resembling the first, only that instead of being fastened by lashings,
the ropes, of which they are composed, communicate with tackles reaching
to the deck, so that the parrel may be occasionally slackened or
straitened, in order to let the yard move off from the mast, or confine
it thereto as strictly as possible. The last of these are peculiar to
the lower-yards, whereon they are extremely convenient. The second are
always used for the top-sail yards, and frequently for the lower-yards,
in merchant-ships; and the first are seldom employed but for the
top-gallant-yards.
PARSLING. See PARCELLING.
PARTING, _démarrer_, the state of being driven from the anchors,
expressed of a ship, when she has broke her cable by the violence of the
wind, waves, or current, or all of them together.
PARTNERS, _etambraies_, certain pieces of plank nailed round the several
_scuttles_, or holes, in a ship’s deck, wherein are contained the masts
and capsterns. They are used to strengthen the deck where it is weakened
by those breaches, but particularly to support it when the mast leans
against it; as impressed by a weight of sail, or when the capstern bears
forcibly upon it whilst charged with a great effort.
PARTNERS is also a name given occasionally to the scuttles themselves,
wherein the masts and capsterns are fixed.
PASS, or PASSPORT, a permission granted by any state to navigate in some
particular sea, without hindrance or molestation from it. It contains
the name of the vessel, and that of the master, together with her
tonnage, and the number of her crew, certifying that she belongs to the
subjects of a particular state, and requiring all persons, at peace with
that state, to suffer her to proceed on her voyage without interruption.
PASSAGE, _traversée_, a voyage from one place to another by sea; an
outward or homeward-bound voyage.
PASSAREE, a rope used to fasten the main-tack down to the ship’s side, a
little behind the _chesstree_. This contrivance however is very rarely
used, and never but in light breezes of wind.
PAUL, _elinguet_, (_epaule_, Fr.) a certain short bar of wood, or iron,
fixed close to the _capstern_, or _windlass_ of a ship, to prevent those
engines from rolling back, or giving way, when they are employed to
heave-in the cable, or otherwise charged with any great effort. See
CAPSTERN and WINDLASS.
PAUNCH. See PANCH.
_To_ PAY, _espalmer_, as a naval term, implies to daub or anoint the
surface of any body, in order to preserve it from the injuries of the
water, weather, &c.
Thus the bottom of a ship is paid with a composition of tallow, sulphur,
resin, &c. as described in the article BREAMING.
The sides of a ship are usually paid with tar, turpentine, or resin; or
by a composition of tar and oil, to which is sometimes added red oker,
&c. to protect the planks thereof from being split by the sun or wind.
The lower-masts are, for the same reasons, paid with materials of the
same sort, if we except those, along which their respective sails are
frequently hoisted and lowered; such are the masts of _sloops_ and
_schooners_, which are always paid with tallow for this purpose: for the
same reason all top-masts and top-gallant-masts are also paid with hog’s
lard, butter, or tallow. See COAT and STUFF.
PAYING-OFF, _abattée_, the movement by which a ship’s head falls to
leeward of the point whither it was previously directed: particularly
when, by neglect of the helmsman, she had inclined to windward of her
course, so as to make the head-sails shiver in the wind, and retard her
velocity. See also FALLING-OFF.
PAYING-OFF is likewise used to signify the payment of the ship’s
officers and crew, and the discharge of the ship from service, in order
to be laid-up at the moorings.
PAYING-OUT, or PAYING-AWAY, the act of slackening a cable, or other
rope, so as to let it run out of the vessel for some particular purpose.
PEAK, or PEEK, a name given to the upper-corner of all those sails which
are extended by a _gaff_; or by a yard which crosses the mast obliquely,
as the mizen-yard of a ship, the main-yard of a _bilander_, &c. The
upper extremity of those yards and gaffs are also denominated the peak.
Hence
PEEK-HALIARDS, are the ropes, or tackles, by which the outer end of a
gaff is hoisted, as opposed to the _throat_-haliards, which are applied
to the inner end. See HALIARDS.
PENDANT, _flamme_, a sort of long narrow banner, displayed from the
mast-head of a ship of war, and usually terminating in two ends or
points, as expressed by _a_, fig. 4. plate V. There are, besides others,
pendants, _cornets_, of a larger kind, used to distinguish the chief of
a squadron of ships. See the article COMMODORE.
PENDANT, _pantoire_, is also a short piece of rope, fixed under the
shrouds, upon the head of the main-mast and fore-mast, from which it
depends as low as the _cat-harpings_, having an eye in the lower-end,
which is armed with an iron _thimble_, to prevent the eye from being
fretted by the hooks of the main and fore-tackles, &c.
There are, besides, many other pendants of the latter kind, which are
generally single or double ropes, to whose lower extremities is attached
a block, or tackle: such are the fish-pendant, the yard-tackle-pendants,
the reef-tackle-pendants, &c. all of which are employed to transmit the
effort of their respective tackles to some distant object.
PERIAGUA, a sort of large canoe, used in the Leeward islands, South
America, and the gulf of Mexico. It differs from the common vessels of
that name, as being composed of the trunks of two trees, hollowed and
united into one fabric; whereas those which are properly called canoes,
are formed of the body of one tree. See CANOE.
PIER, a strong mound, or fence, projecting into the sea, to break off
the violence of the waves from the entrance of a harbour.
PILLOW, _coussin_, a block of timber, whereon the inner-end of the
bowsprit is supported. See BOWSPRIT.
PILOT, the officer who superintends the navigation, either upon the
sea-coast or on the main ocean. It is, however, more particularly
applied by our mariners to the person charged with the direction of a
ship’s course, on, or near the sea-coast, and into the roads, bays,
rivers, havens, &c. within his respective district[41].
PIN _of a block_. See BLOCK.
PINK, (_pinque_, Fr.) a name given to a ship with a very narrow stern;
whence all vessels, however small, whose sterns are fashioned in this
manner, are called _pink-sterned_.
PINNACE, a small vessel, navigated with oars and sails, and having
generally two masts, which are rigged like those of a schooner.
PINNACE is also a boat, usually rowed with eight oars. See the article
BOAT.
PINTLES, certain pins or hooks, fastened upon the back part of the
rudder, with their points downwards, in order to enter into, and rest
upon the _googings_, fixed on the stern-post to hang the rudder. See
HELM.
PIRATE, _pirate_ (πειρατης, Gr.) a sea-robber, or an armed ship that
roams the seas without any legal commission, and seizes or plunders
every vessel she meets indiscriminately, whether friends or enemies.
The colours usually displayed by pirates are said to be a black field,
with a death’s head, a battle-axe and hour-glass. The last instrument is
generally supposed to determine the time allowed to the prisoners, whom
they take, to consider whether they will join the pirates in their
felonious combination, or be put to death, which is often perpetrated in
the most cruel manner.
Amongst the most celebrated pirates of the north is recorded _Alvilda_,
daughter of a king of the Goths, named _Sypardus_. She embraced this
occupation to deliver herself from the violence imposed on her
inclination, by a marriage with _Alf_, son of _Sigarus_, king of
Denmark. She drest herself as a man, and composed her band of rowers,
and the rest of her crew, of a number of young women, attired in the
same manner. Amongst the first of her cruizes she touched at a place
where a company of pirates bewailed the death of their captain. The
strangers were captivated with the agreeable manners of Alvilda, and
chose her for their chief. By this reinforcement she became so
formidable upon the sea, that prince Alf came to engage her. She
sustained his attacks for a considerable time; but, in a vigorous
action, Alf boarded her vessel, and having killed the greatest part of
her crew, seized the captain, namely, herself; whom nevertheless he knew
not, because the princess had a casque which covered her visage. Being
master of her person, he removed the casque, and, in spite of her
disguise, instantly recognized her, and offered her his hand in
wedlock[42].
PITCH, _brai_, (_pix_, Lat.) a composition, black, dry, brittle, and
shining, which remains at the bottom of an alembic after the oil of
turpentine is drawn off by distillation. It is used in calking a ship,
to fill the chinks, or intervals between the planks of her sides, or
decks, or bottom. It is sometimes mixed with resin, or other glutinous
material. See TAR.
_To_ PITCH _the seams_. See the article PAY.
PITCHING, _tangage_, (_appicciare_, Ital.) may be defined, the vertical
vibration which the length of a ship makes about her centre of gravity;
or the movement, by which she plunges her _head_ and after-part
alternately into the hollow of the sea.
This motion may proceed from two causes: the waves, which agitate the
vessel; and the wind upon the sails, which makes her stoop to every
blast thereof. The first absolutely depends upon the agitation of the
sea, and is not susceptible of inquiry; and the second is occasioned by
the inclination of the masts, and may be submitted to certain
established maxims[43].
When the wind acts upon the sails, the mast yields to its effort, with
an inclination, which increases in proportion to the length of the mast,
to the augmentation of the wind, and to the comparative weight and
distribution of the ship’s lading.
The repulsion of the water, to the effort of gravity, opposes itself to
this inclination, or at least sustains it, by as much as the repulsion
exceeds the momentum, or absolute effort of the mast, upon which the
wind operates. At the end of each blast, when the wind suspends its
action, this repulsion lifts the vessel; and these successive
inclinations and repulsions produce the movement of _pitching_, which is
very inconvenient; and when it is considerable, will greatly retard the
course, as well as endanger the mast, and strain the vessel.
PLANE, a term used by shipwrights, implying the area, or imaginary
surface, contained within any particular outlines. Thus the plane of
elevation, plate I. exhibits a surface limited by the head before, by
the stern abaft, by the keel below, and by the upper part of the
vessel’s side above. Thus the horizontal plane, in the same plate, is
comprehended within the lines which describe the ship’s greatest breadth
and length; and thus also the plane of projection, represented likewise
in plate I. circumscribes the greatest height and breadth of the same
vessel.
PLANKING, _border_, the act of covering and lining the sides of a ship
with an assemblage of oak planks, which completes the process of
ship-building, and is sometimes called _laying on the skin_, by the
artificers. See the article BUILDING.
The breadth and thickness of all the planks of a 74 gun ship, as also of
her _wales_ and _thick-stuff_, are exhibited in the midship section,
plate VII.
PLAT, _garcette de cable_, a sort of braided cordage, formed of several
_strands_ of old rope-yarn, twilled into _foxes_. It is used to wind
about that part of the cable which lies in the _hause-hole_, or against
the fore-part of the ship, where it would otherwise be greatly injured
by the continual friction, produced by the agitation of the ship in
stormy weather. See the articles FRESHEN and SERVICE.
PLUG, _pelardeaux_, (_plugg_, Swed.) certain pieces of timber, formed
like the frustrum of a cone, and used to stop the hause-holes, and the
breaches made in the body of a ship by cannon-balls; the former of which
are called hause-plugs, and the latter, shot-plugs, which are formed of
various sizes in proportion to the holes made by the different sizes of
shot, which may penetrate the ship´s sides or bottom in battle;
accordingly they are always ready for this purpose. See ENGAGEMENT.
PLUNDER, _butin_, a name given to the effects of the officers or crew of
a prize, which are pillaged by the captors.
PLYING, the act of making, or endeavouring to make, a progress against
the direction of the wind. Hence a ship, that advances well in her
course in this manner of sailing, is said to be a good plyer,
_boulinier_. See the articles BEATING and TACKING.
POINT, a low angle, or arm of the shore, which projects into the sea, or
into a river, beyond the rest of the beach.
POINTING, the operation of tapering the end of a rope, and weaving a
sort of mat, or close texture, about the diminished part of it, so as to
thrust it more easily through any hole, and prevent it from being
readily untwisted. Thus the end of a _reef-line_ is pointed, so that,
being stiffer, it may more readily penetrate the eye-let holes of the
reef; and the ends of the strands of a cable are occasionally pointed,
for the greater conveniency of _splicing_ it to another cable,
especially when this task is frequently performed. The extremities of
the splice of a cable are also pointed, that it may pass with more
facility through the hause-holes.
POINTS, _garcettes de ris_, short flat pieces of braided cordage,
tapering from the middle towards each end, and used to reef the courses
and top-sails of a ship. See the article REEF.
POLACRE, a ship with three masts, usually navigated in the Levant, and
other parts of the Mediterranean. These vessels are generally furnished
with square sails upon the main-mast, and _lateen_ sails upon the
fore-mast and mizen-mast. Some of them however carry square sails upon
all the three masts, particularly those of Provence in France. Each of
their masts is commonly formed of one piece, so that they have neither
top-mast nor top-gallant-mast; neither have they any _horses_ to their
yards, because the men stand upon the top-sail-yard to loose or furl the
top-gallant-sail, and on the lower-yard to _reef_, loose, or furl the
top-sail, whose yard is lowered sufficiently down for that purpose. See
also XEBEC.
POLE-AXE, a sort of hatchet nearly resembling a battle-axe, having an
handle about 15 inches in length, and being furnished with a sharp
point, or claw, bending downwards from the back of its head; the blade
whereof is formed like that of any other hatchet. It is principally
employed to cut away and destroy the rigging of any adversary who
endeavours to board.
Pole-axes are also said to have been successfully used on some occasions
in boarding an enemy, whose sides were above those of the boarder. This
is executed by detaching several gangs to enter at different parts of
the ship’s length, at which time the pole-axes are forcibly driven into
her side, one above another, so as to form a sort of scaling-ladders.
POLE-MAST. See the article MAST.
_Under bare_ POLES, _etre à sec_, the situation of a ship at sea when
all her sails are furled, particularly in a tempest. See the articles
SCUDDING and TRYING.
POMIGLION, a name given by seamen to the cascabel, or hindmost knob of a
cannon. See that article.
PONTOON, (_ponton_, Fr.) a low flat vessel, nearly resembling a lighter,
or barge of burthen, and furnished with cranes, _capsterns_, tackles,
and other machinery necessary for careening ships of all sizes. These
are very common in the principal parts of the Mediterranean, but are
rarely used in the northern parts of Europe.
POOP, _dunette_, (_puppis_, Lat.) the highest and aftmost deck of a
ship. See the article DECK.
POOP-ROYAL, _dunette sur dunette_, a short deck, or platform, placed
over the aftmost part of the poop in the largest of the French and
Spanish men of war, and serving as a cabin for their masters and pilots.
This is usually called the top-gallant-poop by our shipwrights.
POOPING, the shock of a high and heavy sea, upon the stern or quarter of
a ship, when she _scuds_ before the wind in a tempest. This circumstance
is extremely dangerous to the vessel, which is thereby exposed to the
risk of having her whole stern beat inwards, by which she would be
immediately laid open to the entrance of the sea, and of course,
foundered or torn to pieces.
PORT, a harbour or haven on the sea-coast. See the article HARBOUR.
PORT is also a name given, on some occasions, to the larboard, or
left-side of the ship, as in the following instances:
_The ship heels to_ PORT, _i. e._ stoops or inclines to the larboard
side.
_Top the yard to_ PORT, the order to make the larboard extremity of a
yard higher than the other. See TOPPING.
PORT _the helm_! the order to put the helm over to the larboard-side of
the vessel.
In all these senses this phrase appears intended to prevent any mistakes
happening from the similarity of sounds in the words starboard and
larboard, particularly when they relate to the helm, where a
misapprehension might be attended with very dangerous consequences.
PORTS, _sabords_, the embrasures or openings in the side of a ship of
war, wherein the artillery is ranged in battery upon the decks above and
below.
The ports are formed of a sufficient extent to point and fire the
cannon, without injuring the ship’s side by the recoil; and as it serves
no end to enlarge them beyond what is necessary for that purpose, the
shipwrights have established certain dimensions, by which they are cut
in proportion to the size of the cannon.
The ports are shut in at sea by a sort of hanging-doors, called the
_port-lids_, _mantelets_; which are fastened by hinges to their
upper-edges, so as to let down when the cannon are drawn into the ship.
By this means the water is prevented from entering the lower-decks in a
turbulent sea. The lower and upper edges of the ports are always
parallel to the deck, so that the guns, when levelled in their
carriages, are all equally high above the lower extremity of the ports
which is called the port-cells. The ports are exhibited, throughout the
ship’s whole length, by H. in the ELEVATION, plate I. They are also
represented upon a larger scale in plate IV. fig. 10. and plate VIII.
fig. 3. The gun-room-ports, in the ship’s counter, are expressed by H.
fig. 1. plate X. See also the articles DECK and CANNON.
POWDER-CHESTS, certain small boxes, charged with powder and a quantity
of old nails, or splinters of iron, and fastened occasionally on the
decks and sides of a ship, in order to be discharged on an enemy who
attempts to seize her by boarding. See that article.
These cases are usually from 12 to 18 inches in length, and about 8 or
10 in breadth, having their outer or upper-part terminating in an edge.
They are nailed to several places of the _quarter_, the quarter-deck and
bulk-head of the waist, having a train of powder which communicates with
the inner apartments of the ship, so as to be fired at pleasure to annoy
the enemy. They are particularly used in merchant-ships, which are
furnished with close quarters to oppose the boarders. See
CLOSE-QUARTERS.
PRAM, or PRAME, a sort of lighter, used in Holland and the ports of the
Baltic sea, to carry the cargo of a merchant-ship _along-side_, in order
to lade her: or to bring it ashore to be lodged in the store-houses
after being discharged out of the vessel.
PRATIC, _pratique_, a term used in the European ports of the
Mediterranean sea, implying free intercourse or communication with the
natives of the country, after a limited quarantine has been performed,
in consequence of a voyage to Barbary or Turkey.
PREVENTER, an additional rope, employed at times to support any other,
when the latter suffers an unusual strain, particularly in a strong gale
of wind; as the
PREVENTER-BRACE, a temporary brace, fixed occasionally to succour the
main or fore-yard of a ship, but particularly the latter, when it is
charged with a greater effort than usual, and which, it is apprehended,
the common standing braces would not be able to support. See BRACE.
_Preventer-shrouds_, and _Preventer-stays_, are applied, in the same
manner, to serve the same purposes; and may be easily understood by
referring to the articles SHROUD and STAY.
PRICKING _the chart_, _pointer_, the act of tracing a ship’s course upon
a a marine chart, by the help of a scale and compasses, so as to
discover her present situation.
PRICKING _the sails_, the act of stitching two cloths of a sail together
along the space, comprehended between the two edges, or selvages, that
overlay each other. Or, it is the sowing a middle-seam between the two
seams which are employed to unite every cloth of a sail to the next
adjoining. This operation is rarely performed till the sails have been
worn for a considerable time, so that the twine, with which they were
originally sewed, is become very feeble and incapable of resisting the
efforts of a strong gale of wind.
PRIMING, the train of powder which is laid from the opening of the
touch-hole, along the cavity of the pan, in order to fire the piece:
also the operation of laying this train. See the articles CANNON and
EXERCISE.
PRIMING-WIRE, or PRIMING-IRON, a sort of iron-needle, employed to
penetrate the touch-hole of a cannon, when it is loaded, in order to
discover whether the powder contained therein is thoroughly dry, and fit
for immediate service.
PRIVATEER, a vessel of war, armed and equipped by particular merchants,
and furnished with a military commission by the admiralty, or the
officers who superintend the marine department of a country, to cruize
against the enemy, and take, sink, or burn their shipping, or otherwise
annoy them as opportunity offers. These vessels are generally governed
on the same plan with his majesty’s ships, although they are guilty of
many scandalous depredations, which are very rarely practised by the
latter.
PRIZE, a vessel taken from the enemy by a ship of war, privateer, or
armed merchantman[44].
PRIZING, the application of a lever to move any weighty body, as a cask,
anchor, cannon, &c.
PROTEST, an instrument, drawn up in writing, and attested before a
justice of peace, by the master and a part of the ship’s crew after the
expiration of a voyage, describing the severity of the said voyage,
occasioned by tempestuous weather, heavy seas, an insufficient crew, or
any other circumstances by which the ship has suffered, or may suffer,
either in her hull, masts, rigging, or cargo. It is chiefly intended to
shew, that such damages or misfortunes did not happen through any
neglect or ill conduct of the master or his officers.
PROW, _proue_ (_pros_, Lat.) a name given by seamen to the beak, or
pointed cut-water of a polacre, xebeck, or galley. The upper-part of the
prow, in those vessels, is usually furnished with a grating-platform for
the convenience of the seamen who walk out to perform whatever is
necessary about the sails or rigging on the bowsprit.
PUDDENING, _bourrelet_, a thick wreath, or circle of cordage, tapering
from the middle towards the ends, and fastened about the main-mast and
fore-mast of a ship, to prevent their yards from falling down, when the
ropes by which they are usually suspended are shot away in battle.