cheap, offensively-oriented inshore warship.
The largest type of US Navy combat logistics ship, designed to serve as a combined oiler, ammunition ship, and supply ship. The first fast combat support ship entered service in the mid-1960s.
1. A unit of length equal to 6 feet (1.8 m), roughly measured as the distance between a man's outstretched hands. Particularly used in sounding as a measurement of the depth of a body of water.
2. To measure the depth of water; to engage in sounding.
fathomer
A person engaged in sounding to determine the depth of water.
A traditional wooden sailing boat with a rig consisting of one or two lateen sails, used in protected waters of the Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean and particularly along the Nile in Egypt and Sudan, as well as in Iraq.
fend off
A command given to the crew to stop what they are now doing and to immediately manually prevent the boat from banging into the docks or other boats.
A merchant ship used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water.
ferry glide
To hold a vessel against and at an angle to the current/stream such that the vessel moves sideways over the bottom due to the effect of the current operating on the upstream side of the vessel.
1. A tapered wooden tool used for separating the strands of rope for splicing.
2. A bar used to fix an upper mast in place.[67]
Fiddley
the vertical space above a vessel's engine room extending into its stack, usually covered by an iron grating. Also applied to the framework around the opening itself
A sailing boat with two masts with a standard rig consisting of a main dipping lug sail and a mizzen standing lug sail. Developed in Scotland and used for commercial fishing from the 1850s until the 20th century.
fig
US Navy slang for a guided-missile frigate, especially of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, derived from its class designation ("FFG").
fight his ship
To fight his ship (or to fight her ship) is a naval term that denotes a captain taking his or her vessel into combat or directing his or her vessel in combat.
fighting top
An enlarged top designed to allow gunfire downward onto an enemy ship. A fighting top could have small guns installed in it or could serve as a platform for snipers armed with muskets or rifles.
A symbolic image, particularly a carved effigy, at the head of a traditional sailing ship or early steamer.
fin
A term used in European and Commonwealth countries for a tower-like structure on the dorsal (topside) surface of a submarine; called a sail in the United States.
fine
Narrow in appearance from the vantage point of a lookout or other person viewing activity in the vicinity of a ship, e.g. another ship off the starboard bow with her bow or stern facing the viewer's ship could be described as "fine on the starboard bow" of the viewer's ship.
fine lines
Descriptive term for a vessel with a hull shape designed for an efficient flow of water around the hull. Simply described by comparing the hull shape to a rectangular cuboid with the same length, breadth and height as the submerged part of the hull. The more that you have to carve off that cuboid to get the hull's shape, the finer the lines. More accurately this is measured as the block coefficient or the prismatic coefficient.
A ship loaded with flammable materials and explosives and sailed into an enemy port or fleet either already burning or ready to be set alight by its crew (who would then abandon it) in order to collide with and set fire to enemy ships.
The classification for the largest sailing warships of the 17th through the 19th centuries. Such vessels often had up to three masts, 850+ crew, and 100+ guns.
1. In the Royal Navy, the senior lieutenant on board; responsible to the commanding officer for the domestic affairs of the ship's company. Also known as 'Jimmy the One' or 'Number One'. Removes his cap when visiting the mess decks as a token of respect for the privacy of the crew in those quarters. Officer in charge of cables on the forecastle.
2. In the US Navy, the officer on a ship serving as the senior person in charge of all deck hands.
A sailing tactic for handling winds too strong for the sail area hoisted when reefing the sails is not feasible or possible. The headsail is set normally while the mainsail is let out until it is constantly luffing. This creates a loss of force on the main and also reduces the efficiency of the headsail while still retaining sailing control of the vessel.
fisherman's sail
On a staysailschooner, the fisherman is a quadrilateral sail set between the two masts above the main staysail. It is used in light to moderate airs.
The period after a ship is launched during which all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and she is readied for sea trials and delivery to her owners.
fixed propeller
A propeller mounted on a rigid shaft protruding from the hull of a vessel, usually driven by an inboard motor; steering must be done using a rudder. See also outboard motor and sterndrive.
The business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. The practice allows the ship's owner to reduce operating costs or avoid the regulations of the owner's country.
1. A commissioned officer senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the ship or installation under their command, in English-speaking countries usually referring to the senior officers of a navy, specifically to those who hold any of the admiral ranks and in some cases to those holding the rank of commodore. In modern American usage, additionally applied to US Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps officers and general officers in the US Army, US Air Force, and US Marine Corps entitled to fly their own flags.
2. A formal rank in the mid-19th century US Navy, conveyed temporarily upon senior captains in command of squadrons of ships, soon rendered obsolete by the creation of the ranks of commodore and rear admiral.
1. A vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. The term derives from the custom of commanders of such a group of ships, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag aboard the ship on which they are embarked.
2. Used more loosely, the lead ship in a fleet of naval or commercial vessels, typically the first, largest, fastest, most heavily armed, or, in terms of media coverage, best-known.
flake
To set down in folds, as in stowing a sail or to range a cable on deck so that it is clear to run. Not to be confused with fake down.[13]
A rectangular, flat-bottomed boat with square ends used to transport freight and passengers on inland waterways in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries.
flattop
A slang term for an aircraft carrier.
fleet
1. Naval fleet: The highest operational echelon of command of ships commanded by a single person in a navy, and typically the largest type of naval formation commanded by a single person. In modern times, usually (but not necessarily) a permanent formation.
2. During the Age of Sail, a Royal Navy term for any naval command larger than a squadron in size, or commanded by a rear admiral and composed of five ships-of-the-line and any number of smaller vessels.
4. Fishing fleet: A term for an aggregate of commercial fishing vessels, commonly used either to describe all fishing vessels belonging to a single country, operating in a single region, operating out of a particular port, or engaged in particular type of fishing (e.g., the tuna fishing fleet). The term does not imply that the vessels operate as part of a single organization.
5. Informally, any grouping (based on physical proximity or sharing of a common organizational subordination) of naval or civilian vessels.
6. Of a person, to move from one location to another aboard a vessel, or to change positions within a naval organization.
7. To move up a rope – especially when drawing the blocks of a tackle part – to allow a greater advantage in hauling.
8. To cause a rope or chain to slip down the barrel of a capstan or windlass.
9. A former term for the process aboard a vessel of moving deadeyes when the shrouds become too long.
A naval force that extends a controlling influence on maritime operations without ever leaving port by forcing an opposing navy to maintain forces on station to oppose it in case it comes out to fight or to blockade it in port. A navy which operates its forces as a fleet in being generally seeks to avoid actual combat with an enemy fleet for fear of losing a naval battle and thereby its ability to influence events and activities at sea.[68]
flemish
To coil a line that is not in use so that it lies flat on the deck.
flettner rotor
A spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind power to propel a ship.
A flat deck on an aircraft carrier used for the launch and recovery of aircraft. In the United States Navy, the term flight deck also refers to a helicopter deck on other types of ships.
flog the glass
The act of vibrating or shaking a half-hour marine sandglass — used until the early 19th century to time the length of a watch — to speed the passage of the sand in order to get off watch duty earlier.[69]
floor
Transverse structural timbers which form that part of the lower frame of a traditional wooden ship's hull that sits immediately above the keel. The frames continue upwards as pieces called futtocks. A keelson is usually fastened over the top of the floors.[70]
floorhead
Any of the upper extremities of the floor of a vessel.
1. In naval usage, a group of warships under a single commander that is smaller than a fleet but otherwise not formally defined. A flotilla often is larger than a squadron, and usually is made up of smaller vessels than those assigned to a squadron, but some flotillas are smaller than squadrons and some include larger vessels. In some navies, the term flotilla is reserved for naval formations that operate on inland bodies of water, while the terms fleet and squadron denote naval formations that operate at sea. A flotilla may be a permanent or temporary formation. In modern times, a flotilla sometimes is an administrative naval unit responsible for maintaining and supporting vessels but not for commanding their operations at sea.
2. Informally, a group of naval or civilian vessels operating together or in close proximity to one another.
flotilla holiday
A group of chartered yachts that set out together on the same route.
A warship suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer, in the latter case known as a destroyer leader.
A Dutch transoceanic sailing cargo vessel, square-rigged with two or three masts that were much taller than the masts of a galleon, developed in the 16th century and widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries.
fly by night
A large sail used only for sailing downwind, requiring little attention.
Waves going in the same direction as a ship, or within 15° of the heading, at a speed slower than the ship. See overtaking sea for waves travelling faster than the ship.[22]
foo-foo band
An impromptu musical band on late 19th-century sailing vessels, made up from members of the ship's crew.[71][72]
foot
1. The lower edge of any sail.[2]
2. The bottom of a mast.
3. An Imperial unit of length equivalent to 12 inches (30 cm).
footloose
If the foot of a sail is not secured properly, it is footloose, blowing around in the wind.
A sailing rig consisting mainly of sails that are set along the line of the keel rather than perpendicular to it. Such sails, and the vessel itself, are said to be fore-and-aft-rigged.
fore-and-afters
Removable wooded beams running along the centre of the hold openings, beneath the hatches that they support.[2]
fore horse
A transverse wooden or iron beam afore the main mast to which the foresail sheet is attached.[2]
(pronounced /ˈfoʊksəl/) A partial deck above the upper deck and at the head of the vessel; traditionally the location of the sailors' living quarters. The name is derived from the castle fitted to bear archers in time of war.[2]
foredeck
The portion of the deck that is forward of the forward mast.
A long line or cable reaching from the bow of the vessel to the mastheads, used to support the mast.[2]
forestaysail
A triangular sail set on the forestay.[2]
foul
1. Having freedom of motion interfered with by collision or entanglement; entangled; the opposite of clear. For instance, a rope is foul when it does not run straight or smoothly, and an anchor is foul when it is caught on an obstruction.
2. A ship's bottom is foul when it is overgrown with marine life such as barnacles.
3. An area of water treacherous to navigation due to many shallow obstructions such as reefs, sandbars, rocks, etc.
4. A breach of racing rules.
5. Foul the range: To block another vessel from firing her guns at a target.
foulies
A slang term for oilskins, the foul-weather clothing worn by sailors.
In the British Royal Navy during the first half of the 18th century, a ship-of-the-line mounting between 46 and 60 guns.
frame
A transverse structural member that gives the hull strength and shape. Wooden frames may be sawn, bent, or laminated into shape; planking is then fastened to the frames. In traditional wooden ship building, an individual frame may be made of the following individual parts: floor, several futtocks, then a top timber as the last component closest to the deck. If the hull is built frame-first, these frame components are fastened to each other. In a planking-first construction, they may only be fastened to the hull planking.[73]
The height of a ship's hull (excluding the superstructure) above the waterline; the vertical distance from the current waterline to the lowest point on the highest continuous watertight deck. This usually varies from one part to another.
1. In the 17th century, any warship built for speed and maneuverability.
2. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, a sailing warship with a single continuous gun deck, typically used for patrolling, blockading, etc., but not in line of battle.
3. In the second half of the 19th century, a type of warship combining sail and steam propulsion, typically of ironclad timber construction, with all guns on one deck.
4. In the 20th and 21st centuries, a warship, smaller than a destroyer, originally introduced during World War II as an anti-submarine vessel but now general-purpose.
Sailing into the wind (by), but not as close-hauled as might be possible, so as to make sure the sails are kept full. This provides a margin for error to avoid being taken aback in a tricky sea (a serious risk for square-rigged vessels). Figuratively it implies getting on with the job but in a steady, relaxed way, without undue urgency or strain.
Strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 50 and 60 degrees. They are stronger than the similar "Roaring Forties" to their north.
furl
To roll or gather a sail against its mast or spar.[67]
furnace
Boiler component where fuel is burned.
furring
A method of improving the stability of a wooden vessel by increasing the breadth of the hull. The planking is removed and pieces of wood are added to the outside of the frames. Then the planking is replaced. An increase in breadth of about 1 foot (300 mm) could typically be achieved on each side. This was a common remedial technique at a time before shipwrights were able to carry out mathematical stability calculations.[42]: ch 6 the Gresham Ship
A narrow, light, and fast ship with a shallow draft, powered both by oars and sail, with a single mast carrying a lateen sail; a favorite of North African corsairs during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Rope, wire, or chain links in the rigging of a traditional square-rigged ship running from the outer edges of a top downwards and inwards to a point on the mast or lower shrouds. They carry the load of the shrouds that rise from the edge of the top, preventing the top from tilting relative to the mast.[67]
futtock
The part of a ship's frame that continues the structure above the floors. These often exist as individual pieces termed first futtock, second futtock and third futtock, numbered moving away from the keel.[73]
G
gaff
1. (gaff rig) A spar that holds the upper edge of a four-sided fore-and-aft-mounted sail. On a hoisting gaff, the lower end is supported by gaff jaws which partly encircle the mast; it is hoisted using peak and throat halliards. A standing gaff remains aloft, its sails brailed when not in use.[67]
2. (fishing gaff) A hook on a long pole used to haul in fish.
A boat rigged with a four-sided fore-and-aft sail set abaft the mast, its head being spread by a gaff. The gaff may be standing (permanently in position) with the sail being brailed up to the gaff when not in use, or, more commonly, is hoisted using two halliards: the peak and the throat.[67]
gaff topsail
A fore-and-aft sail set above a gaff-rigged sail, with the clew sheeted to the end of the gaff.[67]
gaff vang
A line rigged to the end of a gaff and used to adjust a gaff sail's trim.
Illustration of a typical 15th-century galleonA large, multi-decked sailing ship with a prominent, squared-off, raised stern, generally carrying three or more masts, typically lateen fore-and-aft-rigged on the rear mast and square-rigged on the mainmast and foremast. Galleons were used primarily as armed cargo carriers and sometimes as warships by European states from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
galley
1. (galley (kitchen)) The compartment of a ship where food is cooked or prepared; a ship's kitchen.
2. (galley) A type of ship propelled by oars, used especially in the Mediterranean for warfare, piracy, and trade from the 8th century BC to the 16th century AD, with some in use until the early 19th century.
3. A type of oared gunboat built by the United States in the late 18th century, akin to a brigantine but termed "galley" for administrative and funding purposes.
galliot
See fusta.
gam
A meeting of two (or more) whaling ships at sea. The ships each send out a boat to the other, and the two captains meet on one ship, while the two chief mates meet on the other.[74]
gammon iron
The bow fitting that clamps the bowsprit to the stem.[67]
gangplank
Also brow.
A movable bridge used in boarding or leaving a ship at a pier.
gangway
An opening in the bulwark of a ship to allow passengers to board or leave the ship.
gantline
A rope running through a block at or near the masthead, with both ends reaching the deck. It is used solely for hoisting and lowering crew members and/or tools into the rigging for maintenance and repair work.
garbling
The illegal practice of mixing cargo with garbage.
garboard
The strake closest to the keel (from Dutch gaarboard).
garboard planks
The planks immediately on either side of the keel.
gash
Any refuse or rubbish discarded into a refuse container or dustbin, also known as "gash fanny" (South African Navy).
gasket
A rope used to secure a sail (particularly the topsail) when stowed.[2]
Any of several types of galley-like ships from the Nusantara archipelago in Southeast Asia. The term refers both to Mediterranean vessels built by local people and to native vessels with Mediterranean influence.
ghost
To sail slowly when there is apparently no wind.
ghost fleet
In the modern United States, an informal term for a reserve fleet.
gibe
See gybe.
gig
A type of open boat designed primarily for propulsion under oar, but often fitted with a sailing rig for appropriate conditions. Used most often for the swift transport of one or a few people, as in a pilot gig or as a naval ship's boat. In US Navy usage, a captain's gig is reserved for use by a ship's captain and, in modern times, is a power-boat.
A fishing vessel that employs gillnetting as its means of catching fish.
gin-pole
Also jin-pole.
A pole that is attached perpendicular to a mast, to be used as a lever for raising the mast.
girt
1. Said of a vessel moored by cables to two anchors in such a way that the force of a current or tide causes her to swing against one of the cables.
2. To capsize because of forces exerted on a cable by another vessel attached to it. Tug girting specifically refers to girting that causes a tugboat to capsize because of forces placed on a cable attached to her by another vessel attached to the same cable.
give-way
In a situation where two vessels are approaching one another so as to involve a risk of collision, the vessel directed to keep out of the way of the other.
glass
1. A marine barometer. Older barometers used mercury-filled glass tubes to measure and indicate barometric pressure.
A satellite-based radionavigation system providing continuous worldwide coverage of geolocation and time information to air, marine, and land users wherever there is an unobstructed line of sight to at least four GPS satellites developed and operated by the United States Department of Defense but publicly available for use by anyone with an enabled GPS receiver.
A small, fast boat designed with a long narrow platform and a planing hull to enable it to reach high speeds. Colloquially equivalent to a "rum-runner" or a "cigarette boat".
(of a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel) Sailing directly away from the wind, with the sails set on opposite sides of the vessel (e.g. with the mainsail to port and the jib to starboard) so as to maximize the amount of canvas exposed to the wind. See also running.
Small balls of lead fired from a cannon, analogous to shotgun shot but on a larger scale; similar to canister shot but with larger individual shot. Intended specifically to injure personnel and damage rigging more than to cause structural damage.
A narrow basin, usually made of earthen berms and concrete, closed by gates or by a caisson, into which a vessel may be floated and the water pumped out, leaving the vessel supported on blocks; the classic form of drydock.
The practice of navigating a vessel along the arc of a great circle. Such routes yield the shortest possible distance between any given pair of points on the surface of the Earth.
green-to-green
A passage of two vessels moving in the opposite direction on their starboard sides, so called because the green navigation light on one of the vessels faces the green light on the other vessel.
A British term used in the 18th and 19th centuries for any whaling ship operating in the Arctic Ocean or northern waters near the Arctic.
green water
1. That portion of the ocean lying generally within a few hundred nautical miles of shore but beyond the edge of the continental shelf, and thus between "brown water" over the continental shelf and "blue water" farther out to sea.
2. A large amount of water on or passing over or across a ship's deck or superstructure after a large wave strikes her, e.g., The ship took green water over her bow during the storm.
green-water navy
A navy capable of sustained operations beyond coastal areas out to a few hundred nautical miles from shore, i.e., in "green water," but not farther into the open ocean, i.e., in "blue water." While a green-water navy can possess ships capable of operating farther out to sea than in "green water," it requires logistical support from foreign countries to sustain such longer-range operations.
gridiron
A large metal cross-frame on which vessels are placed at high water for examination, cleaning, and repairs after the tide falls.
gripe
A temporary eye in a line (rope).
griping
The tendency of a ship to turn into the wind despite the efforts of the helmsman, usually due to either the design of a ship or more commonly the incorrect distribution of weight on and within the hull.
gripie
A Cockney (London dialect) name for a barge.[2]
grog
Watered-down pusser's rum consisting of half a gill with an equal part of water, issued to all seamen over twenty (CPOs and POs were issued with neat rum). From the British Admiral Vernon who, in 1740, ordered the men's ration of rum to be watered down. He was called "Old Grogram" because he often wore a grogram coat, and the watered rum came to be called grog. Specific quantities of grog were often traded illegally as a form of currency; a sailor might repay a colleague for a favour by giving him part or all of his grog ration, ranging from "sippers" (a small amount) via "gulpers" (a larger quantity) to "grounders" (the entire tot). Additional issues of grog were made on the command "splice the mainbrace" for celebrations or as a reward for performing especially onerous duties. The Royal Navy discontinued the practice of issuing rum in 1970.
The bed of the sea; the underwater surface or sea floor to which an anchor holds.
grounding
When a ship (while afloat) touches the bed of the sea, or runs aground. A moored vessel that grounds as the tide goes out is said to "take the ground".
groundway
Also ground way.
A substantial foundation of wood or stone for the blocks on which a vessel is built, typically lying on either side of the keel of a ship under construction, which also serves to support and guide the blocks when they slide to carry the vessel into the water when she is launched.
growler
A small iceberg or ice floe barely visible above the surface of the water.
Guineaman
Another name for a slave ship, coined after the emergence of the transatlantic slave trade from Africa in the 15th century.
guards
Also paddle guards and wheel guards.
1. (on an oceangoing sidewheel steamship) Horizontal structures, usually of wood, built around the paddle boxes just above their lowest point and extending a short distance forward and aft, designed to protect them from damage and to provide additional support for the paddle shaft.[75]
2. (on an American sidewheel steamboat) Extensions of the main deck beyond the hull to the outer extremity of the paddle boxes, and tapering to the bow and stern (thus giving the deck a characteristic oval shape), to increase the available deck space for passengers, cargo, and/or machinery.[75]
1. Any vessel that makes the rounds of a fleet at anchor to see that due watch is kept at night.
2. A warship stationed at a port or harbour to act as a guard there.
3. In former times in the British Royal Navy, a ship that received men impressed for naval service, often the flagship of the admiral commanding along the coast.
4. In Soviet and Russian terminology, a guard ship (storozhevoj korabl') is a small, general-purpose patrol or escort vessel.
1. Up through the 19th century, a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon to be fired in broadsides.
2. On smaller vessels (of frigate size or smaller) up through the 19th century, the completely covered level under the upper deck, though in such smaller ships it carried none of the ship's guns.
3. On marine seismic survey vessels, the lowest deck on the ship, which carries the seismic source arrays, consisting of air guns arranged in clusters.
4. In naval slang, to fabricate or falsify something; in modern usage, meaning especially to falsify documentation in order to avoid doing work or make present conditions seem acceptable without having made a real effort to improve them.
A type of flat-bottomed sailing barge with a single large lateen sail brailed to a heavy yard, used on rivers in Maine and New Hampshire from the mid-17th century to the early 20th century. Sometimes referred to as a gondola in period accounts.[76]
gunner's daughter
See kissing the gunner's daughter.
gunport
An opening in the side of a ship or in a turret through which a gun fires or protrudes.
A fore-and-aft sail set abaft (behind) the mast, approximately triangular in shape, with the top half of the luff (front) of the sail attached to a yard which extends the sail above the top of the mast. The yard is raised and lowered with the sail.[13] This traditional sail is popular in small boats and produces aerodynamic performance close to that of the highly developed Bermuda rig.[77]
Generally, the upper edge of the hull; more specifically, in an open (undecked) boat of timber construction, the longitudinal stringer that connects the top of the ribs.[13][78]
gurdy
A mechanical crank used to set and retrieve fishing lines.
guy
1. A rope or stay leading to the side of the vessel.[67]
To change from one tack to the other away from the wind, with the stern of the vessel turning through the wind. See also going about and wearing ship.[2]
gypsy winch
A type or component of an anchor winch. The "gypsy" or "gypsy wheel" engages the anchor chain.
H
half-breadth plan
In shipbuilding, an elevation of the lines of a ship, viewed from above and divided lengthwise.
Canvas sheets, slung from the deckhead in messdecks, in which seamen slept. "Lash up and stow" was a piped command to tie up hammocks and stow them (typically) in racks inboard of the ship's side so as to protect the crew from splinters from shot and provide a ready means of preventing flooding caused by damage.
hamper
Articles that normally are indispensable aboard ship but at certain times are in the way.
hand
To lower or furl a sail.[13]
hand bomber
A ship using coal-fired boilers shoveled in by hand.
hand over fist
To climb steadily upwards, from the motion of a sailor climbing shrouds on a sailing ship (originally "hand over hand").
handsomely
With a slow even motion, as when hauling on a line "handsomely".
handy billy
A loose block and tackle with a hook or tail on each end, which can be used wherever it is needed. Usually made up of one single and one double block.
hangar deck
An enclosed deck on an aircraft carrier, usually beneath the flight deck and intended for use as a hangar in servicing and storing aircraft.
hank
A fastener attached to the luff of the headsail that attaches the headsail to the forestay. Typical designs include a bronze or plastic hook with a spring-operated gate, or a strip of cloth webbing with a snap fastener.[79]
The fees charged by the owners or operators of a harbour to those vessels using the harbour. Under British legislation, the person in charge of a vessel must report to the harbourmaster within 24 hours of arrival in a port where harbour dues are payable.[13][3]
A person in charge of a harbour, with powers including the collection of the harbour dues, instructing the masters of vessels where to moor, and overall safety within the area of the harbour, often including pilotage and navigational aids. In most countries the powers of a harbour master are laid down by legislation, and can be quite extensive.[13][3]
hard
A section of otherwise muddy shoreline suitable for mooring or hauling out.
hard-a-lee
See lee-oh.
harden in
To haul in the sheet and tighten the sails.[2]
harden up
To turn towards the wind; to sail closer to the wind.
harness cask
Also harness tub.
A large, usually round tub lashed to a vessel's deck and containing dried and salted provisions for daily use.
The shaft or hole in the side of a vessel's bow through which the anchor chain passes. "In through the hawsepipe" describes someone with experience and savvy.[39]
An informal term for an officer of a merchant ship who began their career as an unlicensed merchant seaman, and so did not attend a traditional maritime academy to earn their officer's licence. See also before the mast.
A large cable or rope used for mooring or towing a vessel.
head
1. The forwardmost or uppermost portion of the ship.
2. The forwardmost or uppermost portion of any individual part of the ship, e.g. masthead, beakhead, stemhead, etc.
3. The top edge of a sail.[2]
4. The toilet or latrine of a vessel, which in sailing ships usually projected from the bow and therefore was located in the "head" of the vessel.
head boat
A fishing boat that takes recreational fishermen out for a fee paid individually by each person (i.e. per head). A head boat differs from a charter boat, which is a fishing boat that a party of fishermen hires for an agreed-upon period.
The farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships.
head rail
A curved rail that extends from the figurehead to the bow of a ship.
head rope
1. The mooring rope that goes from the bow of a vessel to a point on a jetty a distance ahead of the bows.[3]
2. Part of the bolt rope, at the head of a sail, running from the mast to the sprit.[2]
head sea
A sea in which waves are directly opposing the motion of the ship, or approaching within 15° of ahead.[22]
head-sail
1. Jibs and staysails set between the bowsprit and the fore[79]
2. Sometimes refers to the square sails on the fore-mast of a square rigged vessel.[79]
head-stays
Stays between the bowsprit and the foremost mast.[79]
header
A change in the wind direction that forces the helmsman of a close-hauled sailboat to steer away from its current course to a less favorable one. This is the opposite of a lift.
Any sail set in front of the most forward mast. A sailing vessel may have one or more headsails. A headsail may be hanked to a stay, or may be set flying, with the luff being kept taut by the tension of the halyard. Where several headsails are set, a complex arrangement might be termed (from the front and top) flying jib, outer jib, inner jib, and (fore) staysail; less complex would be jib and staysail[80]
A combination of high winds and rough seas that may be dangerous for a ship or boat, sometimes requiring changes to a passage plan (such as a precautionary diversion to a safe harbour), heaving to, running under bare poles, or other similar survival strategies.
heel
1. The lean caused by the wind's force on the sails of a sailing vessel.
2. The inclination or canting of a vessel to one side or the other from the vertical as she maneuvers, e.g. "The ship heeled to port as she turned to starboard".
3. The lowest or last part of something, such as the heel of the mast or the heel of the vessel.
helicopter deck
A helicopter pad on the deck of a ship. In the United States Navy, a helicopter deck is referred to as a flight deck.
A type of seagoing fishing vessel used by Dutch and Flemish herring fishermen from the 15th through the early 19th century.
highfield lever
A type of tensioning lever, usually for running backstays. Their use allows the leeward backstay to be completely slackened so that the boom can be let fully out.
A knot used to tie a rope or line to a fixed object. See also bend.[2]
hobby horsing
Harmonic pitching of a vessel forward and backward.
hog
1. A fore-and-aft structural member of the hull fitted over the keel to provide a fixing for the garboard planks.
2. A rough, flat scrubbing brush for cleaning a ship's bottom under water.
3. A semi-permanent bend in a ship's keel, especially in wooden-hulled ships, caused over time by the ship's center being more buoyant than her bow or stern.
hog frame
A heavy wooden truss fitted lengthwise along each side of a large American steamboat, secured to the hull and rising above deck just outside the superstructure, to provide support for the hull and prevent hogging. Similar in appearance and function to a truss bridge. See also king post.
1. A condition in which the hull of a vessel bends upward such that the ends of the keel are lower than the middle. Hogging can occur when the peak of a wave is amidships or during loading or unloading of a vessel and can damage her or even break her in half. Contrast sagging.
2. A permanent distortion of the hull in the same manner as above, caused over time by the bow and stern of a ship being less buoyant than the midships section. During the Age of Sail, shipwrights employed a number of different designs of braces to stiffen ships' hulls against this warping.
hogging line
A line passed under a ship from side to side to pull a collision mat into place over a leak.[81] Also a line passed under a ship from side to side used as a reference to indicate position of a frame during underwater inspections.[82]
hoist
The height of a fore-and-aft-rigged sail as measured next to the mast or stay.
hold
The lower part of the interior of a ship's hull, especially when considered as storage space, as for cargo. In earlier use, the term referred to all interior spaces below the orlop deck; in later merchant vessels it extended up through the decks to the underside of the weather deck.
holiday
A gap in the coverage of newly applied paint, slush, tar, or another preservative.
A chunk of sandstone used to scrub a ship's decks. The name comes from both the kneeling position sailors adopt to scrub the deck (reminiscent of genuflection for prayer), and the stone itself (which resembled a Bible in shape and size).
The port at which a vessel is based. Often confused with the ship's port of registry, which is the port listed in the vessel's registration documents and lettered on her stern but which may differ from her home port. In the cruise ship industry, the term "home port" is often incorrectly used to refer to a ship's port of departure.
homeward bounder
A slang term for a sail repair, especially one done with large herringbone stitches.[2]
honey barge
Slang term for a vessel that transports sewage.
hoop
Wooden or metal hoops used to secure the topsail to the topmast so it can be speedily raised or lowered.[2]
horn
A sound signal that uses electricity or compressed air to vibrate a disc diaphragm.
Shaped ends to the chocks where the main horse is bolted.[2]
horn timber
A fore-and-aft structural member of the hull sloping up and backwards from the keel to support the counter.
horse
1. A metal bar (sometimes a shaped aluminium extrusion), running athwartships, to which a sheet is attached with a traveller that slides along the horse or is adjusted to be fixed in one position on it. Commonly used for a mainsheet, but also seen with some headsails, particularly a staysail fitted with a boom.[13]
2. Sand lying mid-channel.[2]
3. (verb) To move or adjust a sail by manual force (i.e. directly with the hands) rather than by using running rigging.
4. (verb) A term used since the end of the 17th century for the action of a strong, favorable current on a sailing vessel allowing her to make good progress despite insufficient wind for sailing; the vessel is considered to be horsed by the current, riding it in the way a human rides a horse.
The latitudes between 30 and 35 degrees in the Northern Hemisphere and between 30 and 35 degrees in the Southern Hemisphere in which weather patterns often result in sailing vessels being becalmed in mid-ocean.
A ship designated and equipped to serve primarily as a floating medical healthcare facility or hospital, usually operated by military forces such as navies for use in or near war zones, or for the support of disaster relief and other humanitarian operations.
1. In a sailing vessel, stopping her by backing some of the sails and lashing the helm to leeward. In a fore-and-aft-rigged sloop, this involves backing the headsail and allowing the mainsail to fill somewhat (the precise arrangement varies from one vessel to another). The vessel will gradually drift to leeward, with the speed of the drift depending on the vessel's design.
2. In a powered vessel, stopping her by stopping her engines.
2. An additional crewman who assists getting a vessel in and out of harbour. See also huffler (regional usage of these words varies substantially, with strongly held views on the differences).[84][83]
how's your head?
A question asked of the helmsman to report the vessel's course at that moment. The actual course may differ from the course to steer that has been ordered.
hoy
1. A cutter-rigged craft, having a pole masted with a boomless gaff mainsail and a steeved-up bowsprit. Hoys were square, swim-headed Thames estuary barges of 40 to 150 tons burthen.[85]
2. A barge making regular passages on a fixed route with mixed third-party cargoes. Also passage barge or goods barge.[2][85]
hufflers
Additional crew taken on to enter harbour or navigate in confined waters, particularly applying to Thames barges. See also hoveller.[83]
hulk
1. A ship, often an old ship or one that has become obsolete or uneconomical to operate, that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed and is incapable of going to sea, but that is still afloat and continues to serve a useful function, such as providing living, office, training, storage, or prison space.
2. (v.) To convert a ship into a hulk.
3. A ship that has been launched but not completed.
Of a vessel when only her upper parts (e.g. funnel, masts, and superstructure) are visible on the horizon but her hull remains below the horizon. Contrast hull-up.
A boat with wing-like foils mounted on struts below the hull, lifting the hull entirely out of the water at speed and therefore greatly reducing water resistance.
A fast motorboat with a hull shaped so that at speed planing forces support the boat's weight, rather than simple buoyancy. A hydroplane moving at speed thus relies on the water for lift instead of buoyancy.
A notation assigned by a ship classification society or a national government authority to denote a ship's level of strengthening and other arrangements enabling her to navigate through sea ice. In some cases, an ice class also establishes the performance requirements for a vessel operating in sea ice.
A serious hazard where cold temperatures — below about −10 °C (14 °F) — combined with high wind speed (typically force 8 or above on the Beaufort scale) result in spray blown off the sea freezing immediately upon contact with the ship. If the weight of the ice becomes too great, the ship will become top-heavy and capsize.
idlers
Members of a ship's company not required to serve watches. In general, these were specialist tradesmen such as the carpenter and the sailmaker.
in ballast
Also in ballast condition.
(of a vessel) Having only ballast, and no cargo, as a load.
An 18th- and 19th-century term originally used to refer to a naval vessel that is out of service for repair or maintenance, later coming to mean naval ships in reserve with no more than a caretaker crew.
A method of surveying the underwater parts of a ship while it is still afloat instead of having to drydock it for examination of these areas as was conventionally done.
in way of
In the vicinity of; in the area of.
inboard
1. Situated within a vessel.
2. Situated within a vessel and positioned close (or closer relative to another object) to her centerline.
3. Situated outside a vessel but nearer to her hull, e.g. "The larger boat was tied up alongside the ship inboard of the smaller boat."
4. Nearer the pier or shore, e.g. "The tanker and cargo ship were tied up at the pier alongside one another with the tanker inboard of the cargo ship."
An engine mounted within the hull of a vessel, usually driving a fixed propeller by a shaft protruding through the stern. Generally used on larger vessels. See also sterndrive and outboard motor.
A type of clip for attaching a flag to a flag halyard.
inshore
1. Near (especially in sight of) or toward the shore.
2. (of a wind) Blowing from the sea to the land.
interloper
A term used by the British East India Company in the seventeenth century for a merchant ship operating in violation of the company's monopoly over trade between England (later the United Kingdom) and ports east of the Cape of Good Hope. If caught, an "interloper" and her cargo could be confiscated, and her crew faced harsh penalties.[44]
2. (jack (flag)) A national or other official flag flown on a short jackstaff at the bow of a vessel indicating nationality or subordination to a navy or other particular seagoing service or to a government department or subnational government (such as a state or province), or to indicate membership in a yacht club. Typically, crew members spoke of the jack as if it were a member of the crew. A jack contrasts with an ensign, which is a flag with a generally similar purpose flown from the vessel's stern. Typically, vessels fly a jack while in port and an ensign while at sea (in daylight hours).
On a yacht, a deck lifeline of rope or (preferably) flat tape, running fore and aft, to which the crew can clip their harnesses for safety. Sometimes called a jackstay, though this is a misnomer as a jackline is a line rather than a stay. The line must be very strong to take the weight of all crew clipped to it.
A small vertical pole on the bow of a vessel upon which is flown its flag, or jack. The jackstaff was introduced in the 18th century.
jackstay
1. A rope, bar, or batten running along a ship's yard, to which is attached the head of a square sail.[79]
2. A stay for racing or cruising vessels used to steady the mast against the strain of the gaff.
3. A cable between two ships or from a ship to a fixed point that supports a load during transfer of personnel or materiel along the cable.
4. On a yacht, a deck lifeline of rope or (preferably) flat tape may be called a jackstay, though this is a misnomer as a jackstay is a stay rather than a line.[2]
1. A flexible hanging ladder consisting of vertical ropes or chains supporting horizontal rungs, used to allow access over the side of a ship, either to transfer between the ship and another vessel alongside it or to perform maintenance tasks along the side of the ship. Sometimes mistakenly referred to as a pilot ladder, which differs from a Jacob's ladder in its use of spreaders and in terms of specific regulations governing step size and step spacing.
2. A vertical ladder from the ratlines found on square-rigged ships, used to get around the top while climbing between the lower mast and the topmast.
jetty
A man-made pier in a marina or open water, typically made of wood or rocks and rising several feet above high tide in order to create a breakwater, shelter, channel, erosion control, or other function.
Floating debris ejected from a ship. See also flotsam.
jib
A triangular headsail at the front of a sailing vessel. The tack is attached to the bow or to a bowsprit. May be the only headsail, or one of several – in which case the jib is set forward of the fore staysail. A large jib that overlaps the mainmast is called a genoa or genny.
jib top
A high-clewed overlapping headsail for beam reaching in medium to strong winds[86]
jibboom
A spar used to extend the bowsprit.[79]
jibe
See gybe.
jibe-ho
See gybe-oh.
jigger-mast
The fourth mast on a ship, or the aftmost mast where it is smallest on vessels of less than four masts.[79]
joggle
A slender, triangular recess cut into the faying surface of a frame or steamed timber to fit over the land of clinker planking, or cut into the faying edge of a plank or rebate to avoid feather ends on a strake of planking. The feather end is cut off to produce a nib. The joggle and nib in this case is made wide enough to allow a caulking iron to enter the seam.
jollies
Traditional Royal Navy nickname for the Royal Marines.
jolly boat
A type of ship's boat used to ferry crew and stores.
Both the act of rigging a temporary mast and/or sails and the name of the resulting rig. A jury rig would be built at sea when the original rig was damaged, and then used to sail to a harbor or other safe place for permanent repairs. Also used as a general term for a temporary repair, hence "jury rudder", "jury tiller", etc.[87]
A technique for moving or turning a ship by using a kedge. The kedge anchor may be dropped while in motion to create a pivot and thus perform a sharp turn. It may also be carried away from the ship in a smaller boat, dropped, and then weighed, pulling the ship forward.
keel
The principal central longitudinal structural member of a hull, positioned at or close to the lowest point of the hull. Where the keel protrudes below the surface of the hull, it provides hydrodynamic resistance to the lateral forces that give rise to leeway. A ballast keel of (typically) lead or cast iron may be fastened underneath the structural keel in sailing vessels to provide stability and usually also additional hydrodynamic lift and lateral resistance effects.[13] See also bilge keel.
keel draft
keel draught
Depth of water occupied by the vessel from the waterline to the underside of the keel.[21] Compare with moulded draught.
A baulk of timber or a steel girder immediately above the keel that forms the backbone of a wooden ship. A chine keelson of more modest proportions is fitted at the junction of the floors and frames.[2]
A two-masted fore-and-aft-rigged sailboat with the aft mast (the mizzen) mounted (stepped) afore the rudder.
killick
1. A small anchor.
2. A seaman promoted to the first step of the promotion ladder in the British Royal Navy. A fouled anchor is the substantive badge of non-commissioned officers, signifying that the wearer is an able seaman skilled to cope with the awkward job of dealing with a fouled killick.
kicking strap
1. A rope, tackle, or hydraulic ram running from the mast at or just above deck level to a point partway along the boom of a yacht's mainsail or mizzen. Its function is to pull the boom down, flattening the sail in strong winds, reducing twist, and preventing the boom from kicking up when running.
2. A chain rigged from rudder to quarter that is tight at anchor, stopping the rudder from kicking and reducing pressure on its gudgeons.[2]
king plank
The centerline plank of a laid deck. Its sides are often recessed, or nibbed, to take the ends of their parallel curved deck planks.
king post
1. On an American wooden-hulled steamboat, a type of mast or stanchion located along the vessel's centerline from which heavy chains (and later cables) were suspended to support the weight of the hull and provide stiffening, in much the same manner as the cables on a suspension bridge; usually used in conjunction with a hog frame.[89]
2. On a cargo ship, a strong vertical post from which a derrick or boom is suspended.
A type of seacock designed so that the water pressure from the sea keeps it closed under normal operating conditions, but can be opened from the inside of the ship, allowing seawater to enter internal fuel, water, or ballast tanks. Kingston valves can be opened to scuttle a ship.
1. A structural element connecting two parts roughly at right angles, e.g. deck beams to frames.
2. A vertical rubber fender used on pushboats or piers, sometimes shaped like a human leg bent slightly at the knee.
knighthead
1. A mitred backing timber that extends the after line of the rabbet in the stem to give extra support to the ends of the planks and the bowsprit.
2. A bollard or bitt.
3. Either of two timbers rising from the keel of a sailing ship and supporting the inner end of the bowsprit.
knock
See header.
knockdown
The condition of a sailboat being pushed abruptly over on its side, i.e. to horizontal or "on its beam ends", with the masts parallel to the water surface.
knot
A unit of speed equivalent to 1 nautical mile (1.8520 km; 1.1508 mi) per hour. Originally the speed of a moving vessel was measured by paying out a line from the stern; the line was tied into a knot every 47 feet 3 inches (14.40 m), and the number of knots paid out in 30 seconds gave the speed through the water in nautical miles per hour. Sometimes "knots" is mistakenly stated as "knots per hour", but the latter is a measure of acceleration (i.e. "nautical miles per hour per hour") rather than of speed. Both vessel speed and wind speed are commonly reported in knots.
know the ropes
A sailor who knows the ropes can identify all the many ropes used in working a sailing vessel. On a square rigged ship, there would typically be more than 130 named ropes in the running rigging which are made fast at deck level – the majority of these are duplicated on both the port and starboard sides, so doubling that count.[90] In order to know the ropes, a sailor must first learn the ropes. There were conventions with the positioning of all the many ropes belayed at deck level on a square-rigged ship, so a newly signed-on hand would quickly know where to find a particular rope on a strange ship.
L
lace
To attach a sail to a spar by passing a rope through eyelet holes and around the spar or its jackstay.[2]
ladder
On board a ship, all "stairs" are called ladders, except for literal staircases aboard passenger ships. Most "stairs" on a ship are extremely narrow and nearly vertical, hence the name.
lagan
Cargo that has been thrown overboard, sunk to the seabed, and buoyed so it can be found later.[3]
laid up
To be placed in reserve or mothballed. The latter usage in modern times refers to a specific set of procedures used by the United States Navy to preserve ships in good condition.
lakeboat
laker
Great Lakes slang for a vessel that spends all of her time on any of the five Great Lakes.
lakeshoring
Also lakeshoring trade.
A Great Lakes term for the general cargo and passenger trade between settlements on the Great Lakes during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Lakeshoring usually was conducted by schooners of 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 m) in length, sometimes referred to as lakeshoring schooners.[91]
land lubber
A person unfamiliar with being on the sea or with the workings of a seafaring vessel.
landfall
1. Arrival at a coastline by ship.
2. In now-obsolete usage, the first land discovered after a sea voyage.
landmark
An object ashore that is visible from sea and sufficiently distinct such that it is marked on nautical charts for the purpose of fixing position while at sea.
A military rank for a naval recruit, used in the United Kingdom in the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century and in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
An obsolete term for the left side of a ship.[3] Derived from "lay-board", which provided access between a ship and a quay when ships normally docked with the left side to the wharf. Later replaced by "port side" or "port", to avoid confusion with starboard.
A triangular, sometimes quadrilateral, fore-and-aft sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle to the mast.[3]
lateral system
A system of aids to navigation in which characteristics of buoys and beacons indicate the sides of the channel or route relative to a conventional direction of buoyage (usually upstream).
A type of observation mast constructed with a hyperboloid structure using an array of thin columns at angles, crossing each other in a double-helical spiral configuration. Lattice masts were most common aboard major United States Navy warships in the early 20th century, particularly on dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers; they were largely replaced by tripod masts during the 1920s and 1930s.
launch
1. The largest ship's boat carried by a warship – usually an open boat and, in more recent times, fitted with an engine. Historically, fitted both to be rowed or sailed.[3]
2. In modern usage, a large motorboat; e.g. a harbourmaster's launch.[3]
3. An elegant power boat of traditional character with a displacement hull; e.g. a slipper launch.[13]
5. To put into the water any boat that is stored or temporarily kept out of the water; e.g. "launch the lifeboat" or "launch a dinghy".
lay
1. To come and go, used in giving orders to the crew, e.g. "lay forward" or "lay aloft", respectively indicating that the crew should move to the forward part of the ship or take up positions aloft.
2. To direct the course of a vessel.
3. (verb) To twist the strands of a rope together. (n) The direction of twist in cordage made from twisted strands
4. To travel in a direction which will reach or pass just upwind of a mark, buoy, or harbor, e.g. "We will lay the mark".
lay day
An unexpected delay time during a voyage often spent at anchor or in a harbor. It is usually caused by bad weather, equipment failure, or needed maintenance.
lay to
See also heave to.
To bring a vessel into the wind and hold her stationary. A vessel doing this is said to be laying to.
laying down
Laying the keel of a ship in a shipyard, and thereby beginning her construction. The age of a ship is often indicated by giving the date it was laid down.
The amount of time stipulated in a voyage charter for a vessel to be loaded or unloaded. If a vessel is loaded or unloaded in less than the laytime, the shipowner may be required to pay despatch to the charter party. If the loading or unloading takes longer than the laytime, the charter party may be required to pay demurrage to the shipowner.
lazaret
Also lazarette or lazaretto.
1. A small stowage locker at the aft end of a boat.
2. A ship or building used for the quarantine of sick patients.
3. An area on some merchant ships where provisions are stored.
4. In modern shipbuilding and on powerboats of all sizes, the location of the steering gear equipment for the vessel.
A network of cordage rigged to a point on the mast and to a series of points on either side of the boom that cradles and guides the sail onto the boom when the sail is lowered.
lazy line
Also slime line.
A line used for stern-to mooring attached to a floating pontoon or harbor wall which leads back to a seabed mooring.[92]
LBP
See length between perpendiculars.
leach
See leech.
lead
1. A plummet or mass of lead attached to a line, used in sounding depth at sea.
2. In former usage, to estimate velocity in knots.[citation needed]
3. The path or route of a line (cordage).
4. Main article: Lead (sea ice): Large fracture in sea ice creating a navigable waterway.
The first in a series or class of ships. The lead ship is usually, but not always, the first of her class to be completed and often, but not always, the class as a whole is known by her name. In the latter case, the lead ship is also the name ship of the class.
leadline
Also sounding line.
An instrument used in navigation to measure water depth; the line attached to a lead.
leadsman
A sailor who takes soundings with a lead, measuring the depth of the water.
A unit of length used to measure distances, normally equal to three nautical miles, but varies by nationality.
learn the ropes
To be trained in the identification and proper use of the many various ropes used on a sailing ship. An apprentice sailor, especially on a square-rigged ship, needs to know which rope of the many that are belayed at deck level does which job. A small square sail will have, at a minimum, two sheets, two clewlines, several buntlines, and two braces, and may also have a halyard. A single mast may have up to five square sails. To do his job, a sailor must be able to identify each rope from all the many options – and in the dark. Slacking or hauling the wrong one may not only be inefficient but also potentially dangerous. Once proficient in these tasks, a sailor is said to "know the ropes".
The tendency of a sailboat to turn to leeward in a strong wind when there is no change in the rudder's position. This is the opposite of weather helm and is the result of a dynamically unbalanced condition. See also center of lateral resistance.
lee side
Also leeward side or simply leeward.
The side of a ship that is sheltered from the wind; i.e. the side that is downwind, or in the direction toward which the wind is blowing. Contrast weather side or windward.
A large fan-shaped wooden board or fin mounted in pairs on the side of a boat. They can be lowered on the lee side of the ship to reduce leeway (similarly to a centerboard on a dinghy).[2]
leeboard irons
The iron bars that run from the mainmast case to the head of each leeboard, which they support.[2]
leeboard pendant
A wire connecting the fan of the leeboard to a winch on the barges quarter. They control the fall of the leeboard.[2]
leech
Also leach.
The aft or trailing edge of a fore-and-aft sail, the leeward edge of a spinnaker, or a vertical edge of a square sail. The leech is susceptible to twist, which is controlled by the boom vang, mainsheet, and, if rigged with one, the gaff vang.[2]
lee-oh
Also hard alee.
A command to come about (tack through the wind) on a sailing boat. The response by the helmsman to indicate the order has been carried out, is "helm's alee"
The amount that a ship is blown leeward by the wind. Also the amount of open free sailing space available to the lee side of a vessel before encountering hazards. See also weatherly.[2]
leg
In navigation, a segment of a voyage between two waypoints.
The length of a vessel along the waterline from the forward surface of the stem or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the sternpost or main stern perpendicular member. The measure generally allows for a reasonable estimate of the vessel's carrying capacity, as it excludes the small, often unusable volume contained in her overhanging ends.
The maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline, usually measured on the hull alone, and including overhanging ends that extend beyond the main bow and main stern perpendicular members. For sailing vessels, this may exclude the bowsprit and other fittings added to the hull, but sometimes bowsprits are included.
let go and haul
An order indicating that the ship is now on the desired course relative to the wind and that the sails should be trimmed (hauled) to suit.
An official warrant granted to a privateer condoning specific acts of piracy against a specific target as a redress for grievances.
liberty
A relatively short period when a sailor is allowed ashore for recreation. See also shore leave.
licensed ship
A term used by the British East India Company from the 17th to the 19th centuries for merchant ships not under charter to it which it nevertheless permitted under a license issued by the company to trade between England (later the United Kingdom) and ports east of the Cape of Good Hope, a trade over which the company otherwise held a strict monopoly. The company placed strict controls on what ports a licensed ship could visit and what kinds of trade it could engage in. A licensed ship that violated these rules became an interloper and faced harsh penalties if caught.[44]
lie to
To arrange a ship's sails so that they counteract each other. A ship in this condition or in the process of achieving this condition is said to be lying to.
An inflatable, sometimes covered raft used in the event of a vessel being abandoned or in the evacuation of an aircraft after a water landing.
lift
1. A rope that supports a spar on a sailing vessel. Examples include the topping lift on the boom of a fore and aft rigged sail, or the lifts on the yard of a square rigged sail, which can adjust the yard to the horizontal or cock-bill the yard to get it out of the way when unloading cargo or alongside another vessel. [30]
2. An enabling shift in the direction of the wind that allows a close-hauled sailing ship to point up from its current course to a more favorable one. This is the opposite of a header.
light irons
Iron bars mounted near the main shrouds that support the navigation lights.[2]
light screens
Boards on which the navigation lights are hooked and which shield the direction that the red or green light shows.[2]
A flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships, traditionally unpowered and moved and steered using "sweeps" (long oars), with their motive power provided by water currents.
The process of transferring cargo from one vessel to another in order to reduce the draft of the first vessel, typically done to allow a vessel to enter a port with limited depth or to help free a grounded vessel.
A permanently anchored vessel performing the functions of a lighthouse, typically in a location where construction of the latter is impractical. These have largely been replaced by buoys or, as construction techniques have improved, actual lighthouses.
limber board
A part of the ceiling alongside the keelson, easily removable for cleaning out the limber holes.[26]
limber hole
A channel cut in the underside of a frame, close to the keel, to allow bilge water to drain away to the pump well, rather than being trapped between each set of frames.[26]
limber strake
In traditional timber construction, the lowest permanently fastened strake of ceiling, positioned close to the keelson. It performs a structural role, usually binding together each pair of floor and first futtock.[42]: glossary
line
The correct nautical term for the majority of the cordage or "ropes" used on a vessel. An individual line will always have a more specific name (e.g. the mizzentopsail halyard) that specifies its use.
lines
hull lines
lines drawing
1. The depiction of the shape of a hull with three views: sheer plan, body plan and half breadth plan. The lines on these drawings denote the shape of the hull similarly to the contours of a map.[93]
2. A general term for the shape of a hull.
3. See fine lines.
line astern
In naval warfare, a line of battle formed behind a flagship.
liner
1. During the Age of Sail, a ship-of-the-line, or a major warship capable of taking its place in the main battle line of fighting ships.
2. Any cargo or passenger ship running scheduled service along a specific route with published ports of call, excluding ferries and other vessels engaged in short-sea trading. When referring to cargo ships, "liner" contrasts with "tramp", which refers to a ship engaged in spot-market trade that does not follow a regular schedule or make regular calls at specific ports. When referring to passenger ships, "ocean liner" refers to ships providing scheduled transportation between regular ports of call, but excludes cruise ships, which voyage for recreational purposes and not primarily as a form of transportation between ports.
list
A ship with severe listThe degree or angle to which a vessel leans or tilts to one side, on the roll axis, at equilibrium, i.e. with no external forces acting upon it. The term typically refers to a lean caused by flooding or improperly loaded or shifted cargo, as opposed to heeling, which is a consequence of external forces. A vessel with such a lean is said to be listing.[3] Compare loll.
lizard
A short length of rope with an eye, used to hold another rope in position.[2]
LOA
See length overall.
loaded to the gunwales
Literally, having cargo loaded as high as the ship's rail. The term is also used as an idiom meaning "extremely drunk".
In boat construction, a drafting technique used to convert a scaled drawing to full size.
loggerhead
1. A bollard mounted in the sternsheets of a whaleboat for snubbing the whale line as a harpooned whale swam away from the boat.[94]: 144
2. An iron ball attached to a long handle, used for driving caulking into seams and (occasionally) in a fight; hence the expression "at loggerheads".[citation needed]
An area of the northern North Sea which is fairly consistently 40 fathoms (240 feet; 73 metres) deep. On nautical charts with depths indicated in fathoms, it appears as a long area with many "40" notations.
long stay
The relative slackness of an anchor chain; this term means taut and extended.
1. In the Age of Sail, a double-banked open boat carried by a sailing ship, rowed by eight or ten oarsmen, two per thwart, although designed also to be rigged for sailing; more seaworthy than a cutter or dinghy and with a beam greater than that of a gig. Eventually supplanted by the whaleboat.
2. The largest, and thus the most capable, of boats carried on a ship.
3. Great Lakes slang for a vessel that spends all of her time on any of the five Great Lakes, referring to the slender appearance of such vessels.
A type of ship invented and used by the Vikings for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare, evolving over several centuries and appearing in its complete form between the 9th and 13th centuries.
lookout
A member of the crew specifically assigned to watch surrounding waters for other vessels, land, objects in the water, hazards, threats, etc. Lookouts usually have duty stations high on a vessel's superstructure, in a specially designed top or crow's nest, or in her rigging, in order to enhance their field of view.
loose cannon
An irresponsible and reckless individual whose behavior (either intentionally or unintentionally) endangers the group he or she belongs to. The term refers to a hypothetical literal loose cannon which, weighing thousands of pounds, would crush anything and anyone in its path, and possibly even break a hole in the hull, thus endangering the seaworthiness of the whole ship.
loose-footed
A fore-and-aftmainsail that is not connected to a boom along its foot.[2]
A sailing vessel of 30 to 150 tons burthen developed around 1550 that has a junk rig with Cantonese or other Chinese-style batten sails on a Portuguese or other European-style hull. The design combines the ease of handling of a junk rig with the greater speed, cargo capacity, and ease of repair of the European-style hull.
lower deck
1. The deck of a ship immediately above the hold.
2. In British usage, those members of a ship's company who are not officers, often used in the plural (e.g. "the lower decks").
A port cut into the bottom of a masthead or top (crow's-nest) allowing easy entry and exit. It was considered "un-seamanlike" to use this method rather than going over the side from the shrouds, and few sailors would risk the scorn of their shipmates by doing so (at least if there were witnesses). In practice, it is often actually quicker and easier for a fit sailor to climb outside the masthead than through the lubber's hole.[95]
lubber's line
A line or mark inside or on a compass case or binnacle indicating the direction of the ship's head.[3]
lucky bag
1. A locker or compartment for storage of unclaimed articles.[96]
2. The fullest or roundest part of a ship's bow.[97][38]
3. To point a sailing vessel closer to the wind.[2]
luff and touch her
To bring a vessel so close to the wind that the sails shake.[8]
luff barge
Also paddy boat.
An 18th-century term for a sailing barge with a rounded bow and not a swim-head.[98]
luff perpendicular (LP)
The shortest distance between the clew and the luff, which is a perpendicular line from the luff to the clew. Commonly given as a percentage of the "J" measurement.[99]
luff up
To steer a sailing vessel more towards the direction of the wind until the pressure is eased on the sheet.
1. (of a sailing vessel) Being steered far enough to windward that the sail is no longer completely filled with wind; in such a state, the luff of a fore-and-aft sail begins to flap first.
2. Loosening a sheet so far past optimal trim that the sail no longer completely fills with wind.
3. The flapping of a sail from having no wind at all.[citation needed]
A Great Lakes ship designed to simultaneously carry her own deck load of lumber and to tow one or two barges. The barges were big old schooners stripped of their masts and running gear to carry large cargoes of lumber.
A sailing vessel with lug sails set on one, two, or more masts and perhaps lug topsails, widely used as traditional fishing boats, particularly off the coasts of France, England, and Scotland; also used as privateers and smugglers.
A four-sided fore-and-aft sail supported by a spar along the top that is fixed to the mast at a point some distance from the center of the spar. A dipping lug had to be moved to the other side of the mast when tacking (in larger vessels, by partially lowering the sail and hauling down either the peak or the throat to move the yard across). A standing lug can be used on either tack in the same position. It was common for British fishing luggers to have a dipping lug on the foremast and a standing lug on the mizzen.[100]
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