THE IMPORTANCE OF SHIPS
Since time immemorial man has sailed the sea, yet is the sea but little
known. To most of us it is an enigma, even though we may often have
viewed its undulating surface from the deck chairs of ocean liners. But
the ocean is not to be learned by idling passengers in deck chairs. One
must play a part—no matter what—in the struggle to master it before one
may feel acquainted with it. Nor even then may one become familiar,
nor trust it over much. Sometimes it rages loud and long, and finally,
worn out with the strain of raging, goes into a sort of restless doze,
with occasional reawakenings of anger. Sometimes it hides beneath a
mask of fog—quiet but untrustworthy, motionless but sulky—giving out no
warnings of its dangers, and stubbornly interfering with those that man
sends out. But these are not the moods most natural to the sea.
Its moods are generally genial. Sometimes it lies for days, untroubled
by its storms, unhidden by its fogs. All day its surface twinkles in
the sunlight or all night rocks the bright reflection of the moon.
It winks and smiles and whispers to the sides of every passing ship.
Its sounds are sibilant and liquid. Or it may be playful, leaping
joyously in great blue surges, through which the sunlight gleams. Now
and then, perhaps, a wave may pop an inquisitive crest a little above
the rail, and sprinkle sparkling drops of salty water over a sailor or
a passenger, but one need only look down beside the ship and see the
colour of the waves to know that therein lies only virile playfulness.
And these are the more usual of the moods of the sea. Now and then it
turns gray with anger and flings itself about in fits of fuming rage.
Now and then it glowers beneath the fog, ugly and menacing. But in
that, as in its sunny gentleness and boisterous fun, it has only the
attributes of many a child—quick to foolish anger, quick to sullen
sulking, but just as quick to gentleness and fun, and much more given
to them.
But the sea, unfortunately, is generally judged by its moments of
petulance. It is generally the story dealing with storm or fog that
finds its way into the papers. In that we react toward the sea just as
we do toward our neighbours’ children. Weeks may pass during which they
are guiltless of a single childish prank and we are likely not to think
of them at all. But let them tie a tin can to our old dog’s tail or run
our cat high up among the branches of a tree, and we are likely to be
loud in criticism of them.
And so the sea. It periodically, so to speak, ties tin cans to the
tails of even the biggest ships. It sometimes drives badly treated
vessels into the protecting reaches of our harbours. But for every
traveller who has seen a storm at sea there are a hundred who never saw
one, albeit many of these latter, because the ship may have rolled a
bit too much to suit their untrained stomachs, would swear that they
had passed through storms of the very greatest magnitude.
But storms, by and large, are not so serious as landsmen sometimes
think. This is proved by the numerous long ocean voyages that have
been made—that are constantly being made, as a matter of fact—by small
ships, by yachts, by tiny sailboats, even by open rowboats, all over
the world, and often for pleasure.
In 1896 two young Americans left New York in a small light rowboat,
without sails or engine, and sixty-two days later landed at Havre,
France, having rowed the entire distance—aided, of course, by the
Gulf Stream Drift and by the fact that the prevailing winds were from
astern. Such a trip is foolhardy in the extreme and proves nothing
except that there are people foolish enough to do even so nonsensical a
thing.
[Illustration: THE _SPRAY_
_In which Captain Joshua Slocum circumnavigated the globe._]
In 1849 a 41-foot sailboat sailed from New Bedford for San Francisco—a
13,000-mile voyage around Cape Horn, the most notorious cape in the
world—and in 226 days had arrived at her destination.
In 1877 a man and his wife sailed a 20-foot decked whaleboat from New
Bedford to Penzance, England, in forty-nine days. In 1878 a certain
Captain Andrews and his brother sailed from Boston to England in a
boat only 15 feet 6 inches long. They made the crossing in forty-five
days.
Captain Joshua Slocum is famous among small-boat sailors. He made a
voyage of 5,000 miles from Brazil to the United States in a 33-foot
decked dory built from material salvaged from a wrecked ship. Later he
sailed alone around the world in the 37-foot yawl _Spray_, on a voyage
that occupied three years and two months. Captain Voss, a Canadian,
sailed 40,000 miles in a 40-foot Alaskan war canoe which he had
decked and otherwise prepared for the voyage. In 1911 Captain Thomas
Fleming Day and two companions sailed the 25-foot yawl _Seabird_ from
Providence, Rhode Island, to Gibraltar in thirty-seven days including
a five-day stop at the Azores. In 1912 the same Captain Day, with
another party, took the 35-foot motor cruiser _Detroit_ from Detroit,
Michigan, to St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1921 Alfred Loomis and some
friends sailed a 28-foot yawl from New York to Panama. Nor have I
listed more than a fraction of the small boats that have crossed wide
stretches of open ocean. That such voyages are not so ridiculous as
many people unacquainted with the sea believe is proved by the valuable
services rendered by the British motor launches during the World
War. These 60- and 80-foot motor boats patrolled the rough waters of
the Irish and North seas and the English Channel throughout the long
submarine campaign, and America, as I have said before, in 1917 and
1918, sent shoals of submarine chasers, each but 110 feet in length,
across the Atlantic to England, Ireland, France, the Mediterranean,
and even to the Arctic coast of Russia, all without the loss by
shipwreck of a single vessel. Yet despite all this evidence that proves
the seaworthiness of small vessels and proves, too, the essential
kindliness of the sea, most people ashore think of long voyages in
small boats as being foolhardy and suicidal.
Of course, many such voyages have been foolhardy, and some have been
suicidal. But to the person who knows the sea and who knows boats such
voyages need be neither the one nor the other. A properly designed and
constructed small boat well handled is not likely to founder. When
carelessness or lack of information enters into either the designing,
the construction, or the operation of such a boat the result may be
different, although the sea, being usually in kindly mood, allows many
such to pass unscathed.
[Illustration: THE _DETROIT_
_This 35-foot motorboat made the voyage from Detroit, Michigan, to St.
Petersburg, Russia._]
[Illustration: A RECONSTRUCTION OF ONE OF CALIGULA’S GALLEYS
_This luxurious ship was built on Lake Nemi, Italy, during the reign
of the Emperor Caligula (37-41 A. D.). It sank to the bottom at some
unknown period, and has often been examined by divers, for it is
still in a fair state of preservation. It is 250 feet long, and its
equipment was of the most luxurious kind. Suggestions for its recovery
have been made, and it is possible that the lake, which is a small
one, may be drained in order to study this old ship and another one
that is lying near it._
]
In 1922 A. Y. Gowan sailed a 98-foot motor cruiser around the world.
That the boat was not designed for such a voyage is proved by the fact
that her gasolene capacity was not great enough to permit her to make
the longer jumps between ports entirely under her own power. This
necessitated tows, and for many a weary mile of the way she wallowed
and jerked at the end of a towline. Yet this yacht, intended though she
was for protected waters, made the voyage, although she must have been
uncomfortable to a degree in rough weather. This voyage proves that
with a little thought, in these days of weather reports and compiled
data on prevailing winds and stormy seasons, a small vessel may lay her
course so as to avoid the most serious bad weather—barring, of course,
local storms that do, sometimes, attain great ferocity. It is well
known, for instance, that during the summer months the North Atlantic
is generally mild while during some of the winter months it grows
exceptionally boisterous and ugly. Therefore the small boat that would
cross it had best choose the summertime. Should Mr. Gowan’s little
yacht ever find herself in the grip of a really serious North Atlantic
winter gale she would run a most excellent chance of never seeing
pleasant weather again. Yet, as I have said, a tiny rowboat crossed
this very stretch of water in the summer of 1896.
[Illustration: A EUROPEAN SIDE-WHEELER
_These steamers are often seen in European waters and are widely used
as excursion boats._]
All of this merely means that good judgment, based upon experience
and compiled information, is about the most valuable bit of sea-going
equipment that the deep-sea small-boat sailor can have. Nor does that
apply only to small-boat sailors. Nor, again, is it always necessary
for the sailor, merely because his boat is small, to feel that he must
stay in port in heavy weather or founder if it come upon him while he
is on the sea. Not by such a doctrine have the fishermen of Gloucester
made for themselves the reputation that they have. Summer and winter
they take their schooners out to the Grand Banks and live out the
greatest storms that try those storm-tossed waters. From the deck of
a 50-foot Gloucester fisherman I have seen the seas tower high before
her bow, seemingly about to crush the craft, and have seen the mighty
troughs, which, from the crests of the great seas, seemed abysmal in
their depth, yet did the little vessel ride through them without so
much as a splintered rail. These schooners come in loaded with fish and
often encrusted with ice. It is true that their sails are sometimes
split, their masts sometimes swept overboard. Yet is the fatality among
such vessels light, despite the fact that they face most of the storms
that blow each winter on the Banks.
Had it not been that small boats can safely sail the seas it is
difficult to see how we ever could have arrived at the era of great
ships. Ancient history tells us of ships that, at least until the prime
of Greece and Rome, could not by any stretch of the imagination be
called large. Yet the old ships of the Phœnicians sailed, even before
the days of Greece, all over the Mediterranean, out into the Atlantic,
as far north as the English Channel, at least, and on one occasion,
around Africa. Then came Greece, and ships grew somewhat in size. Then
Rome appeared, and ships grew larger still, although most of them still
were small, as always. By the time of Caligula (37-41 A. D.) Roman
shipwrights had greatly increased the size of their large ships, as is
proved by a ship now resting on the bottom of Lake Nemi in Italy.
During and following the Dark Ages ships had again become small, and
only gradually did they enlarge. Even by the time of the Spanish Armada
a ship of 1,000 tons was considered huge. Yet such ships, as I said,
were considered very large, not more than a handful of the more than
three hundred ships in the Armada and the British fleet opposing it
approaching such a measurement, and hardly more than three or four
exceeding it. Among the 197 British ships that opposed the Armada but
seven were more than 600 tons.
[Illustration: A HUDSON RIVER STEAMER
_The passenger steamers of the Hudson are large, speedy, and are
capable of carrying thousand of excursionists._]
Even at the beginning of the 19th Century ships of a thousand tons or
more were rare, and the famous clipper ships of even a later period
were smaller almost as often as they were larger. Yet did these
ships speed on their way across the oceans in all weathers in their
furtherance of trade.
Of the billion and a half people who inhabit the world to-day few
indeed appreciate the huge importance of ships. As I pointed out in
my opening chapter, the world as we know it could not exist without
them. Even the far simpler world of the ancients required them, and the
modern world depends on them far more.
In Great Britain there is a wide and real appreciation of the value of
merchant shipping. But the fact that Britain is an island depending
upon lands across the seas for the very food that gives it life makes
the importance of ships more evident. Not only for that, of course, are
ships vital to Great Britain. To buy food her people must manufacture
goods to sell to foreign peoples. Does the manufacturer weave textiles?
His raw materials come from the United States, from Egypt, from
Australia and New Zealand. Does he manufacture tires? His raw materials
must be bought in the East Indies and Egypt. Does he manufacture
cutlery? His product, or at least much of it, must be sold in foreign
markets in order that such foreign products as are not to be found in
Britain may be purchased. Does he need oil? He must buy it from the
Dutch East Indies, from Transcaucasia, from America. Do the people
need sugar for their tea? It must come from Cuba or Jamaica. Does the
country need copper? It may come from Peru or Michigan. Furs? From
Canada. Wheat? Argentina, Canada, Australia, the United States, Russia.
Coffee? Brazil or Java. Rice? Japan, the Philippines. Lumber? Canada.
Paper? Canada or Scandinavia.
And for every cargo bought in foreign lands a cargo should be returned,
else trade is unhealthy and will languish. Britain, to a large extent,
imports raw products and food, and exports manufactured articles and
coal. This the people know and deeply realize. The result is that
Britain’s merchant fleet is the greatest the world has ever seen.
[Illustration: A STEAM YACHT
_Unfortunately the type of yacht pictured here is less common than
formerly. These are being replaced by yachts with less graceful lines,
differing from this in many respects but perhaps most noticeably in
having a perpendicular bow and no bowsprit._
]
But in the United States the vital importance of ships is not widely
understood. During the last decade of the 19th Century and the first
one of the 20th it might almost have been said that the subject was
not understood at all. The World War corrected that somewhat, but even
after that holocaust had forced the subject before the public and had
created a condition that demanded ships, the subject was not more than
superficially grasped. The result was that the nation that had suddenly
leaped to a position in world shipping second only to Great Britain so
lightly took its responsibilities that its great fleet of ships was
permitted to run down when an economic crisis made it impossible for
them to find cargoes. Almost as important in this deterioration of the
American Merchant Marine after the war were the backward laws and lack
of interest on the part of the people.
But the United States is not so situated that the importance of ships
can easily be appreciated. The people would not starve if there were
no ships, for the nation’s own resources, seconded by those of Canada,
would prevent such a calamity. The land has coal and steel, has copper
and cotton and farm products. It _could_ have enough sugar without
going overseas. Its great area and diversity of climatic conditions
produce, perhaps, more of the necessities of life than can be produced
by any other single nation. Yet is it dependent upon ships. Without
them the millions of automobiles would shortly stop running—for lack of
rubber, from which to make tires and insulation. Without ships the vast
wheat crop could only with difficulty be harvested—for lack of binder
twine, which is made from Yucatan sisal.
These imports are vital and there are others equally so, besides
thousands without which we could get along, but less comfortably.
Coffee and tea, spices, silk, diamonds (not merely for jewellery, which
is unimportant, but for industry in which vast numbers of them are
essential to many processes of manufacture), chocolate, fish (or at
least most of them), many metals necessary to industry, ingredients for
many important drugs and medicines, mahogany and other fine woods which
are vital for more than furniture, and a thousand other things that now
are a part of everyday life.
The high standards of living now commonly accepted by the people of
the United States would be greatly lowered were it not for the ships
that bring to its ports the products of foreign lands and take away
the country’s excess food products and manufactured and raw materials
bought by those foreign lands.
[Illustration: AN EXPERIMENT OF 1924
_This ship, designed by a German, is propelled by the wind blowing
against the two strange towers. These towers are rotated by a motor
with the result that, according to the Magnus law, the pressure of
the wind becomes greater on one side of each tower than on the other,
thus tending to move the ship. It seems hardly likely, at the time
this book goes to press, that this application of a formerly unused
physical law will revolutionize the propulsion of ships._
]
Nor, as the World War showed Americans, is it wise to depend upon
foreign nations to transport all their products to America and carry
all America’s products away. To be healthy the nation should maintain
its own cargo fleet, which, in turn, should provide itself with
terminal facilities not only at home but also abroad, in order that
cargoes may be loaded and unloaded economically and without delay.
America has passed the era in which the interior development of the
nation utilized all the energies of its ambitious population. Already
it has stepped into the field of foreign commerce in which it must now
continue. Time was when the nation’s interests lay entirely at home,
but that time is no longer. Increasingly will America’s exports be a
factor in foreign markets, and upon this depends to an ever-growing
extent the welfare of Americans. Time was when the land was the
producer only of raw materials. Now it is one of the world’s greatest
manufacturing nations, with an infinite number of products that cannot
be consumed at home.
Ships, then, must become a growing interest of Americans, for upon
ships, and largely upon their own ships, must they depend to maintain
the standards of living that have made Americans the most fortunate of
the peoples of the world.
Whether it be the citizen of New York or of San Francisco, of the
mountain states or of the prairies—whether it be the clerk, the farmer,
the manufacturer, or the ranchman—whether it be the millionaire or
the day labourer, the teacher or the business man, still should he
interest himself in ships, for only upon a wide appreciation of their
value can wise legislation be built, and only with the support of the
people can great fleets be maintained to carry the nation’s products to
other lands and return with those vital cargoes upon which the nation’s
comfort and happiness are so largely built.
THE END
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
An abridged dictionary of nautical words and expressions
I am anxious that it should not appear that I believe the following
list to be either complete or adequate. The phraseology of sailors is
often so saturated with nautical expressions that a person uninitiated
into the fraternity of the sea might easily find their conversations
almost beyond his comprehension. The words that follow, however, and
their definitions, will make clear any portion of the text of this
book which may have more of a nautical flavour than I intended, and
may, too, clarify other things in the minds of those unacquainted with
the language of the sea.—H. D.
=a=—An Anglo-Saxon prefix for “on” or “in.” It is in constant use at
sea, as in _aback_, _aboard_, _astern_, etc.
=aback=—Spoken of square sails blown back against a mast by a sudden
change of wind, or, in some instances, put in that position purposely
for some special purpose.
=abaft=—Behind or toward the stern of a vessel. Thus, _abaft_ the
bridge will mean toward the stern from the bridge.
=abeam=—On the side of a vessel, amidships. Thus, an object _abeam_,
or _on the beam_, is an object at right angles to the vessel amidships.
=aboard=, or =on board=—On, or in, a vessel.
=about=—A turning round. To go _about_—To turn a vessel round, in
sailing, so that the wind comes over the other side. See _tack_.
=adrift=—Anything which floats unfastened, as a boat or a spar, which
may have broken away, or a ship which has parted from her anchor.
Seamen also refer to articles carelessly lying around a ship as
_adrift_.
=aft=—Behind; toward the after or stern part of a vessel. Thus, the
poop deck is _aft_.
=alee=—To put the helm _alee_ means to bring it toward the side of the
ship away from the wind. This heads the boat into the wind, or, if the
helm is kept _alee_, brings her about.
=aloft=—Up in the tops—overhead. In the upper rigging, or on the
yards, etc.
=alongside=—By the side of.
=amidships=—Generally speaking, the middle portion of a vessel.
=anchor=—A metal hook specially designed to take hold of the bottom
in comparatively shallow water. A cable connecting the anchor and the
ship makes it possible for a ship to maintain her position against
wind or tide or current. Anchors are of many shapes and vary in size
from a few pounds to a number of tons.
=anchorage=—A section of a harbour or a roadstead where ships may
anchor.
=aneroid=—A barometer which is operated by the pressure of the
atmosphere on a metal disc covering a partial vacuum. The varying
pressure operates the hand on a dial, and this is graduated to the
same scale as is a mercurial barometer.
=artemon=—A sail used on Roman ships. It was square and was mounted at
the bow on a kind of mast that leaned over the bow. Later its place
was taken by the spritsail.
=astern=—Behind. In the after part of the vessel; behind the vessel;
in her wake.
=astrolabe=—An instrument of the late Middle Ages with which mariners
attempted to learn their latitude. The instrument was very imperfect
in its workings.
=astronomical ring=—An instrument that was meant to improve on the
astrolabe, but which was just as inaccurate.
=athwart=, =athwartships=—Across. Hence the rowers’ seats in an open
boat are called thwarts because they lie _athwart_, or across the
boat. To drop _athwart_ anything—To come across it; to find it.
=auxiliary=—A sailing ship equipped with an engine for use in
emergency or in crowded waters is said to be an auxiliary. Sometimes
sails are carried on power-driven vessels for use in case it is
desirable not to use the engine or in case of breakdown. In this case
also the ship is an auxiliary.
=avast=—The order to stop or pause in any exercise; as, “_Avast_
heaving.”
=aweather=—Toward the weather side; _i. e._, the side upon which the
wind blows.
=aweigh=—Spoken of an anchor when it has been lifted from the bottom.
=aye= (_adv._, perhaps from _ajo_, Lat. (defective verb), to say
yes)—Yes; always used in lieu thereof at sea, with a repetition,
“_Aye, aye_, sir,” meaning, “I understand; and will execute the order.”
=back=—With sailing ships: To _back_ a square sail is to haul it over
to windward so that the wind blows it against the mast. With steam
vessels: _Back_ her is an order to reverse engines, so that the ship
may be suddenly stopped or made to go astern.
=back-stays=—Ropes stretched from a mast to the sides of a vessel,
some way aft of the mast, to give extra support to the masts against
falling forward.
=balance lug=—See LUG.
=bale=, =baler=—To _bale_ or _bale out_ is to remove water from a boat
by means of a _baler_, which may be any small container capable of
holding water.
=ballast=—Weight deposited in a ship’s hold when she has no cargo,
or too little to bring her sufficiently low in the water. It is used
to counterbalance the effect of the wind upon the masts and give
the ship a proper stability, that she may be enabled to carry sail
without danger of upsetting, and is sometimes used in steam vessels to
increase their stability or to correct their “trim”; that is, in order
that neither bow nor stern will float too high.
=balloon canvas=, or =press canvas=—The extra spread of canvas (_i.
e._, sail) used by yachts in racing, generally, in a great sail often
called a “ballooner.”
=bank= (of oars)—A tier of oars all on one level. In ancient
oar-driven ships there were often several banks. All the oarlocks that
were at the same distance above the water level mounted oars said to
be in the same bank.
=barbette=—The heavy armoured foundation on which the turret of a
modern battleship is mounted.
=barge=—A general name given to most flat-bottomed craft. In ancient
and mediæval times the name was given also to large boats of state
or pleasure, and in later days to one of the small boats of a
man-of-war. The barges of to-day are of various descriptions, being
either sea-going, river, or canal.
=barkentine=—A three-masted sailing vessel, square rigged on the fore-
and mainmasts, and fore and aft rigged on the mizzen. For illustration
see page 201.
=barometer=—An instrument for measuring the weight or pressure of the
atmosphere. A careful study of its changing record makes it possible
to foretell many of the changes in the weather.
=batten=—A long strip of wood. Battens are used for many purposes,
such as covering seams inside the hull. To _batten_ down—To cover up
tightly; usually spoken of hatches when they are closed tightly.
=battle cruiser=—A large and very powerful fighting ship, of high
speed, and with an armament equal or superior to that of a battleship,
but very lightly armoured.
=beam=—The width of a vessel at her widest part.
=bearing=—The direction, or angular distance from a meridian, in which
an object lies.
=beat=—To _beat_ to windward is to make progress in a sailing vessel
in the direction from which the wind is blowing.
=belay=—To make fast; as, to _belay_ a rope.
=belaying pin=—A movable pin or bolt of wood or metal to which lines
are belayed.
=below=—To _go below_ is equivalent, on shipboard, to going downstairs.
=berth=—A bed or bunk on board ship; a place for a ship to tie up or
anchor is sometimes called a berth.
=between decks= or =’tween decks=—Any place below the main deck on a
ship of more than one deck.
=bilge=—That part of the hull of a ship inside and adjacent to the
keel.
=bilge keel=—Fins of wood or steel approximately paralleling the keel
but built into and projecting from the ship at about where the bottom
and the sides might be said to join. They are intended to minimize the
rolling of the ship.
=bilge water=—Water that collects in the bottom of the ship. As this
is always at the lowest part of the hull, oil and other impurities
are always a part of the bilge water, with the result that its odour
is generally offensive and it is very dirty.
=binnacle=—The fixed case and stand in which the steering compass of a
vessel is mounted.
=bireme=—An ancient ship, driven by two banks of oars.
=bitts=—Posts of metal or timber projecting from the deck, to which
lines may be made fast.
=Blackwall hitch=—A knot. For illustration see page 193.
=block=—A pulley used on board ship.
=boat=—A small vessel. It is improper to refer to large ships as boats.
=bob stay=—A stay or rope made fast to the stempost of a ship at the
cutwater and leading to the end of the bowsprit.
=bolt-ropes=—The ropes along the borders or edges of a sail for the
purpose of strengthening those parts.
=bonnet=—A narrow strip of canvas laced to the foot of sails on small
vessels to increase their area in light winds. More common in mediæval
times than now.
=boom=—The spar at the foot of a fore and aft sail. There are other
booms for other uses, such as a _boat boom_—a spar projecting from the
side of a ship and to which small boats floating in the water are made
fast when the ship is at anchor.
=bow=—The front end of a vessel. The _port bow_ is the left side of
the front end, and the _starboard bow_ is the right side.
=bowline=—A knot. For illustration see page 193.
=bowsprit=—The spar projecting from the bow of a ship and to which the
fore stays are led from the foremast. It is a highly important part of
a sailing ship’s rigging, but when used on power-driven ships, as it
often is on steam yachts, it is more decorative than necessary.
=boxing the compass=—Repeating the points of the compass in order,
starting from any point.
=brace=—Ropes on a square-rigged ship leading to the ends of the yards
and used for the purpose of setting the yard at the proper angle to
the mast are called _braces_.
=breaker=—A small water barrel.
=breakers=—Waves that curl over and break because of shallow water.
=breakwater=—An artificial bank or wall of any material built to break
the violence of the sea and create a sheltered spot.
=bridles=—Several lines leading from a larger line to distribute the
strain on an object to which they are attached.
=brig=—A vessel with two masts (fore and main) both of them square
rigged. For illustration see page 201.
=brigantine=—Same as a brig except that it has a fore and aft
mainsail. For illustrations see page 201.
=broadside=—The firing of all the cannon on one side of a warship at
the same moment.
=bulkhead=—A partition of almost any material. Nowadays steel
bulkheads are most common. Their purpose is to divide the ship,
generally laterally, into separate compartments that, in the highest
designs, are watertight.
=bulwarks=—A parapet around the deck of a vessel, serving to guard
passengers, crew, and cargo from the possibility of being swept
overboard.
=bumboat=—A small harbour boat allowed to visit ships in port and
supply the sailors with various articles.
=buoy=—A floating marker intended as a guide or a warning. Buoys have
been more or less standardized, but in many different parts of the
world similar shapes and colours still stand for different things.
=cabin=—A habitable apartment on shipboard.
=cable=—The rope or chain by which a ship’s anchor is held.
=calking=—Stuffing the seams of wooden ships with oakum.
=can buoy=—A buoy which shows above water the form of a cylinder.
=canoe=—A light boat propelled by paddles. Sometimes sails are also
used.
=capstan=—A kind of windlass sometimes found on ships, and used
principally for raising the anchor.
=caravel=—A ship commonly in use in the “age of discovery”; that is,
during the 15th Century. Columbus’s _Santa Maria_ was one of these.
For illustration see frontispiece.
=careen=—The operation of tilting a ship over to one side or the other
by means of tackle led from her masts to points at some distance from
her side.
=cargo liner=—A freight ship that sails on schedule dates over a given
route, as passenger liners do.
=carrick bend=—A knot. For illustration see page 193.
=carvel=—A method of small boat-building in which the board coverings
present a smooth surface.
=catamaran=—A boat made up of two parallel and equal hulls held
together by a framework.
=catboat=—A small sailing boat with one mast and a single sail
which is generally similar in shape to the mainsail of a sloop. For
illustration see page 203.
=centreboard=—A movable sheet of metal or wood sometimes used by small
sailboats. It extends through the keel and presents a large surface
to the water and tends to eliminate lateral motion while the boat is
under sail. A kind of folding keel.
=chart=—A map of the sea and coast projections for use by navigators.
Features of the bottom are also shown for shallow water.
=chronometer=—An accurate timepiece generally registering the time at
Greenwich, England. Navigators require this instrument in working out
their longitude.
=clinker=—A method of small boat-building in which the covering planks
overlap as weatherboarding does on the side of a house.
=clipper=—A fast sailing ship suddenly developed in the first half
of the 19th Century. Generally, but not necessarily, the clippers
were full-rigged ships. They were popular for about fifty years. For
illustration see page 63.
=cockpit=—See WELL.
=collier=—A vessel employed in the coal trade.
=companionway=—The entrance to a ladder or flight of stairs leading
from one deck to the one below.
=compass=—A magnetized instrument which points approximately in the
direction of the Magnetic Pole and from which directions can be
learned.
=corvette=—A small warship of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
=crossjack= (pronounced “cro-jak”)—The square sail sometimes hung from
the lowest yard on the mizzenmast of a full-rigged ship. It is not
commonly used.
=crosstrees=—The arms extending laterally near the head of a mast
at right angles to the length of the vessel and to the extremities
of which the topmast shrouds are stretched for the purpose of giving
support to the topmast.
=cruiser=—A large, fast, and lightly armoured ship of war. The
expression is also used in yachting, meaning a boat meant for cruising.
=cutter=—A sailing boat with one mast carrying staysail, jib, fore and
aft mainsail, and sometimes a topsail. Other sails are also sometimes
added. In various navies the expression is used to denote a large
heavy rowboat propelled by as many as ten oars.
=cutwater=—That portion of the stem of a vessel that cleaves the water
as she moves ahead.
=davit=—A light crane mounted on a ship’s side and used for hoisting
and lowering boats. Ordinarily two davits are used to each boat. The
projecting beam over which the anchor is sometimes hoisted is also
sometimes called a davit.
=deck=—The covering of the interior of a ship, either carried
completely over her or only over a portion. Decks correspond to the
floors and roof of a flat-topped building.
=derelict=—A ship adrift at sea without her crew.
=destroyer=—Formerly called “torpedo-boat destroyer.” These ships are
enlargements of torpedo boats and were originally designed to destroy
those small, fast warships. They have proved very useful for many
naval duties, and are now an important part of every large navy’s
forces.
=dhow=—A small sailing vessel common in Egyptian and Arabian waters.
It generally carries one or two lateen sails.
=dinghy=—A small open boat used as a tender for a yacht.
=dock=—An artificially constructed basin for the reception of vessels.
It may be a wet dock, where ships lie while loading and unloading, or
a dry dock, in which they are repaired after the water is pumped out.
=dock yard=—An enclosed area in which the work connected with the
building, fitting out, or repair of ships is carried on.
=drabbler=—An additional strip of canvas, sometimes laced to the
bottom of the “bonnet” on a square sail when the wind is light. Rarely
seen nowadays, but common in the Middle Ages.
=draft=—The depth beneath the surface of the water of the lowest point
of a ship’s keel.
=dreadnaught=—A modern battleship carrying heavy armour and a main
battery of guns all of a very large and uniform calibre.
=driver=—The fore-and-aft sail on the mizzenmast of a square-rigged
ship. It is sometimes called the spanker.
=dry dock=—An artificial basin which can be flooded in order to permit
the entry of ships, and then pumped dry in order that their hulls may
be examined, painted, and repaired.
=dugout=—A canoe or boat made from a log hollowed out and cut
down until it has become a vessel capable of carrying one or more
passengers.
=ensign=—The flag carried by a ship as the insignia of her
nationality. Also, the lowest commissioned officer of the United
States Navy.
=fathom=—A nautical measure, equal to six feet.
=fid=—A bolt of wood or metal which holds the heel of a topmast.
=fife rail=—A plank or rail in which a group of belaying pins is kept.
=figure of eight=—A knot. For illustration see page 193.
=flagship=—That ship of a fleet or squadron which flies the flag of
the admiral in command.
=fore and aft=—An expression signifying those sails which, when at
rest, lie in a line running from bow to stern of a vessel. The sails
of a schooner are fore and aft.
=forecastle=—Formerly a raised “castle” built at the bows of ancient
and mediæval ships from which the decks of enemy ships could be
attacked. Nowadays the quarters of the crew on board ship—generally in
the bows of ships.
=foremast=—The mast nearest the bow of a vessel having more than one
mast, except on yawls, ketches, and other sailboats where the mast
nearest the bow is larger than the mast farther astern.
=foresail=—On a square-rigged ship, the lowest square sail on the
foremast. On a schooner, the sail stretched between the boom and the
gaff on the foremast.
=forward=—The forward part or the forepart; that is, the vicinity of
the bow of a vessel. To go _forward_ is to go toward the bow.
=freeboard=—That portion of a vessel’s side which is free of the
water; that is, which is not submerged.
=freighter=—A ship engaged in carrying freight.
=frigate=—A warship of the last days of sail. It was full rigged and
had two decks on which guns were mounted. The _Constitution_ is a
_frigate_. For illustration see page 145.
=full-rigged ship=—A ship carrying three masts, each mounting square
sails. For illustration see page 201.
=funnel=—The smokestack or chimney connected with the boilers of a
ship.
=furl=—To roll a sail and confine it to its yard or boom.
=gaff=—The spar at the top of some fore and aft sails, such as the
mainsail or foresail of a schooner.
=galleon=—A heavy vessel of the time of Spain’s nautical supremacy.
=galley=—(1) In ancient and mediæval times a ship of war propelled by
oars and sails. (2) The kitchen of a ship.
=gangplank=—A movable runway used to bridge over the gap from a ship’s
deck to a pier.
=gangway=—A narrow platform or bridge passing over from one deck of a
vessel to another, as from the poop to the midship deck of a freighter.
=gear=—Any part of the working apparatus of a vessel, as the gear of
the helm, which consists of the tiller, the chains, the blocks, and
all other necessary parts.
=gig=—A small boat formerly often carried on shipboard and meant for
use when in port.
=gimbals=—The brass rings in which a compass is mounted, and which
permit it to remain horizontal despite the motions of the ship.
=gondola=—A Venetian boat, used in the canals more or less as taxicabs
are used in streets. It is propelled by one or two oarsmen, each with
a single oar.
=granny=—A knot. For illustration, see page 193.
=graving dock=—Same as dry dock.
=ground=—To run a ship into water so shallow that she rests on the
bottom.
=ground tackle=—The gear connected with and including the anchors of a
ship.
=gunboat=—A small warship used for minor naval duties.
=gunwale=—The top of any solid rail along the outside of a vessel is
generally called a _gunwale_.
=guy=—A steadying rope, as the _guy_ of a spinnaker, which serves to
keep that sail forward.
=gybe=—The swinging over of a fore and aft sail when the wind,
accidentally or intentionally, has been brought from one side of it
to the other around its free edge. This is sometimes a foolish and
dangerous manœuvre.
=halyard=—A rope (sometimes a chain) by which a sail, flag, or yard is
hoisted.
=handsomely=—A term which sounds contradictory. It means the opposite
to hastily, and is used often with reference to ropes or halyards; as,
“Lower away _handsomely_,” which means lower away gradually.
=hatchway=—An opening in the deck of a vessel through which persons or
cargo may descend or ascend.
=hawsepipes=—Short tubes through which the anchor cable passes from
the forward deck to the outside of the bow.
=hawser=—A cable or heavy rope used for towing and for making fast to
moorings.
=head sails=—All the sails set between the foremast and the bow and
bowsprit of a sailing ship. These are the fore staysail and the inner,
outer, and flying jibs. Occasionally there may be others, such as a
spritsail.
=helm=—Used interchangeably with the word “tiller.” Theoretically,
every rudder is equipped with a helm or tiller, although actually
tillers are seldom used except on small boats. To port your _helm_
(tiller) means to push the handle of the tiller to the port side. This
steers the vessel to starboard. Therefore, when the order to port the
_helm_ is given on board any ship, it is intended that the steering
apparatus be so operated that were there a tiller on the rudder it
would be moved to port.
=hermaphrodite brig=—A two-masted sailing ship with square sails on
the foremast and fore-and-aft sails only on the main. This type is
often incorrectly called a brigantine. For illustration see page 201.
=hold=—The inner space in a vessel in which the cargo is stowed.
=holystone=—A soft, porous stone used for scouring the decks. Its name
comes from its shape, which fancy has suggested is that of a Bible,
and to the fact that when it is in use the sailors are invariably on
their knees.
=hull=—The hull is the body of a vessel, exclusive of rigging or
equipment.
=Jacob’s ladder=—A collapsible ladder made of wooden steps strung
between two ropes. It is used over the sides of a ship when the ship
is at sea, as, for instance, when a pilot comes aboard or departs.
=jaws=—The horns at the end of a boom or gaff, which keep it in its
position against the mast.
=jib=—One of the triangular headsails of a sailing vessel. There are
several, as follows: balloon jib, flying jib, inner jib, jib of jibs
(only on large ships), jib topsail, middle jib, spitfire, standing
jib, storm jib.
=jib-boom=—A spar running out beyond the bowsprit for the purpose of
carrying other jibs. _Flying jib-boom_—A boom extending beyond the
_jib-boom_ for the purpose of carrying the flying jib.
=jigger=—The fourth mast from the bow in a ship carrying four or more
masts. The second from the bow in a yawl or a ketch.
=jolly boat=—A boat corresponding to a dinghy.
=junk=—A ship common in China and Japan. It is ungainly in shape, but
is often remarkably seaworthy. It is driven by sails which are often
made of matting.
=kayak=—A small canoe used by the Eskimos. It is made by covering a
light framework with skins, and is decked. Generally there is but one
hatch just large enough for a single occupant to sit in. Occasionally
there are two of these openings. It is propelled by paddles.
=kedge=—A small anchor carried by large vessels for use in shallow
water or for use in keeping the main anchor clear.
=keel=—The backbone of a ship. It is a strong member extending the
entire length of the centre of the bottom, and from it the ribs are
built at right angles. _Fin-keel_—A thin and deep projection below
the keel of some sailing ships, principally yachts, designed so as to
prevent the ship from being blown sideways by the wind, and generally
weighted at the bottom by an addition of lead or iron to insure
stability to the vessel.
=keelson=—An addition to the keel inside the boat. It rests upon the
keel and strengthens it.
=ketch=—A sailing vessel with two masts and with fore-and-aft sails.
The mast nearer the bow is the larger of the two and is called the
main. The one toward the stern is, in America, generally called the
jigger, and in England the mizzen. It is placed just forward of the
wheel or tiller. It is in this particular that it differs from a yawl.
=knot=—A nautical mile per hour is a measure of speed. It is often
incorrectly used as a synonym for a nautical mile.
=knot=—The fastening of a rope. For illustrations see page 193.
=landlubber=—An uncomplimentary term used by sailors in reference to
any one not familiar with ships and the sea.
=larboard=—The old term for port, or the left-hand side of a vessel.
No longer in use because of its close resemblance to starboard, which
is the term meaning the right-hand side.
=lateen=—A triangular sail of large size hung from a very long yard.
It is common in Egyptian waters and is to be seen occasionally about
the Mediterranean and in the East. The yard is often of immense
length, sometimes being twice as long as the boat itself.
=launch=—A small vessel propelled by some kind of motor, and generally
used for pleasure. To _launch_—To put a new vessel into the water.
This is ordinarily a function of more or less formality.
=lead=—A leaden weight attached to the end of a line used to measure
the depth of the water.
=lee=—The lee side of a vessel is the side opposite that against which
the wind blows. A lee shore is a shore on the lee side of a ship, and
is therefore to be feared, for the force of the wind tends to blow the
ship ashore. “Under the _lee_ of the shore,” however, is an expression
meaning in the shelter of a shore line from which the wind is blowing.
=leech= (meaning =lee edge=)—The aftermost, backmost, or lee margin of
a sail.
=leg-of-mutton=—A triangular sail sometimes used on small sailboats.
=leeward=—On the lee side. An object to _leeward_ is on the lee side.
Pronounced “loo-ard” or “lew-ard.”
=lifeboat=—A boat carried for the purpose of saving lives in case
the ship which carried it is wrecked. Strict laws force all ships to
carry these small boats, and the ships must carry life preservers in
addition. Lifeboats are also maintained ashore in order to assist the
crews of wrecked ships.
=lighter=—A barge intended for use in port or on rivers and meant
to carry freight. The name comes from the fact that these barges
“lighten” or unload ships. Ships also are often loaded from them.
=lighthouse=—A structure erected ashore or in shallow water and
equipped with a powerful light, visible for miles at night. This acts
as a warning, and shows the position of the danger to navigation which
it is erected to mark.
=lightship=—A floating lighthouse, securely moored where it may mark a
danger, such as a reef or a shoal, or at the entrance to a harbour in
order to show the safe way in.
=line=—A small rope. _The line_—A nautical expression for the equator.
=line-of-battle ship=—The most powerful naval vessels at the end of
the days of sailing navies.
=liner=—A term which has come to mean a large passenger ship operated
by a steamship line. The expression seems to include only salt-water
ships. For instance, a river steamer, even though operated on a
regular schedule by a steamship line, would not be called a liner.
=log=—An instrument that measures the distance a ship travels through
the water. (2) The journal in which all the events of importance and
interest on board ship are carefully written.
=lubber=—An awkward fellow.
=lubber’s line=—A line marked on the inside of a mariner’s compass
case, showing the exact fore and aft direction of the ship. The moving
compass card revolves so that the points or degrees with which it is
marked pass close to this line, and thus the man who is steering the
ship can always tell exactly the direction in which the ship is headed.
=luff= (of a sail)—The weather edge; that is, the edge toward the
wind. To _luff_, in sailing, is to bring a vessel’s bow more toward
the wind.
=lug=—A type of sail of which there are three principal kinds: dipping
lug, balance lug, and standing lug. A lug sail is four-sided and
is hung from a yard which is mounted on a mast in a fore and aft
position. See illustration of lugger, page 201.
=lugger=—A boat using a lug sail.
=main=—In all rigs of vessels the word “main” applies alike to the
principal mast and the principal sail it carries. Generally in ships
equipped with two or more masts the second from the bow is the
mainmast, although in some rigs, such as ketches and yawls, the mast
nearest the bow is the main.
=marine=—A man in the naval service serving something like a soldier
on board a warship. Nowadays the duties of marines often take them
ashore where their services are identical with those of soldiers.
=mariner=—Anciently a first-class or able-bodied seaman.
=martingale=—The rope extending downward from the jib-boom to the
“dolphin striker.” Its duties are those of a stay, or brace.
=mast=—A long piece or system of pieces of timber or metal placed
nearly perpendicularly to the keel of a vessel to support rigging,
wireless antennæ, halyards, etc.
=master=—The captain of a merchant vessel.
=mate=—literally the master’s assistant. There may be as many as four
or five mates on a ship, rated first, second, third, etc. They are
officers next in rank to the master.
=mess=—At sea a company of men or officers who eat or live together.
=’midships=—The same as AMIDSHIPS.
=mile=—A nautical mile equals one sixtieth of a degree of latitude,
and varies from 6,046 feet at the equator to 6,092 in latitude 60
degrees.
=mizzen=—Generally the third mast from the bow of a ship carrying
three or more masts is called the mizzenmast. The sails set from this
mast have the word “mizzen” prefixed to their names, as _mizzen_
topsail, _mizzen_ topgallant sail, etc. Also parts of the mast prefix
the word, as _mizzen_ topmast.
=moonraker= (or =moonsail=)—In square-rigged ships the sail set above
the skysail. (Very rare.)
=moor=—To moor is to make a ship fast to a mooring which is a kind of
permanent anchor to which a buoy is attached.
=Mother Carey’s chicken=—A small seabird, properly called the stormy
petrel (_Procellaria pelagica_).
=nautical mile=—See MILE.
=naval architecture=—The science of designing vessels.
=navigation=—The science which enables seamen to determine their
positions at sea and to lay down courses to be followed.
=nun buoy=—A buoy which shows above water in the shape of a cone.
=oakum=—A substance to which old ropes are reduced when picked to
pieces. It is used in calking the seams of boats and in stopping leaks.
=oar=—An instrument used in propelling boats by hand. It may be of any
length over four or five feet, although, as it is meant to be operated
by man power, it must be limited in size so as not to constitute too
great a weight. It is made up of a handle, a shaft, and a flat section
meant to come in contact with the water. At about one third of the
distance from the handle to the end of the blade it rests in a special
fitting called an oarlock or a rowlock. By submerging the blade in
the water and pulling the handle in a direction at right angles to
the length of the oar it tends to propel the boat. It differs from a
paddle in that a paddle does not rest in a lock. A sweep is a very
large oar, generally operated by several men.
=oilskins=—Waterproof coats and trousers worn over other clothing at
sea.
=on soundings=—When a ship is in water shallow enough to permit the
depth to be easily ascertained by means of the lead she is said to be
_on soundings_. At sea the expression _to sound_ means to learn the
depth of the water by means of the lead.
=outboard=—Board means the side of a vessel; therefore _outboard_
means outside her or beyond the gunwale.
=outrigger=—A type of small boat common in the East Indies is one
made up of a narrow hull kept from overturning by a small timber
floating in the water parallel to the hull and made fast to the hull
by means of crossbars. This type is known as an _outrigger canoe_. The
outrigger is the small float that keeps the canoe from capsizing. For
illustration see page 17.
=overboard=—Over the side of a ship.
=packet=—A small passenger or mail boat.
=paddle=—A kind of oar. In use, however, a paddle uses no leverage
except what is offered by the hands of the operator.
=paddle-wheel=—A large wheel sometimes used by steamboats and on which
flat boards are so arranged that when the wheel turns the boards come
in contact with the water, thus propelling the boat.
=painter=—A rope attached to the bow of an open boat, by which the
boat may be tied.
=peak=—The upper end of a gaff. Also the uppermost corner of a sail
carried by a gaff.
=peak halyards=—The halyards or ropes by which the peak is elevated.
=pier=—A long narrow structure of wood, steel, or masonry, built from
the shore out into the water, and generally used for the transfer of
passengers and goods to and from ships.
=pilot=—A man qualified and licensed to direct ships in or out of a
harbour or channel. He boards the outgoing ship as she sails and is
taken off, once the ship is outside the restricted waters that he is
licensed to take her through, by a pilot boat. Incoming ships take
pilots from the pilot boat as they approach the restricted waters
where pilots are needed.
=Plimsoll mark=—A mark placed on the sides of ships by Lloyds or some
other marine insurance firm, to show how deeply they may be laden. As
a cargo comes aboard, a ship sinks in the water, but the insurance is
void if the Plimsoll mark is sunk below the water line.
=point=—The card of a mariner’s compass is generally divided into
thirty-two parts. These are the points of the compass. Nowadays
compasses are more and more being divided into degrees, but still the
points are generally shown as well. _Reef points_—short ropes hanging
in rows across sails to make it possible to tie a part of the sail
into a restricted space so as to present less surface to the wind.
=poop=—Properly, an extra deck on the after part of a vessel.
=port=—The left-hand side of a vessel when one is facing the bow.
=port tack=—A sailing vessel is on the port tack when under way with
the wind blowing against her port side.
=porthole=—An opening in the side of a vessel. The term generally
refers to the round windows common on most ships.
=prau=—The Philippine name for a type of canoe. Praus may or may not
have outriggers.
=propeller=—A heavy apparatus somewhat similar to an electric fan in
appearance, which, when mounted on the end of a shaft outside the
stern of a vessel, below the water line, and set to turning by the
engines, moves the ship through the water.
=prow=—The cutwater of a ship.
=punt=—A small flat-bottomed boat, generally square ended.
=quarter=—That section of a ship’s side slightly forward of the stern.
The port quarter is on the left side and the starboard quarter is on
the right to the observer facing forward.
=quartermaster=—A petty officer on board ship, whose duties have to do
almost exclusively with steering the ship and with other tasks about
the bridge.
=quay=—An artificial landing place, generally of greater area than a
pier.
=quinquireme=—An ancient ship propelled by five banks of oars.
=raft=—A group of any timbers bound together to form a float.
=ratlines=—Small lines crossing the shrouds of a ship and forming
the steps of a ladder by means of which sailors may mount the masts.
Pronounced “rat-lins.”
=reef=—A low ridge of rock usually just below the surface of the
water. (2) To _reef_ a sail is to reduce the area spread to the wind
by tying part of it into a restricted space.
=reef point=—See POINT.
=revenue cutter=—A ship operated by a government to prevent smuggling
and otherwise to enforce the law.
=ribs=—The members which, with the keel, form the skeleton of a vessel.
=riding lights=—The lights a ship is required by law to carry at night
while anchored.
=rig=—The manner in which the masts and sails of a vessel are fitted
and arranged in connection with the hull.
=rigging=—The system of ropes on a vessel by which her masts and sails
are held up and operated.
=roadstead=—A place of anchorage at a distance from the shore.
=row=—To propel a boat by means of oars is to row.
=royal=—In the built-up mast of a square-rigged ship the fourth
section above the deck is the royalmast. Its complete name prefixes
the name of the mast above which it rises, as _fore royalmast._ The
sail on the royalmast is named accordingly, as _fore royal_. The royal
yard is the yard from which the royal sail is spread.
=rudder=—A flat, hinged apparatus hung at the stern of a ship, by the
movement of which the ship is steered.
=running lights=—The lights that a ship is required by law to carry at
night while under way.
=sail=—A sheet of canvas or other material which, when spread to the
wind, makes possible the movement of a vessel. For various sails in
use see illustration, page 213.
=schooner=—A fore-and-aft rigged vessel with two or more masts, the
foremost of which is the foremast. See page 201.
=scout cruiser=—A very fast and lightly armoured modern warship
smaller than a battle cruiser but larger than a destroyer, used for
scouting.
=scow=—A large flat-bottomed boat without power and of many uses.
=screw propeller=—See PROPELLER.
=scuppers=—Openings in the bulwarks of a ship to carry off any water
that may get on the deck.
=seam=—The space between two planks in the covering of a vessel. It is
in the _seam_ that the calking is placed.
=seamanship=—The art of handling ships.
=sextant=—The instrument in almost universal use at sea for measuring
the altitude of the sun and other celestial bodies. From this the
latitude and longitude may be worked out.
=sheepshank=—A knot. For illustration see page 193.
=sheer=—The straight or curved line that the deck line of a vessel
makes when viewed from the side.
=sheet=—The rope attached to a sail so that it may be let out or
hauled in as occasion may require.
=ship=—A term applied indiscriminately to any large vessel, but among
seamen it means a sailing vessel with three masts on all of which
square sails are set. For illustration see page 201.
=shoal=—A shallow place in the water.
=shoot the sun=—A bit of nautical slang, meaning to determine the
altitude of the sun with a sextant.
=shrouds=—Strong ropes forming the lateral supports of a mast.
Nowadays they are usually wire rope.
=skiff=—A small open boat. In different localities it is of different
design. Occasionally fairly good-sized sailing vessels are called
skiffs.
=skipper=—The master of a merchant vessel, called, by courtesy,
captain ashore and always so at sea.
=skysail=—The square sail sometimes set above the royal. It carries
also the name of the mast on which it is set, as _main skysail._
=sloop=—Sailing vessel with one mast, like a cutter but having a jib
stay, which a cutter has not. A jib stay is a support leading from the
mast to the end of the bowsprit on which a jib is set.
=smack=—The name given indiscriminately to any sort of fishing vessel
using sails.
=snow=—A vessel formerly common. It differs slightly from a barque. It
has two masts similar to the main and foremasts of a ship, and close
behind the mainmast is a trysail mast. This vessel is about extinct.
=sounding=—Determining the depth of water and the kind of bottom with
the lead and line.
=southwester=—(pronounced sou-wester)—A waterproof hat with the widest
part of the brim at the back.
=spanker=—The fore-and-aft sail set on the mizzenmast of a
square-rigged ship. Sometimes called the driver.
=spar=—A spar is any one of the timber members of a vessel’s gear.
=spinnaker=—A racing sail of immense spread reaching from the topmast
head to the end of a spinnaker boom which is a spar set out to take
it. Sometimes it is possible for the same sail to be made to perform
the services of a balloon jib, by carrying the spinnaker boom out
until the end to which the sail is made fast is beside the end of the
bowsprit.
=splice=—(Verb) To join rope by interweaving the strands. (Noun) The
joint made in rope by interweaving the strands.
=spritsail=—A sail common before the introduction of the jib. It is a
small square sail set on a yard hung below and at right angles to the
bowsprit. Sometimes, formerly, a short vertical mast was erected at
the end of the bowsprit, and from this was set the sprit topsail.
=squadron=—Part of a fleet of naval ships under a flag officer.
=squall=—A sudden and very strenuous gust of wind or a sudden increase
in its force. Small storms that come up quickly are often called
squalls.
=square-rigged=—That method of disposing of sails in which they hang
across the ship and in which they are approximately rectangular in
shape.
=starboard=—The right-hand side of a vessel to a person facing the bow.
=stays=—Supports made of hemp or wire rope supporting spars, or, more
especially, masts.
=staysails=—Sails set on the stays between the masts of a ship or as
headsails.
=stem=—The foremost timber of a vessel’s hull.
=stern=—The rear end of a vessel.
=stern castle=—In ancient times an erection built at the stern of a
ship to assist in its defense.
=stevedore=—A man whose task it is to stow the cargoes of ships and to
unload cargoes.
=stoke hold=—That compartment in a steamship from which the fires
under the boilers are stoked or tended.
=stoker=—A man who stokes or feeds the fires beneath the boilers of a
ship.
=stow=—To stow a cargo is to pack it into a ship so that it will not
shift as the vessel pitches and rolls.
=studding sails=—On square-rigged ships narrow supplementary sails
are sometimes set on small booms at the sides of the principal square
sails. These are studding sails.
=submarine=—A ship which is so designed as to be able to dive beneath
the surface.
=supercargo=—A member of a ship’s crew whose duties have only to do
with superintending transactions relating to the vessel’s cargo.
=superdreadnaught=—A battleship of considerably greater strength than
the original British battleship _Dreadnaught_, which gave its name to
a class of ships.
=swamp=—To be swamped is to have one’s boat filled with water, but not
necessarily to sink.
=sweeps=—Very large and clumsy oars, sometimes used on sailing ships
to move them in calms, or in narrow places where it is impracticable
to use their sails. They are also sometimes used on barges and rafts.
=swell=—An undulating motion of the water, always felt at sea after a
gale.
=tack=—To tack in sailing is to change the course of a vessel from
one direction or tack to another by bringing her head to the wind and
letting the wind fill her sails on the other side, the object being to
progress against the wind.
=taffrail=—The sternmost rail of a vessel, that is, the rail around
the stern.
=tarpaulin=—A waterproofed canvas. Formerly it was waterproofed by the
application of tar.
=telltale=—An inverted compass, generally mounted on the ceiling of
the captain’s cabin. Thus, without going on deck, or even without
lifting his head from his pillow, the captain can check up the course
the helmsman is steering.
=tender=—A small vessel employed to attend a larger one.
=tholes= or =thole pins=—Pegs fitted into holes in a boat’s gunwale
and between which oars are placed when rowing.
=throat=—That part of a gaff that is next to the mast, and the
adjoining corner of the sail.
=throat halyard=—The rope that elevates the throat.
=thwart=—Athwart means across, and in a boat the seats are called the
thwarts, because they are placed athwart or across the boat.
=tiller=—The handle or beam at the top of the shaft to which the
rudder is attached, and by which the rudder is turned. It is in use
only on comparatively small vessels.
=tonnage=—The measure of a ship’s internal dimensions as the basis for
a standard for dues, etc.
=top=—In square-rigged ships the platform built on the masts just
below the topsails, and to which the sailors climb by means of
the ratlines. The name of the mast on which the top is located is
prefixed, as, _main top_, _mizzen top_, etc.
=topmast=—In a mast built up of two or more parts the topmast is the
second from the deck.
=topgallant mast=—In a mast built up in sections the topgallant mast
is the third section above the deck.
=topsail=—The second sail from the deck on any mast of a
square-rigged ship. Sometimes ships have lower and upper topsails,
but in this case each of these is narrower than the ordinary topsail.
The name of the mast on which the topsail is set is prefixed, as,
_fore topsail_, _main topsail_, etc. On fore-and-aft rigged vessels
the topsail is a triangular sail set between the gaff and the topmast.
=topgallant sail=—The third sail from the deck on any mast of a
square-rigged ship, except when the ship is equipped with lower and
upper topsails, in which case the topgallant sail is the fourth.
=topsail schooner=—A schooner which, on the foremast, spreads a square
topsail.
=torpedo boat=—A small, fast ship of war built to use torpedoes
as its major weapons. This type was common during and after the
Spanish-American War, but became extinct, or practically so, after the
introduction of the torpedo-boat destroyer.
=torpedo-boat destroyer=—See DESTROYER.
=tramp=—The name usually given to merchant freighters that have no
regular routes. They carry almost any cargoes that offer, and may
carry them to almost any port.
=trawler=—A vessel usually driven by power and used in fishing. It
tows a heavy net called a trawl.
=trick=—At sea, the time allotted to a man to be at the wheel or on
any other duty.
=trireme=—In ancient times, a ship propelled by three banks of oars.
=trysails=—Small sails used in bad weather when no others can be
carried, or, occasionally, for rough work.
=trysail mast=—In old ships a mast for hoisting a trysail. (Seldom
seen.)
=tug=—A small, powerful vessel usually propelled by steam and used to
assist larger ships about protected waterways. Tugs are also used to
tow barges or almost anything that can float. In the narrow waters of
harbours and particularly in going alongside piers and quays, large
ships need the assistance that these small vessels give them. There
are also larger tugs for use in towing barges or other vessels at sea.
These are known as sea-going tugs.
=turret=—An armoured turntable in which the larger guns of warships
are mounted.
=turret steamer=—A steamer which, below the water line, is similar
to other ships, but which above the water line has its sides turned
abruptly in, so that its main deck is greatly narrower than its
water-line beam. For illustration see page 131.
=twin screw=—A ship equipped with two propellers is said to be a _twin
screw_ ship.
=umiak=—An open boat used by the Eskimos and some Northern Indians.
It is made up of a frame covered with skins. Its size varies, but an
average size would probably be in the neighbourhood of twenty feet in
length.
=vessel=—From the French _vaissel_. A general term for all craft
larger than a rowboat.
=vinta=—A Philippine name for one type of outrigger canoe.
=waist=—Actually that part of a vessel between the beam and the
quarter. In old ships with sterns highly raised it was that portion
forward of this raised section—that is, the section of the deck that
was lower than the rest.
=wake=—The track a vessel leaves behind her on the surface of the
water.
=watch=—To stand a watch on board ship is to be on duty for a given
time, usually, but not always, for four hours.
=water sail=—A small sail sometimes set beneath the foot of a lower
studding sail. Rare.
=ways=—An incline built for a working foundation on which to erect
the hulls of ships. When the ship is ready to be floated, it is slid,
generally stern first, from the ways into the water.
=weather=—As a nautical expression this term is applied to any object
to windward of any given spot; hence, the _weather_ side of a vessel
is the side upon which the wind blows. A vessel is said to have
_weathered_ a gale when she has lived safely through it.
=weigh=—To lift the anchor from the bottom is to weigh anchor.
=well=—A depression sometimes built in the decks of yachts or
sailboats which is not covered over by a deck. It is often called a
cockpit, and is for the convenience and protection of passengers and
crew. (2) An opening leading to the lowest part of the bilge, in which
the depth of bilge water may be measured.
=whaleback=—A disappearing type of steamer once common on the American
Great Lakes.
=whaleboat=—A boat that is sharp at both ends and is propelled by
oars. This type was used by whalers, and is now common on ships of
war, because of its seaworthiness, ease of handling, and sturdiness.
=whaler=—A ship used in the whaling industry.
=wharf=—A loading place for vessels.
=wheel=—When used in its nautical sense, this expression refers to the
wheel by which a ship is steered.
=wherry=—In different localities wherries are of different sizes and
designs. They are small boats, generally driven by oars.
=windjammer=—A slang expression for a person who prefers sails to
engines.
=windward=—That side of a vessel or any other object upon which the
wind is blowing is the windward side. An object which is to windward
is in the direction from which the wind is blowing.
=wind sail=—A tube of canvas, with wings of canvas at the top so
arranged as to direct fresh air below decks. It is a kind of temporary
ventilator.
=wing and wing=—In a fore-and-aft vessel it is possible, when running
directly before the wind, to haul the sails on one mast out to
starboard and those of another mast out to port. This is said to be
sailing _wing and wing_.
=wreck=—A wreck is the destruction of a ship. The ship herself or the
remnants of her after the catastrophe.
=wreckage=—Goods or parts of a ship cast up by the sea after a
shipwreck.
=xebec= (pronounced “zebec”)—A small three-masted vessel,
lateen rigged, and often with an overhanging bow. Common in the
Mediterranean.
=yacht=—A pleasure boat. The term is indefinite in application, and
generally means only the more elaborate pleasure craft owned by the
wealthy.
=yard=—A spar suspended from a mast for the purpose of spreading a
sail.
=yaw=—To yaw in a sailing vessel is to deviate from the true course.
It is often the result of having an inexperienced man at the wheel.
=yawl=—A sailing vessel equipped with two masts, the main and the
jigger. (In England the jigger is often called the mizzen.) The
mainmast is the larger of the two and supports one or more jibs, a
fore-and-aft mainsail, and sometimes a topsail. The jiggermast carries
a small fore-and-aft sail, and the mast is set astern of the tiller or
wheel. For illustration see page 201.
=zenith=—The point directly overhead.
Transcriber’s Notes
pg 6 Changed: they almost univerally used
to: they almost universally used
pg 12 Changed: the coasts of Spain, Portugual, France
to: the coasts of Spain, Portugal, France
pg 47 Changed: feature of the spritsail was partially reponsible
to: feature of the spritsail was partially responsible
pg 74 Changed: She how she scoons!
to: See how she scoons!
pg 91 Changed: fitted with steam stearing gears
to: fitted with steam steering gears
pg 191 Changed: Sir Henry Manwayring, of the Elizabethan navy
to: Sir Henry Mainwayring, of the Elizabethan navy
pg 259 Changed: A sister ship of the ill-fated Titantic
to: A sister ship of the ill-fated Titanic
pg 279 Changed: To most of us it is an engima
to: To most of us it is an enigma