Appendix IV
Definitions of Sea Terms

Barnacle.--

A shellfish often found on a vessel's bottom.

Battens.--

Strips of wood such as those secured over the tarpaulins of a hatch to batten down in bad weather; also strips of wood fastened to spars to take chafe of gears (chafing battens); also strips of wood on which a sight may be lined up.

Beacon.--

A post or buoy placed over a shoal or bank to warn vessels of danger. Also a signal mark on land.

Bearing.--

The direction of an object from the person looking.

Belay.--

To make fast.

Bends.--

The strongest part of a vessel's side to which the beams, knees, and futtocks are bolted. The part between the water's edge and the bulwarks.

Berth.--

An anchorage; a station; a sleeping billet.

Betwixt wind and water.--

That portion of the vessel along the water line which when the vessel rolls is alternately above and below water.

Bitter end.--

The end of a rope.

Boarding.--

The act of going on board a vessel, either for the purpose of getting information or extending courtesies.

Boat cloak.--

A cloak used by officers.

Booby hatch.--

A raised small hatch.

Bos'n's chair.--

The piece of board on which a man working aloft is swung.

Brackish.--

Half salt and half fresh water.

By the head.--

A term applied to a vessel when she is deeper forward than aft.

By the stern.--

Applied to vessel when she is deeper aft than forward.

Cast.--

To pay a vessel's head off and bring the wind on the desired side, as to cast to port. Hence, to head in a certain direction bringing up the anchor. To take a sounding or cast the lead. The throw with a heaving line.

Chock-a-block.--

Full; filled to the extreme limit.

Coaster.--

A vessel engaged only in running up and down the coast.

Cockbill.--

A yard is cockbilled when one yardarm is cocked up above the other; and anchor, when hanging by ring stopper up and down.

Conning.--

Directing the helmsman in steering a vessel.

Dead reckoning.--

A reckoning kept so as to give the theoretical position of a ship without the aid of objects on land, sights, etc. It consists of plotting on a chart (map) the distance believed to have been covered along each course which has been steered. On a long voyage the navigator runs it from noon to noon.

Dead water.--

The eddy under a vessel's counter when she is in motion.

Dismantle.--

To unrig a vessel and discharge all stores.

Dog vane.--

A small wind vane placed on the truck or above the rail.

Dolphin.--

A piling or a nest of piles off a wharf or beach, or off the entrance to a dock for mooring purposes.

Ease off.--

To slack away a line.

Ebb.--

The outflow of the tide.

Eddy.--

A circular motion in the water caused by the meeting of opposite currents.

Fend off.--

To shove off.

Field day.--

Day for cleaning up of all parts of a ship.

Forging ahead.--

Going ahead slowly.

Freeboard.--

That portion of a vessel out of water.

Freshen the nip.--

To set up again; to veer on the cable or pull upon a backstay to shift the chafe from a particular spot.

Full due.--

To secure permanently; secure for a full due.

Furl.--

To roll up snugly and secure, as a sail or awning.

Heave to.--

TO put a vessel in the position of being stopped.

Holystone.--

A sandstone, used in holystoning decks.

Hull down.--

Said of a vessel when due to its distance only the spars are visible.

Irish pennants.--

Rope yarns or loose ends hanging about the rigging or deck.

Jury mast.--

A temporary mast rigged in place of one lost or broken.

Labor.--

To roll or pitch heavily.

Landfall.--

Sighting land. A good landfall is made when a vessel sights the land as intended.

Lanyards.--

Pieces of small line used for securing.

Latitude.--

Distance north or south of the equator, expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

Lee side.--

The side away from the wind.

Lee shore.--

A shore onto which the wind is blowing. Dangerous.

Leeward.--

The direction toward which the wind is blowing; away from the wind.

Leeway.--

The lateral movement of a ship to leeward of her course, owing to the side thrust of the wind.

Lend a hand.--

To assist; to aid.

Let go by the run.--

To let go all at once, as by throwing a rope off a pin.

Life lines.--

Lines to prevent men falling overboard.

Lighter.--

A craft used in loading and unloading vessels.

Longitude.--

Distance east or west of the meridian which runs through Greenwich, England, Expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds.

Lookouts:

      Battle.--

In time of war and in battle problems battle lookouts are stationed in the top and secondary battery control stations.

      Foretop.--

Duties same as masthead lookout and also as specially ordered.

      Port bow.--

Watch fog buoy of ship ahead and keep lookout on port bow.

      Port bridge.--

From ahead to abeam.

      Port quarter and astern.--

To watch a ship's own fog buoy and keep lookout aft.

      Starboard bridge.--

From ahead to abeam.

      Starboard bow.--

Watch fog buoy of ship ahead and keep lookout on starboard bow.

      Starboard quarter and astern.--

To watch ship's own fog buoy and keep lookout aft.

Lower booms.--

Swinging spars along the ship's side to which ship's boats secure. Usually placed a little forward of amidships.

Oakum.--

Stuff made by picking rope yarns to pieces. Used for calking and other purposes.

Off and on.--

Coming alternately near the land and then standing off again.

Overhaul.--

To take apart, thoroughly examine, and repair; to overtake.

Pipe down.--

A boatswain's call denoting the completion of an all-hands evolution, and that you can go below. This expression is also used to mean keep quiet.

Quarter booms.--

Boat booms aft.

Rake.--

The incline which most masts have toward the stern of the ship. Also, an instrument for estimating fall of shot.

Ride.--

To be held by the cable, as a vessel riding to her anchor.

Round in.--

To haul in, as round in the main brace.

Run down.--

One vessel fouling or sinking another by running into her.

Scotchman.--

A piece of iron with ring attached, seized to the shrouds.

Screw.--

The propeller.

Scuttle.--

To make holes in a ship's bottom to sink her. A round or square opening in the deck.

Sea painter.--

A bow painter which leads well forward of the bow of the lifeboat and outboard of all rail stanchions, etc.

Sheer off.--

To shove off; to separate by altering course.

Ship.--

To take on board. To enlist; to serve on board ship.

Slack.--

To lessen tension on a rope by letting it run out.

Snub.--

To check a rope or chain suddenly.

Spring tides.--

The highest and lowest course of tides, occurring every new and full moon.

Spur shores.--

Long timbers used to keep a ship off a dock. The heel of the spar is lashed to the ship's side and the other end rests on the dock.

Strike the colors.--

To lower the flag in surrender.

Strongback.--

A spar which is lashed between davits at their upper bends against which the lifeboat is griped when secured for sea.

Surge.--

A large, swelling wave. To surge a rope or cable is to slack it up suddenly where it renders around a pin or around the windlass or capstan. This gives in an irregular jerky movement.

Swamp.--

To sink by filling with water.

Swing.--

A ship turns or swings to her anchor with the wind or tide.

Swing ship.--

To head the ship successively on various points of the compass for obtaining the error of the compass. The error may be obtained on one heading without swinging.

Tack (noun).--

One leg of the zigzag course steered in beating to windward.

Tonnage rules:

 

      Deadweight.--

Expresses the number of tons (of 2,240 pounds) of cargo, stores, and bunker fuel that a vessel can transport. It is the difference between the number of tons of water a vessel displaces light and the number of tons it displaces when submerged to the load water line. Deadweight tonnage is used interchangeably with deadweight carrying capacity. A vessel's capacity for weight cargo is less than its total deadweight tonnage.

      Cargo.--

Either weight or measurement. The weight ton in the United States and in British countries is the English long or gross ton of 2,240 pounds. In France and other countries having the metric system a weight ton is 2,204.6 pounds. A measurement ton is usually 40 cubic feet, but in some instances a larger number of cubic feet is taken for a ton.

      Gross registered.--

Applies to vessels, not to cargo. It is determined by dividing by 100 the contents in cubic feet of the vessel's closed-in spaces. A register ton is 100 cubic feet. the register of a vessel states both gross and net tonnage.

      Net registered.--

A vessel's gross tonnage minus deductions of space occupied by accommodations for crew, by the propelling power plant, fuel, and spaces necessary for operating the vessel. A vessel's net tonnage expresses the space available for the accommodation of passengers and the stowage of cargo. A ton of cargo in most instances occupies less than 100 cubic feet; hence the vessel's cargo tonnage usually exceeds its net tonnage, and may in some instances exceed the gross tonnage.

      Displacement (of a vessel).--

The weight, in tons of 2,240 pounds, of the vessel and its contents. Displacement

 

light is the weight of the vessel without stores, fuel, or cargo. Displacement loaded is the weight of the vessel plus cargo, fuel, and stores.

Transoms.--

Pieces of timber going across the sternpost, to which they are bolted. Raised platforms in small vessels and yachts, officers' quarters, etc., and used for seats.

Truck.--

A cap at the summit of a flagstaff or masthead.

Turnbuckle.--

A link with an adjustable screw for connecting two parts of a bar or a rod together; used on Jacob's ladders, ridge ropes, guys, etc. It allows them to be tautened after they are rigged.

Typhoon.--

A violent whirlwind. Those which are encountered in the Fat East are usually the only ones so called.

Unship.--

To take anything from the place where it is installed for use.

Veer and haul.--

To veer on one part of a line and haul on the other, both being connected to the same spar or movable article; also the shifting of the wind.

Waterlogged.--

When a vessel is so full of water as to be heavy and unmanageable.

Weather gage.--

To windward of; to get the better of.

Wind ship.--

To turn her end for end; at a dock for instance (pronounced w·EYE·nd).

Windfall.--

A rush of wind from the high land; a stroke of good luck.

Yaw.--

To veer suddenly and unintentionally off the course.

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