govern the helm increases in proportion to the length of the spokes; and
so great is the power of the wheel, that if the helmsman employs a force
upon its spokes equivalent to 30 pounds, it will produce an effect of 90
or 120 pounds upon the tiller. On the contrary, the action of the water
is collected into the middle of the breadth of the rudder, which is very
narrow in companion with the length of the tiller; so the effort of the
water is very little removed from the fulcrum B upon which it turns;
whereas the tiller forms the arm of a lever ten or fifteen times longer,
which also increases the power of the helmsman in the same proportion
that the tiller bears to the lever upon which the impulse of the water
is directed. This force then is by consequence ten or fifteen times
stronger, and the effort of 30 pounds, which at first gave the helmsman
a power equal to 90 or 120 pounds, becomes accumulated to one of 900 or
1800 pounds upon the rudder. This advantage then arises from the
shortness of the lever upon which the action of the water is impressed,
and the great comparative length of the tiller, or lever, by which the
rudder is governed; together with the additional power of the wheel that
directs the movements of the tiller, and still farther accumulates the
power of the helmsman over it. Such a demonstration ought to remove the
surprize with which the prodigious effect of the helm is sometimes
considered, from an inattention to its mechanism: for we need only to
observe the pressure of the water, which acts at a great distance from
the centre of gravity G, about which the ship is supposed to turn, and
we shall easily perceive the difference there is between the effort of
the water against the helmsman, and the effect of the same impulse
against the vessel. With regard to the person who steers, the water acts
only with the arm of a very short lever N B, of which B is the fulcrum:
on the contrary, with regard to the ship, the force of the water is
impressed in the direction N P, which passes to a great distance from G,
and acts upon a very long lever E G, which renders the action of the
rudder extremely powerful in turning the vessel; so that, in a large
ship, the rudder receives a shock from the water of 2700 or 2800 pounds,
which is frequently the case, when she sails at the rate of three or
four leagues by the hour; and this force being applied in E, perhaps 100
or 110 feet distant from the centre of gravity G, will operate upon the
ship, to turn her about, with 270000 or 308000 pounds; whilst, in the
latter case, the helmsman acts with an effort which exceeds not 30
pounds upon the spokes of the wheel.
After what has been said of the helm, it is easy to judge, that the more
a ship increases her velocity with regard to the sea, the more powerful
will be the effect of the rudder, because it acts against the water with
a force, which increases as the square of the swiftness of the fluid,
whether the ship advances or retreats; or, in other words, whether she
has head-way or stern-way; with this distinction, that in these two
circumstances the effects will be contrary. For if the vessel retreats,
or moves astern, the helm will be impressed from I to N, fig. 1. plate
V. and, instead of being pushed, according to N P, it will receive the
effort of the water from N towards R; so that the stern wall be
transported according to the same movement, and the head turned in a
contrary direction.
When the helm operates by itself, the centre of rotation of the ship,
and her movement, are determined by estimating the force of this
machine; that is to say, by multiplying the surface of the rudder by the
square of the ship’s velocity[34]. See the articles RUDDER, SAILING,
STEERING, TRIM, and WORKING.
HIGH AND DRY, a phrase which implies the situation of a ship, when she
has run aground, so as to be seen dry upon the strand.
HIGH WATER, _haute marée_, the greatest height of the flood-tide, See
FLOOD and TIDE.
HITCH, _clef_, a sort of knot or noose, by which one rope is fastened to
another, or to some other object, as a post, ring, timber-head, mast,
&c. Hence we say an half-hitch, _demi-clef_, a clove-hitch, a
rolling-hitch, &c. See BEND and KNOT.
HOASE, _manche pour l’eau_, a long flexible tube, formed of leather or
tarred canvas, but chiefly of the latter, and employed to conduct the
fresh water, which is hoisted aboard a ship, into the casks that are
ranged in the hold; and to pass the water, or other liquors, out of one
cask into another. For the latter use, one of the ends or openings of
the hoase is fixed in the empty cask, whilst the other is applied to the
pump that extracts the water out of the full one. This exercise is, on
some occasions, necessary to alter or preserve the trim of the vessel,
without disturbing her stowage.
HOG, _goret_, a sort of flat scrubbing-broom, serving to scrape off the
filth from a ship’s bottom, under water, particularly in the act of
_boot-topping_, which see.
This instrument is formed by inclosing a multitude of short twigs of
birch, or such wood, between two pieces of plank, which are firmly
attached to each other, after which the ends of the twigs or branches
are cut off even, so as to form a sort of brush of considerable
strength. To this machine is fitted a long staff, together with two
ropes, the former of which is used to thrust the hog under the ship’s
bottom, and the latter to guide, and pull it up again, close to the
planks thereof, so as to rub off all the filth effectually. This
exercise is usually performed in the ship’s boat, which is accordingly
confined as close as possible to the vessel’s side during the operation,
and shifted from one part of the side to another, till the whole is
compleated.
HOIST, _guindant_, the perpendicular height of a flag or ensign, as
opposed to the _fly_, which implies its breadth from the staff to the
outer edge.
HOISTING, _hisser_, the operation of drawing up any body by the
assistance of one or more tackles, according to the weight intended to
be raised. See the article TACKLE.
The act of pulling up any body, by the help of a single block only, is
never expressed by the term _hoisting_, if we except the exercise of
extending the sails, by drawing them upwards along the masts or stays,
to which it is invariably applied. See also TRACING-UP and WHIPPING.
HOLD, _cale_, the whole interior cavity or belly of a ship, or all that
part of her inside, which is comprehended between the floor and the
lower-deck, throughout her whole length.
This capacious apartment usually contains the ballast, provisions, and
stores of a ship of war, and the principal part of the cargo in a
merchantman. The disposition of those articles, with regard to each
other, &c. necessarily falls under our consideration in the article
STOWAGE; it suffices in this place to say, that the places where the
ballast, water, provisions, and liquors are stowed, are known by the
general name of the hold. The several store-rooms are separated from
each other by _bulk-heads_, and are denominated according to the
articles which they contain, the sail-room, the bread-room, the
fish-room, the spirit-room, &c.
_To trim the_ HOLD. See the article TRIM.
_After_-HOLD, a general name given to all that part of the hold which
lies abaft the main-mast.
_Fore_-HOLD, that part of the hold which is situated in the fore-part of
the ship, or before the main hatch-way.
HOLD, in navigation, is generally understood to signify a particular
situation of a ship with regard to the shore, by which she is enabled to
keep within a sufficient distance, to facilitate her course, or answer
some other important object. Hence we say, Keep a good hold of the land!
or, Keep the shore well aboard! which are synonimous phrases, implying
to keep near, or in sight of the land.
HOLDING-_on_, the act of pulling back the hind part of any cable, or
other rope, which is heaved round, by the capstern or windlass, or drawn
in by the purchase of a tackle. See CAPSTERN &c.
To have a clearer idea of this exercise, it is necessary to premise,
that there are seldom or never more than three turns of any rope passed
about the barrel of the capstern, when it is employed in heaving;
because a great number of turns of a large rope would soon cover the
whole barrel, and utterly destroy the effect of this motion, till those
turns could be removed; a circumstance which might be attended with very
bad consequences. On the contrary, when there are only a few turns, the
capstern or windlass is always kept sufficiently clear for action for it
is evident, that every revolution of either will heave-in a quantity of
the rope, upon which it is employed, equal to the circumference of its
barrel. Now as there are only a few turns upon the barrel at once, an
equal quantity of the rope will necessarily come off from the capstern
at the same time; and this is accordingly pulled back as strongly as
possible, to prevent it from _surging_ or jerking round the barrel, by
being held too loosely. This is called _holding-on_, which therefore may
be defined, the act of retaining any quantity of rope, acquired by the
effort of a capstern, windlass, or tackle, as being employed in hoisting
as well as heaving.
HOLDING _water_, the operation of stopping a boat in her course, by
holding the oars in the water and bearing the blade, or flat part,
strongly against the current made _along-side_, by her passing swiftly
through the water. See BACK-ASTERN, OAR, and ROWING.
HOLLOA! _commande!_ an exclamation of answer, to any person, who calls
to another to ask some question, or to give a particular order. Thus, if
the master intends to give any order to the people in the main-top, he
previously calls, Main-top, hoay! To which they answer, Holloa! to shew
that they hear him, and are ready. It is also the first answer in
hailing a ship at a distance. See HAILING.
HOME, in a naval sense, either implies the situation of some object,
where it retains its full force of action; or where it is properly
lodged for convenience or security. In the former sense it is applied to
the sails; and in the latter, it usually refers to the stowage of the
hold, or the anchors.
When it is expressed of the sails, it denotes that their _clues_, or
lower corners, are close to the blocks upon the yard-arm, immediately
beneath them; it is therefore understood only of the loftier sails, as
the top-sails, top-gallant-sails, and the studding-sails thereto
belonging. Hence to haul-home the top-sail sheets, is to extend the
bottom of the top-sail to the lower-yard, by means of the sheets. See
CLUE and SHEET.
In the stowage of the hold, &c. a cask, bale, or case, is said to be
_home_, when it bears against, or lies close to some other object,
without leaving any interval between; and indeed the security, or
firmness of the stowage, greatly depends on this circumstance.
HOME, when spoken of the anchor, seems to imply the station of the ship,
with regard to her anchor; which is accordingly said to come home when
it loosens from the ground, by the effort of the cable, and approaches
the place where the ship floated, at the length of her moorings. See the
article ANCHOR.
HOMMOC, _tertre_, a name given by mariners to a hillock, or small
eminence of land resembling the figure of a cone, and appearing on the
sea-coast of any country.
HOOD, _tremue_, a sort of low wooden porch, resembling the _companion_,
and placed over the stair-case or ladder, which leads into the steerage
or apartments, where the crew generally reside in a merchant-ship. The
use of the hood is to admit the air and light, and at the same time
prevent the rain from falling into the steerage.
HOOK, a crooked piece of iron, of which there are several of different
shapes and sizes, used at sea, as boat-hooks, can-hooks, cat-hooks,
fish-hooks, foot-hooks, &c. See the articles BOAT-HOOK, CAN-HOOK, &c.
HORSE, _marche-pied_, a rope reaching from the middle of a yard to its
extremity, or what is called the yard-arm, and depending about two or
three feet under the yard for the sailors to tread upon, whilst they are
loosing, reefing or furling the sails, rigging out the studding-sail
booms, &c. In order therefore to keep the horse more parallel to the
yard, it is usually suspended thereto, at proper distances, by certain
ropes called _stirrups_, which hang about two feet under the yard,
having an eye in their lower ends through which the horse passes. See
the article RIGGING.
HORSE is also a thick rope, extended in a perpendicular direction near
the _fore_ or _after_-side of a mast, for the purpose of hoisting or
extending some sail thereon. When it is fixed before a mast, it is
calculated for the use of a sail called the _square-sail_, whose yard
being attached to the horse, by means of a _traveller_, or _bull’s-eye_,
which slides up and down occasionally, is retained in a steddy position,
either when the sail is set, or whilst it is hoisting or lowering. When
the horse is placed _abaft_ or behind a mast, it is intended for the
_try-sail_ of a snow, and is accordingly very rarely fixed in this
position, except in those sloops of war which occasionally assume the
form of snows, in order to deceive the enemy.
HOUNDS, a name given to those parts of a mast-head, which gradually
project on the right and left side, beyond the cylindrical or conical
surface, which it preserves from the _partners_ upwards. The hounds,
whose upper parts are also called _cheeks_, are used as shoulders to
support the frame of the top, together with the top-mast and the rigging
of the lower-mast. See the article MAST.
HOUSED, _à la serre_, the situation of the great guns of a ship, when
they are secured at sea by their tackles and breechings. See CANNON.
HOWKER, a vessel in the Dutch marine, commonly navigated with two masts,
viz. a main-mast and a mizen-mast, and being from sixty to upwards of
two hundred tons in burthen.
HOUSING, or HOUSE-LINE, a small line, formed of three fine strands, or
twists of hemp, smaller than rope-yarn. It is chiefly used to _seize_
blocks into their strops, to bind the corners of the sails, or to fasten
the bottom of a sail to its bolt-rope, &c. See BOLT-ROPE.
HOY, a small vessel, chiefly used in coasting, or carrying goods to or
from a ship, in a road or bay, where the ordinary lighters cannot be
managed with safety or convenience.
It would be very difficult to describe, precisely, the marks of
distinction between this vessel and some others of the same size, which
are also rigged in the same manner; because what is called a _hoy_ in
one place, would assume the name of a _sloop_ or _smack_ in another: and
even the people, who navigate these vessels, have, upon examination,
very vague ideas of the marks by which they are distinguished from those
above mentioned. In Holland, the hoy has two masts; in England it has
but one, where the main-sail is sometimes extended by a boom, and
sometimes without it. Upon the whole, it may be defined a small vessel,
usually rigged as a sloop, and employed for carrying passengers and
luggage from one place to another, particularly on the sea-coast.
HULK, an old ship of war, fitted with an apparatus, to fix or take out
the masts of his majesty’s ships, as occasion requires.
The mast of this vessel, _a a_, fig. 2. plate V. is extremely high, and
withal properly strengthened by _shrouds_ and _stays_, in order to
secure the sheers, _machine à mater_, which serve, as the arm of a
crane, to hoist out or in the masts of any ship lying alongside. The
sheers, _b b_, are composed of several long masts, whose heels rest upon
the side of the hulk, and having their heads declining outward from the
perpendicular, so as to hang over the vessel whose masts are to be fixed
or displaced. The tackles, _c c_, which extend from the head of the mast
to the sheer-heads, are intended to pull in the latter towards the
mast-head, particularly when they are charged with the weight of a mast
after it is raised out of any ship, which is performed by strong tackles
depending from the sheer-heads. The effort of these tackles is produced
by two capsterns, fixed on the deck for this purpose.
HULK is also a name bestowed on any old vessel laid by, as unfit for
further service: it is probably derived from the ολκαδες, or vessels of
burthen of the ancient Grecians.
HULL, _corps d’un vaisseau_, the frame, or body of a ship, exclusive of
her masts, yards, sails, and rigging: it is usually expressed of a ship
either before she is furnished with masts, &c. or after she is dismasted
and stripped of the aforesaid machinery.
_To_ HULL _a ship_, is to fire cannon-balls into her hull within the
point-blank range.
HULL-_to_, the situation of a ship when she is _trying a-hull_, or with
all her sails furled; as in trying. See the article TRYING.
HURRICANE, _ouragan_, (_huracan_, Span.) a violent and prodigious
tempest, occasioned by the collection and opposition of several winds,
that sometimes blow from one quarter and sometimes from another,
producing a dangerous agitation in the sea, where the waves break, and
dash against each other with astonishing fury. On the approach of a
hurricane, the sea and air become perfectly calm and motionless, without
a breath of wind stirring either. Soon after this the sky is darkened,
the clouds accumulate, and the light of the day is replaced by terrible
flashes of lightening. The hurricanes often last abundantly long, and
are usually accompanied with many fatal accidents[35]. During the
continuance of this general calamity, the vessels which were anchored in
the roads frequently cut their cables and put to sea, where they drive
at the mercy of the winds and waves, after having struck their yards and
top-masts.
The hurricanes are more usual between the tropics, particularly in the
Atlantic ocean, than to the northward or southward of the torrid zone.
J.
JACK, a sort of flag or colours, displayed from a mast erected on the
outer end of a ship’s bowsprit. In the British navy the jack is nothing
more than a small union flag, composed of the intersection of the red
and white crosses; but in merchant ships this union is bordered with a
red field. See the article UNION.
JAMMING, the act of inclosing any object between two bodies, so as to
render it immoveable, whilst they continue in the same position. This
expression is usually applied to the situation of some running-rope,
when it happens to be squeezed by the compression of the
standing-rigging, &c. and by consequence incapable of performing its
office, by traversing in the blocks, till it is released from this
confinement. In this sense jamming is opposed to _rendering_, which see.
A cask, box, &c. is also said to be jammed, when it is in the same
manner wedged in between weighty bodies, so as not to be dislodged
without great difficulty.
JEARS, or GEERS, _drisse_, an assemblage of tackles, by which the lower
yards of a ship are hoisted up along the mast to their usual station, or
lowered from thence as occasion requires; the former of which operations
is called _swaying_, and the latter, _striking_. See those articles.
In a ship of war, the jears are usually composed of two strong tackles,
each of which has two blocks, viz. one fastened to the lower-mast-head,
and the other to the middle of the yard. The two blocks which are
_lashed_ to the middle, or _slings_ of the yard, are retained in this
situation by means of two cleats, nailed on each side, whose arms
enclose the ropes by which the blocks are fastened to the yard. The two
ropes, which communicate with these tackles, lead down to the deck on
the opposite side of the mast, according to the situation of the upper
jear-blocks.
The jears, in merchant-ships, have usually two large single blocks on
the opposite side of the mast-head, and another of the same size in the
middle of the yard. The rope, which communicates with these, passes
through one of the blocks hanging at the mast-head, then through the
block on the yard, and afterwards through the other hanging-block upon
the mast. To the two lower ends of this rope, on the opposite sides of
the mast, are fixed two tackles, each of which is formed of two double
blocks, the lower one being hooked to a ring-bolt in the deck, and the
upper one spliced, or seized into the lower end of the great rope above,
which is called the tye. By this contrivance the mechanical power of the
tackle below is transmitted to the tye, which, communicating with blocks
on the yard, readily _sways up_, or lowers it, either by the effort of
both jears at once, on the opposite sides of the mast, or by each of
them separately, one after the other.
JETTY-HEAD, a name usually given, in the royal dock-yards, to that part
of a wharf which projects beyond the rest; but more particularly the
front of a wharf, whose side forms one of the cheeks of a dry or wet
dock.
JEWEL-BLOCKS, a name given to two small blocks, which are suspended at
the extremity of the main and fore-top-sail-yards, by means of an
eye-bolt, driven from without into the middle of the yard-arm, parallel
to its axis. The use of these blocks is to retain the upper-part of the
topmast studding-sails beyond the skirts of the top-sails, so that each
of those sails may have its full force of action, which would be
diminished by the incroachment of the other over its surface. The
_haliards_, by which those studding-sails are hoisted, are accordingly
passed through the jewel-blocks; whence, communicating with a block on
the top-mast-head, they lead downwards to the top or decks, where they
may be conveniently hoisted. See the article SAIL.
JIB, _foc_, the foremost sail of a ship, being a large stay-sail
extended from the outer end of the bowsprit, prolonged by the jib-boom,
towards the fore-top-mast-head. See _Sail_.
The jib is a sail of great command with any side-wind, but especially
when the ship is _close-hauled_, or has the wind upon her beam; and its
effort in _casting_ the ship, or turning her head to leeward, is very
powerful, and of great utility, particularly when the ship is _working_
through a narrow channel. See SAILING.
JIB-BOOM, a boom run out from the extremity of the bowsprit, parallel to
its length, and serving to extend the bottom of the jib, and the stay of
the fore-top-gallant-mast. This boom, which is nothing more than a
continuation of the bowsprit forward, to which it may be considered as a
top-mast, is usually attached to the bowsprit by means of two large
boom-irons, (see the article IRON-WORK) or by one boom-iron, and a _cap_
on the outer-end of the bowsprit; or, finally, by the cap without, and a
strong lashing within, instead of a boom-iron; which is generally the
method of securing it in small merchant-ships. It may therefore be drawn
in upon the bowsprit, as occasion requires, which is usually practised
when the ship enters a harbour, where it might very soon be broke, or
carried away, by the vessels which are moored therein, or passing by
under sail.
JIBING. See GYBING.
JIGGER, a machine, consisting of a piece of rope about five feet long,
with a block at one end and a sheave at the other; and used to _hold-on_
the cable, when it is heaved into the ship by the revolution of the
_windlass_. See HOLDING-ON.