THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY Compiled by Peter Turner
THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY Compiled by Peter Turner
THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 4 5 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com I started compiling this dictionary in about 1980, from ignorance. From a fairly early age I had held an interest in history. This may have stemmed from an ability to draw, that generated praise in my less-thanteens when I drew a reasonably recognisable Stonehenge as a school exercise. Or it may be that I had an exceptionally good history teacher, though the fact that I cannot remember him or her would suggest that this was not the case. My interest in history developed more fully after I had left school, but it was not the history of monarchs and battles. I was intrigued by how people lived – social history on a small scale, one might say. How the everyday life of the average Anglo-Saxon went on, and how they earnt a living. What they were interested in and how they related to one and other. What struck me was how similar they were to us. In truth, how much cleverer the average person was than they are today. They had rudimentary comunication methods, so many of the everyday problems they encountered had to be resolved by themselves. Many of the methods and devices that make our lives so easy these days were actually invented by them – all we have done is improve them. Some of them! However, another interest that I had was reading. I confess, it was usually cheap historical novels, but it was a way of reading how people made a living that was not found in the history textbooks. Then I found naval history. I think it was whilst reading an Alexander Kent novel, featuring the adventures of Captain Bolitho, that I started wondering how the crew lived on sailing ships in Napoleonic times. I was unfamiliar with some of the terminology used to describe sailing, and started to look things up. Soon after this embryo interest in naval history I discovered the Aubrey/Maturin series of books by Patrick O’Brian and if I had been hooked by Bolitho I was totally landed by Aubrey and Maturin. But the terminology used by P O’B was extreme (by my standards), so I started keeping a note of all the new terms and their de�initions as I found them – for future reference. This is now the future. At the last count, the book you are reading has approximately 11,500 de�initions and comprises over 157,000 words. It is still a Work-In-Progress, and will probably remain so, never getting �inished. But, having ‘sat on it’ for all this time, and with tempus fugitting, I felt the need to share it with you. I hope you �ind it useful, with the odd �lash of fun – but no pictures, sorry. Finally, as it is a Work In Progress, please sing out if you spot anything missing, or that you do not like. ka.editor@1805club.org May 2024 © Peter Turner 2024 Issue One First digitally published 2024 Introduction
THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 6 7 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com A1 - The first class of excellence of merchant ships, listed by vowel and numeral. e.g. A1, A2, E1, E2, I1, etc. A - Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'in' or 'on'. A'back, abaft, etc. A.B. - The name used for the rating of able seaman, an abbreviation comprising the first two letters of 'able'. Aak - A ketch rigged cargo ship, used for river or coastal transport, mainly on the Maas and Rhine, for wine shipping. Abab - A Turkish coastal sailor. Ab-Goozar - Ganges river ferry boat. Aback - A ship is 'laid aback' when her way is accidentally, or sometimes purposely, deadened and 'taken aback' when the wind suddenly shifts onto the fore side of the sails, blowing her in a different direction to that intended, often dangerously. Hence the use of that phrase for being surprised. Also ‘all aback’. Abaft - To the rear of the ship. Abaka - A vegetable fibre from which fine ropes and rigging could be made. It floated and did not need tarring, due to its resistance to rot. Abandon - A maritime legal term for the release of control of a ship. Abandonment - Abandoning an interest or claim, in maritime law. Abase - To lower a flag or sail. Abatement - When a merchantman has been delayed or otherwise hindered, there may be a case for abatement, or reduction, of freight charges. Abblast - Crossbow. Abblaster – Crossbowman; often carried on early ships. Abeam - Alongside the ship. Abeam Arm – See Fork Beam. Abel Brown - An unquotable sea-song. Aberration - An apparent change of place of fixed stars, caused by the earth's orbital movement. Abited – Infected with mildew. Abjuration - An oath taken by officers on receipt of their commission. Able - 1. Able-bodied: fit and strong. 2. Able seaman: A senior deckhand, capable of carrying out all the various tasks required to keep the ship afloat and working, including fighting with the guns and enemy crews. Able seamen constituted about one third of crew. Able Whackets - 1. A popular card game with seamen, in which the loser's hand gets beaten with a rope. 2. A good share. Aboard - On board ship. Aboard main tack - The order given when closehauling, instructing the hands to haul the tack of the mainsail down to the chess-tree. Abode - Waited for. Abord - Across, such as from shore to shore of a river, etc. About - Go, come, put, etc., - change direction, through 180°. 'About-ship!' was the order to the ship's crew to prepare for tacking. Above board - Above the deck and visible. Hence the term came to mean honest and fair. A-box, Abox - Said of a square-rigged ship when the yards are braced in opposite directions or laid square to the foremast, in order to heave-to. Yards braced abox were braced flat aback to the wind. Abraham men - Nickname for vagrants, from Abraham ward in Bedlam, which was reserved for mentally disadvantaged patients. Malingerers trying to enter the ship's doctors list were said to 'sham Abraham'. Abrase – To smooth planks, etc. Abreast - 1. Opposite to, or parallel with. cf Afore and abaft. 2. When inboard, parallel with the ship's beams. 3. Positioned off a place that lay directly abeam. 'Line abreast' described a fleet moving in a line side-by-side. Abrid - A pintle plate. Abroach - Broached or pierced, as in a barrel in use. Abroad – 1. Foreign, such as being posted to a foreign station. 2. At sea. About. In the vicinity. 3. Spread out, said of a flag or sail. Absciss - A part of the diameter or transverse axis of a cone; used in navigation. Absence - A formal permission issued to officers to temporarily quit their duties, usually on an urgent mission. Absorbtion – The subsidence of islands. Abstract - A short register of a warrant officer's stores. An 'abstract log' has brief important features copied from the ship's log. A-burton – The stowage of casks laid athwartships or sideways across the ship’s hold. The usual way is in a fore-and-aft position. Abut - See Butt. Abyme - The site of a permanent whirlpool. Abyss - A place of deep water. Academite - A graduate of the Royal Navy Academy at Portsmouth, which was later called Royal Naval College. Acair-Phuill – A safe anchorage. Acast - Lost or cast away. Acater - A name for a purveyor of victuals, hence, eventually, 'caterer'. Acates – Victuals; especially nice ones. Access - Means of entry on board. Access space - Space left in cargo, stores, or ship structure to afford access. Accident boat – A boat kept clear and with a well-stocked boat bag, ready for immediate lowering at sea in case of emergency such as assisting another ship or a man overboard. Also sea-boat. Acclivity - The slope of a cliff. Accoil - See Coil. Accommodation – 1. The living space of a vessel, where the officers and crew ate, slept and generally looked after themselves. Cabins on board. Accommodation ladder - A light staircase with hand-ropes or rails, fixed at a ship's sides to a convenient entrance. A Admirals and Azimuths
THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 8 9 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com Accommodation ship - One used to house the crew, perhaps while their own ship was being refitted with cannon, which was done in an arsenal. Accompany – To sail together in company, or convoy. Accost - To pass within hail of a ship, or to come near. Account - Buccaneers were said to 'go on the account' when they turned pirate, presumably because it sounded better, but maybe because they would be held to account if caught. Also see Quarterly Accounts. Accountant-General of the Navy - The superintendent of pay and general accounts in the navy. Accounts - The ship's books and registers. Accoutrement - The equipment of a marine, and other soldier. Accul - The end of a deep bay. Accumulated rate – The total number of seconds or minutes by which a chronometer has gained or lost over a given period, or epoch. Achatour - An old word for the caterer of a mess. Achromatic - A term applied to telescopes in which aberrations of colours had been corrected. Achronical - An old term for the rising of heavenly bodies at dusk, and their setting at dawn. Achterhung - Dutch name for a Bock. Acker - A tide swelling above another, in a river. Ackers - Foreign cash. Ack-men, ack-pirates - Fresh water, or river, thieves. Aclinic Line - Magnetic equator, where the magnetic needle lies horizontal. A-cockbill, a-cockbell – 1. The term for an anchor hanging by its ring at the cathead and held only by the cat-head stopper, ready to be let go, or from the hawsehole. 2. Said of a yard that has been topped by one lift, thus leaving it tilting and not a right angles to the mast. Acon - A flat-bottomed Mediterranean boat used to carry goods over shoals. Acorn - Ornamental top to the spindle, carrying the vane at the masthead, to prevent the vane being blown off. Acquittance - See Quittance. Acrostolium - The Greek or Roman forerunner of the figurehead, usually comprising the symbolic fixing of a helmet or shield at the prow of a ship. Acte – A peninsular. Acting commission - Carrying out the duties, without the promotion confirmed. Action - Battle. Action stations – Modern expression for 'At Quarters'. The places and duties on board detailed to all the sections of a crew for battle. Active List - The list of naval officers on active service. See also Retired List. Active service - Serving on full pay, ready to carry out duties against an enemy. Act of court - The decision of a court. Act of god - A sudden accident from non-human causes, for which ship owners are not held responsible, in maritime law. Act of grace - An act of parliament giving free pardon to deserters, etc. Actuarlae - Ancient long light oared sailing vessel. Actuaire - French open troop transport propelled by oars and sails. Actuairole - French open troop transport propelled by oars only. Acumba - Oakum. Adamant - The loadstone. Used to arm the early compass needle. Adamas - The moon in nautical horoscopes. Adam's ale - Drinking water. Adams, William - Early 17c English navigator who played an important role in the formation of oriental trade in the Far East. Adapter - A fitting into which the eye-piece of a telescope is screwed. Addel, addle, addled - Stale and putrid water in a cask. Addice - 1. An adze. 2. Addled eggs. Addlings - Accumulated pay. Adelantado - A lieutenant of the king of Spain. The word often used by early English historians for admiral. Adhesion - Temporary cohesion of two vessels, caused by tide action on the beam. Adit - Entry port in ancient ships. Adjust - 1. To set an instrument or device. 2. To set the frame of a ship. Adjustment - The final settlement of indemnity in a claim of marine insurance. Adjustment of the Compass – Swinging a vessel from point to point to check the compass variation on each bearing, due to iron in the vessel. Adjutant - A military assistant to an officer, performed in the navy by the first lieutenant, but sometimes applied to an assistant captain of a fleet. Admeasurement - The calculation of a ship's proportions according to assumed rules. Admiral - 1. In Elizabethan times, the chief ship of a fleet, later more often referred to as ‘the flag’. 2. A senior officer of the navy, of various ranks. The highest was the Lord High Admiral; the second highest, Admiral of the Fleet (Fleet Admiral); the third highest, Admiral; the fourth highest, Vice Admiral and the fifth, Rear Admiral. Until 1865, these ranks were further divided into red, white and blue squadrons, making nine levels of rank below 'Admiral'. A Yellow Admiral was a Captain put on the Admiral's List without posting, i.e. retired. There were a total of thirty Admirals in mid 18c: one Admiral of the Fleet; six Admirals; eight Vice-Admirals and fifteen RearAdmirals. 3. The senior skipper of a trawler fleet. 4. A shell of the genus Conus. Admiral Brown - Seamen’s name for floating excrement, usually around a becalmed ship. Admiral's day cabin - What it says. This was usually the principal cabin under the quarterdeck. Admiral’s Flip – Half champagne half brandy. Admiral's lantern - Placed on the main top, for identification of the flagship at night. Admiral’s Midshipman – A time-served midshipman who had passed for lieutenant and been appointed to a ship by the Admiralty, and not by the Captain, thus having precedence for promotion. Admiral's retinue - His general staff. Admiralty - The generic term, used internationally, for jurisdiction over maritime matters. A judge of Admiralty would preside over a court with authority to rule on local issues, the court being established at various locations around the relevant area from time to time. Admiralty! - Reply to Watchman's Challenge if an approaching boat contained a member of the Board of Admiralty. See Boat Calls. Admiralty Black Book - The English version of the Laws of Oleron. Admiralty Board - The ruling body of the Royal Navy. Variously instituted as Commissioners for Executing the Office of The Lord High Admiral, or Lords Commissioners, or The Board of the Admiralty, also The Secretary of the Admiralty, also Admiralty Office. The High Court of the Admiralty dealt with prize money, piracy, &c, and was a source of income for the Lord High Admiral. Admiralty Commission - Incorporated in 1645. It ran the Navy under the Parliament of the Civil War. Admiralty Court - The constitution of a court with jurisdiction, on behalf of the king, over navy matters. Admiralty hitch – A turn of line around a marline spike, which is then lifted and its tip slipped under the bight on the right of the standing part, used to get a strong grip for heavy hauling or when making splices, seizings or servings. Also marline spike hitch. Admiralty midshipman - The term for a timeserved midshipman who had passed examination and was then appointed to a ship by the Admiralty, as compared to the usual practice of them being rated by the captain and appointed by an admiral. Admiralty Pattern anchor - The most familiar type of anchor and the standard type of anchor used before stockless anchors were introduced, given this name after 1840. Wooden stocked and with two triangular flukes on arms opposing the stock. See Anchor. Admiralty sweep - A wide turn taken by a ship's boat to come alongside. Hence used to describe anything overdone. Admiralty yacht - Fast 17c sailing warship used for fleet command duties. Adornings - Carvings on the stern and quarter galleries of a ship. Adown! - The demand of boarders to the crew of a captured ship to go below. Adreamt - Dozing. A not uncommon state of a crewman off watch, when first roused to duty. Adrent - Drowned. Adriatic oak - Best in world, now called Yugoslavian. Adrift - Not under control. Also 'gone adrift' from leave or late for watch or duty, i.e. not reported back on time – although not necessarily desertion. Ad valorem - Duties levied on goods. Advance - 1. Wages paid to a seaman when he signs on, equivalent to two month's wages in the Royal Navy. The clearing of this debt was known as 'working off the dead horse'. Also, Advance Money. 2. To raise or promote. Advanced - 1. 'Advanced post' is an outpost. 2. An 'Advanced squadron' was one sent ahead, on lookout, or to attack an enemy first, the latter usually being called the vanguard, or just van. Advance list - The register of advance pay given on enlistment to crewmen and officers. Advancement - Promotion in rank. Advance Money - When a seaman enlisted he was paid two months wages in advance, prior to going to sea. Clearing off this debt was known as 'working up the dead horse'. Advance Note - A note for one or two month's wages issued to sailors on their signing the ship's articles. Received in advance of sailing and often used to indebt a sailor to a crimp. Advantage - 1. The term for reeving a tackle in order to get the maximum power, or advantage, from it. 2. Some element giving superiority over an enemy. Adventure - Share in the enterprise, i.e. the trade upon which the ship is engaged, or speculation in foreign merchandise, often by seamen. Adventurer - Speculator or investor. Advice Boat - Small fast craft used to carry information. Adviso - In Elizabethan times, an announcement. Advocate General - An officer whose duty was to represent the Lord High Admiral in the High Court of Admiralty, or in courts-martial. Adze, addes, addice - Principal tool of old-time wooden shipbuilders, and coopers, used to smooth or, 'dub', a plank. Aeratae - An ancient brass-prowed ship. Aerology - The science of the air. Aeromancy - An early name for meteorology. Aerometry - The science of measuring the air and its properties. Afer - Latin name for the south west wind. Affair - 1. An indecisive engagement. 2. A duel. Affectionate Friend – The subscription to a letter signed by a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Navy when writing to officers that were not of noble birth. Snobs! Affleck - The name of two brother admirals in the Royal Navy during the 18c. Affreightment - A contract for letting a ship for freight. Afloat - 1. Floating, as distinct from aground. 2. At sea. Afore - In front. Afoul - Tangled. Afoundrit - Sunk or foundered. Afraid - One of the worst descriptions that could be applied to a sea officer, implying cowardice. Aft - Behind. Aft-castle - A raised part at the rear of a ship, for fighting. cf Forecastle. After - Applied to any object in the rear part of a ship. Afterbody - The term for that part of a ship's hull that is aft of the midship section. After-clap - An occurrence which takes place after the consequences of the cause were thought to have ceased. After cockpit - Midshipmen’s mess on Orlop Deck, used as Surgeon's Operating Theatre. After-end - The stern end of a ship, or, of any object, its end towards the stern. Afterguard - Nicknamed 'Sea Dandies' and 'Silk
THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 10 11 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com Sock Gentry'. Seamen of the mainmast division who were too inexperienced or otherwise unable to go aloft, so who stayed on deck and worked the after sails and after gear from there. After-hold - The part of the main hold aft of the main mast. After-ladder - A ladder leading to officers' or captain's quarters, and used only by them. After leech – The lee or aftermost edge of a foreand-aft sail. Aftermost, aftmost - The last object on a ship, from forwards. Afternoon watch - The men on deck from noon until 4 o'clock. See Watches. After-orders - Daily orders were generally given at a regular time. After-orders were irregular, and given later on. After-part - The part, of any location, towards the stern. After-peak – The aftermost part of the hold. After-rake - The part of the hull that overhangs the after-end of the keel. After sails - The sails rigged on the after masts or on the stays running aft from the mainmast. cf Head-sails. After side fish - The aft piece of a made mast. Aft through the hawse pipe - Promoted from the lower deck. After-timbers - Timbers abaft the midship section of a ship. Afterturn - A twist in a rope, where strands are laid up, in the opposite direction to the twist of the strands. Aft hatch, after hatch - A hatch at the rear. Aft hold - The after-hold. Aft peak, after peak - That part at the rear of the hold, in the run, or tapering part. cf Forepeak. Aft powder room - Gunpowder store. Aftward - Towards the stern. Aga – A senior Turkish officer. Against the sun - The anti-clockwise circular motion employed when coiling down left-handed rope. ’HMSAgamemnon’ – Called affectionately ‘Eggs and Bacon’ by those serving in her. Agate - A hard, semiprecious stone, used for the bearing, or pivot, of a compass card. Age (Of Seamen) - Typically 22-24 years old, with 7 years experience at sea, many started 10-12 years old, some 5-6 years old. It was commonplace for 'young gentlemen' to be entered on ships' books before they served, thereby apparently gaining sea time on their records. This was common, but illegal. Agency - A rate, usually of 5%, paid for handling the matters related to prizes. Agency, Naval – One who carries out the financial affairs of naval officers, for which the usual fee was 2½%. Agent - 1. A Prize Agent advanced money for prizes before they were confirmed, and looked after absent clients' claims. 2. An Agent For Sick & Wounded organised such peoples' accommodation and pay. 3. A Navy Agent prepared the accounts etc of officers and crew. 4. Agent Victuallers would be responsible for obtaining provisions on a foreign station. Age of the Moon – The tidal prediction term meaning the mean period in days between the new or Full Moon and the next spring tide. Age of a ship - A necessary disclosure for a contract with Lloyd's. Age of the tide – The tidal prediction term meaning the elapsed time in days since the last New Moon. Aggie Weston's - Sailors' rest homes, first established in 1876. Aggub - Flat bottomed Nile sailing ship used for carrying stone. Agistment - A sea or river embankment. Agitaki - East Indian fishing canoe in 18c. Agonist - A prize-fighter. Agreeing with a climate - An expression in Elizabethan times used for becoming acclimatised. Agreement - A contract between the captain and each member of the crew of a merchantman. Aground - A ship resting on the bottom. If the result of an accident, a ship 'runs aground', or is 'stranded'. If intentionally set aground, a ship is said to have 'taken the ground'. Aguadiente - The adulterated brandy of Spain that was supplied to her ships. Aguada - A Spanish or Portuguese wateringplace. Aguglia - Sharp-pointed rocks, from the Italian for needles. Ague - A malarial, or other, acute fever. Ahead, A-head - In front. Opposite to astern. Ahold - An early term for bringing a ship close to the wind. Ahoo - Crooked or lopsided. Usually 'all ahoo'. Ahoy! - Normal hail to attract attention. Usually pronounced "oy-oy". A-hull – Riding out heavy weather under bare poles and with the helm a-lee. Aid - To supply with stores. Aide-de-camp - A flag lieutenant to an admiral, or a midshipman to a captain, when in action. Aiglet - Metal tips on reeflines, etc. Aiguades - French watering-places Aigulets - Tagged points on the cords of a uniform, or a device of gold lace worn on the shoulder by certain officers to denote their appointment or status. cf Aiglet. Air – A gentle breeze. Air-Braving – Sailing against the wind. Air-Funnel – A type of ventilator comprising an opening in the deck to allow air to lower parts. Airing-stage - A wooden airing/drying platform for gunpowder. Air-Jacket – A leather garment fitted with inflatable bladders, to give buoyancy to the wearer. Air-pipes – Ventilator funnels used to rd the hold of foul air. Air-ports - Scuttles in the ship's sides to let in air when the other ports are closed. Air-pump - Various systems used to pump fresh air into stuffy parts of the ship. Airs - Miasmas. Often blamed for tropical ailments, though without scientific basis. Air-Scuttle – See air-ports. Air-Shaft – A wooden shaft on a vessel used to ventilate the lower parts. Airy – Breezy. Aland – To, or on, land. Alarm - The drum or signal summoning men to take guard in time of danger. Alarm vessel - Early light ship/vessel Albacore - A large shallow-water ocean fish. Albany Beef - Slang name for sturgeon caught in the Hudson River during the War of American Independence. Albatross - Large seabird. Said by some to be Pursers' souls seeking savings or leavings. More commonly, albatrosses were believed to have been the souls of dead sailors, from where came the superstition of it being bad luck to kill one. Prince Alberts - Ad hoc leggings of tightly bound burlap on feet and legs. Albion - British Isles. Apparently so named after the white cliffs of the south coast. Alcaide - A governor. Alcatraz - The pelican. Alcohol - On ship, the most common forms of alcohol were rum and brandy, with wine and small beer for more frequent regular consumption, one of which was issued daily, in excessive quantities by today's standards. Alee, A-lee – 1. Said of the helm when it was pushed down to the lee side of the vessel in order to put the ship about. 2. Said of anything on the lee side. A-lee the helm – A helm order given when the conner wanted the helm pushed down to the lee side to put the vessel about. The helmsman would answer ‘helm’s a-lee’. Also down with the helm, or luff round. Alfred the Great - (848-900) Often said to be the founder of the English Navy. Although he built up the ship stock his navy did not fight significant sea-battles with the Danes, those having been fought before he came along, and after his death the English Navy lapsed into practical nonexistence. Algae - Seaweeds. Algiers Duty - A particular duty levied on goods, by the Long Parliament, used to release captives in the Mediterranean. Algology - The science of sea plants. Alidade - The sight rule of an astrolabe. Alien - Foreign, not British. Alignment - The imaginary line supposed to be kept to maintain a squadron in order. All - Wholly. 'All aback' was when the sails were blown from the front. 'All ahoo' meant disordered or crooked. 'All-a-taunt-o' was the term for a ship that has all its rigging hauled tight and belayed and all yards crossed on the masts. See taunt. 'All hands' was the order for all seamen to muster on deck immediately. 'All hands ahoy' was the order for all hands to assemble on deck, and not just the watch on duty. 'All hands make sail' was a order usually immediately preceding a chase. 'All hands to quarters' was an order in an armed merchantman which was the equivalent to 'Beat to quarters' used in a man-of-war. 'All in the wind' was the point at which, when a ship is gradually steered into the wind, the sails start to lose the wind. 'All Night In' was an expression used to describe the duties of crew members who were not members of watches, and who did not therefore turn out at night - except on the call "All Hands Ahoy!" See Idlers. 'All over' denotes resemblance to an object, e.g. 'she's a king's ship all over'. 'All overish' listlessness and disinterest in food, usually signifying an approaching disease. 'All ready' was the answer from the tops when the sails had been loosened and were ready to be dropped. 'All standing' meant fully clothed, or was the term for a ship brought suddenly to a halt by its anchor biting, when its anchor has been let go whilst the ship had too much way on, thus bringing her up 'all standing'. 'All's well' was the sentry's call on each bell during the middle and morning watches. 'All to pieces' meant out-andout, e.g. 'she beat us all to pieces', meaning the other ship out-sailed her. 'All weathers' meant at any time or season. All above board – This referred to everything being visible when stored on deck and has come to mean all being open and honest. All-a-taut - Seamen's term for a fully rigged ship with everything correctly in place. Allege - A French ballast-boat. Alleyway - That passage-way between lower decks of merchant ships, giving access. All hands aft! - Call to crew to assemble. Alligator - North American timber raftsmen’s boat, equipped with tackles, ropes, winches, etc. Alligator water - Brackish tropical river estuaries. All in the wind - Said of a vessel's sails when going from one tack to the other and the luffs are shaking, or when bad steering sailing too close to the wind. Allision - An expression in maritime law indicating the collision of one ship striking another, as distinct from using the word 'collision', which signified two vessels striking each other. All my eye and Betty Martin - Nonsense. All of one company - Traditional sentiment of equality in the RN. Allotment - The part of seamen's pay apportioned each month to their wives, etc. The 'allotment list' was a record of such apportionments that was sent to the Navy Office for implementation. Alloting – The allocation, by a disinterested person, of shares in a ship’s cargo. Allowance - The ration allotted to each crew member. All parts bearing equal strain - Everything under control. Sometimes used to mean, going to have a sleep. All standing - Fully clothed, as in going to bed 'all standing'. All's well! - Call given by the sentinel when every half-hour bell is struck during the night watches, to affirm safety of the ship, and that he is awake. All together! - A pipe call, giving an officer's order to be obeyed 'all together'. See Pipe calls. Alluvium, alluvion - Silt, such as found in river deltas, etc. Ally - Friendly nation. Almacantars - Arabic name for parallels of latitude. Almadia - African canoe, or larger square-sterned Negro boats. Almagest - Ptolemy's work on geometry and astronomy.
THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 12 13 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com Almanac - Annual book of tables, or a single table, with calendar and astronomical data, used for navigation. Almirante - A Spanish sea officer of senior rank. Almirantesa - A wife of a Spanish sea officer of senior rank. Almury - The upright part of an astrolabe. Alnus caver - Early English transport ship, so named after its constituent wood. Aloft - Above the top deck. In the rigging. ’Aloft’ – The order given to hands to go aloft. Along - Lengthwise. 'Alongside' meant by the side of the ship, or side-by-side. 'Lying along' was when the ship inclined towards leeward due to the press of wind on the sails, or, lying alongside the land. Alongshore - Nautical term for the coast, or a course in sight of it. Alongst - 1. In the middle of a stream. 2. Moored head and stern. Aloof, a-loof - A-weather. Specifically a point between abeam and on the bow, with that part of the ship being called the loof. To 'keep aloof' is to keep distant, or apart. Alow - In or on the hull. As 'alow & aloft', meaning below and above. Alphabetical list – The list of the names and numbers of the people on the pay-book. Altar - A platform in the upper part of a dock. Altazimuth - A navigation instrument, used to find altitudes and azimuths. Altemetrie, altimetry - Early name for trigonometry, among navigators. Alternating sides - The practice of leading the falls of halliards to alternate sides of the ship sailby- sail. Alternating winds - All land and sea breezes are alternating winds, blowing onto the land during the day, when the land is warmer, and blowing to sea at night, when the sea is warmer, because of convection currents. However, this term was usually used to refer to exceptional instances of sudden alterations in a wind. Altimetry - Trigonometry, used to calculate heights or depressions. Altitude - The measured angular height of a heavenly body above the horizon. 'Apparent altitude' is as it appears from the earth's surface. 'True altitude' is that produced after correcting the apparent altitude for parallax and refraction. Altmiklec - A Turkish silver coin, worth a little under three shillings sterling. Altocumulus - High small fluffy clouds. A common early sign of an approaching depression. Altostratus - High elongated flat clouds. The second sign of an approaching depression. Aluff - See Aloof. Amain - An old term meaning 'yield' and 'immediately'. 'Let go amain' meant let the anchor go at once. When a warship encountered a merchant ship in the warship's sovereign waters, it insisted that the merchantman struck its topsail in salute by 'waving amain', done by the warship crew waving swords or pikes. The merchantman is then said to 'strike amain', if they do salute as required. Amalphitan Code - Early code of sea-laws, compiled by the Amalfi, when they were an important maritime power, at about the time of the first Crusade. Amaye - Sea markings on the French coast. Ambassador - A prank in which the victims are ducked in the wash-deck tub, in warm climates. Ambergris - A valuable waxy substance, used in the manufacture of perfumes, harvested from the intestines of whales, and sometimes found floating free in tropical seas. Amelioration - Recompense to the purchaser of a condemned ship, for repairs he has necessarily implemented. American grommet - A brass eyelet fixed into a sail or any piece of canvas. American War - The war between Britain and America of 1812 to 1815, caused by the rigorous exercise, by the British, of their rights of search over neutral, i.e. American, shipping, during the war with France. It was common for British deserters to serve on American ships, and also common for them to be taken off by the British when found during such a search. This was not popular with the Americans, who lost some good seamen in this way, and who sometimes lost their own liberty, the British being not too fussy about whether or not the seamen had protections. American whipping - A method of whipping a rope's end in which the ends of the whip are pulled out at the centre and reef knotted before trimming. Commonly used on hawsers. Also Sailor's whipping. Amidships - About the middle section of the deck. Amidward - Towards the midship section. Ammunition - Warlike stores, including ordnance. An 'ammunition chest' was located near the stern and in the tops of a man-of-war, holding ammunition and weapons in readiness for action. 'Ammunition shoes' were soft slippers worn by those entering the magazine. An 'ammunition wife' was a woman of dubious character. Amphibian, Amphibious - Applied to boats that could mount the shore, and to land operations mounted from the sea. Amphidrome - 18c sailing ships with hull and rigging designed to permit them to sail in both directions without having to go about. Amphitrite – A Greek sea goddess; the wife of Poseidon and the mother of Triton. A lewd version 'comes aboard' with ‘Badger Bag’, or Neptune, at the equator. Amphora - Clay bottles used to transport oil, wine, etc., in ancient times. Amplitude - The angle between the point at which the sun rises and sets and the true east and west points on the horizon. Ampotis - The ebb of the tide. Amusette - A small swivel gun. Amy - A friendly foreigner, serving on board. Analem - An instrument used to in navigation to find the course and elevation of the sun. Anan! - What? Eh? An affected colloquialism of the times. Anaumachion - Archaic term for the crime of refusing to serve in the navy, punishable by 'infamy'. Anchiromachus - Middle age fast sailing ship used to carry anchors and other such equipment to larger vessels. Anchor - A heavy hook implement used to hold the ship by being embedded in the sea bed and being tethered to the ship by means of a cable. The term was also used figuratively to signify security. Each ship had, in theory, three principal anchors; the sheet, the best bower and the second bower, but most had many more. As a rule of thumb, the largest anchor weighed approximately one twentieth of the weight of the ship. On a typical 70 gun ship of the early 18c the sheet anchor weighed 52cwt (although it could weigh up to 71cwt), the best bower was about 1cwt lighter, the small bower was the same as the best bower, but on the port bow (the best bower anchor being on the starboard bow), and the spare anchor about 1cwt lighter than that. Smaller stream and kedge anchors were often carried, the stream weighing about a third of the best bower and the kedge about a third of the stream. Proportions of anchors changed over the ages, so figures should be used with caution. A grapnel was carried in each ship's boat. A 32ft longboat carried an 80lb grapnel, but a 31ft pinnace would have one of just 56lbs, due to the latter boat being used only in sheltered waters. See Anchor Use Expressions. Anchorable - Suitable for anchoring. Anchorage - Suitable location for an anchor to grip, thus keeping the ship safely moored in position. Anchor-ball - A grenade attached to a grapnel, for attaching to, and setting fire to, an enemy ship. Anchor bed – The support structure on the side of a vessel’s forecastle on which the anchor was stowed when at sea. Anchor bell - A bell at the stem of a ship, struck during fog in accordance with the Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea. Also used to indicate the number of cable shackles still out as an anchor is being hauled in. Anchor buoy - A small buoy attached to the crown of a ship's anchor when it is on the bottom, to show its position. Anchor chain cables - In general use after about 1820. Anchor-chocks - Indentations caused by wear in the anchor stock, and small blocks of wood or iron on which the stowed anchor rests. Anchor clinch - The bend formed at the end of the anchor cable, through the anchor ring, forming a clinch or bight which is seized by spun yarn. Anchor components - Anchors usually consist of the following components: arm, bill, blade, bolt, crown, flukes, hoops, nut, palm, ring, snape, stock, throat, treenails. Anchored - Held by the anchor. Anchor-hold - The grip of the anchor on the ground. Anchor hook - Hook on the end of the fish tackle, used to lift the anchor. Anchor hoops – Hoops binding the stock of an anchor to the end of the shank. Anchor ice - See Ice. Anchoring - The act of casting anchor. 'Anchoring ground' is that where the anchor will be effective. Anchor light - A riding light. Anchor-lining - Protecting pieces of plank, fastened onto the ship's sides to prevent wear and tear from the anchor when being fished or drawn up. Anchor orders - The various orders given when a vessel is coming to, or weighing, anchor. They were given in the following order: ‘pay out the cable’; ‘veer away the cable’; ‘come up the capstan’; ‘man the capstan’; ‘heave taut’; ‘unbitt’; ‘heave round’; ‘heave away’; ‘up and down’; ‘pawl the capstan’; ‘hook the cat’; ‘man the cat – haul taut’; ‘off nippers – surge the messenger’; ‘stoppers before all’; ‘hook the fish’; ‘bitt the cable’. Anchor palm - Fluke of anchor. Anchor palm block - A block on the side of the ship, where the anchor palm rested when stowed. Anchor-Ring – The great ring on the anchor. Anchor's aweigh! - The cry indicating that the anchor has broken clear of the ground and is suspended from the ship. Anchor- seat - An archaic name for the prow of a ship. Anchor-shackle - A 'Jew’s harp' shackle used to fasten the anchor to its chain. Anchor smith - One who forges anchors. Anchor-stock – The bar at the top end of an anchor, transverse to the flukes. Anchor-stock-fashion - A method of joining overlapping wale-planks. Anchor-stocking - A method of securing and working planks with tapered butts. Anchor-stock tackle - A small tackle used to hold the stock closer to the ship. Anchor use expressions - To lay or lie 'at anchor' is to be held by the anchor. 'Anchor bearings' were bearings taken while at anchor. 'Anchor cable ranging' is that part of the anchor cable that lays flat on the bottom, before the part that rises to the ship, used to prevent heavy pressure immediately being applied to the bitts. The 'anchor came home' when it dragged loose from the sea bottom. An 'anchor clinch' was a type of half hitch used to secure the cable to the anchor. To 'anchor man-of-war fashion' meant tidily and professionally. An 'anchor spring' was an additional hawser laid out from the cable, to enable a ship to be slewed round. A ship was said to 'back an anchor' when she carried a small anchor ahead of the main one in use, to stop it coming home. A ship was said to 'break the sheer' when she turned beam-on to the wind or tide, thus being pushed at right angles to the anchor chain, which force dragged the anchor free of the bottom. To 'cast anchor' is to drop anchor. ‘1, 2, 3, Let Go!’ was the command to drop anchor. 'Cock-billing' was used to describe when the cable was suspended vertically from the cat-head, with the anchor above water and ready to drop. A ship would 'come to anchor' when she let go the anchor. A 'foul anchor' is one around which the cable has become tangled. 'Seamen's disgrace' was a foul anchor. A 'Line of anchors' was a method of anchoring when more than one anchor was dropped, with the ship moored to span between them. This is considered less safe than if riding at one anchor with the wind at right angles to the line of anchors, due to the stress on the
THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 14 15 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com cables. A ship would 'ride at anchor' whilst anchored. To 'sheer' to the anchor was to move the ship's bows in the direction at which the anchor lies, while heaving in the cable. To 'shoe anchor' meant to cover the palms of an anchor with large triangular pieces of wood, to give the anchor more effectiveness in soft mud. To 'shoulder' the anchor was when a ship was given too short an anchor cable, causing her to be thrown across the tide and lift, or shoulder, the anchor and drift off. A ship that swung or turned with the wind and tide, when riding at a single anchor, was said to be 'tending'. A ship 'tide-rode' when it lay with its anchor up current. To 'trip anchor' was to move and cause the anchor to lift from the bottom, when it was said to be 'a-trip' and no longer holding. To 'weigh anchor' was to raise the anchor from the bottom, at which point the weight of the anchor was taken on the cathead. A ship 'wind-rode' when it lay with its anchor to windward. Anchor-watch - 1. The duty of keeping the deck when the vessel is at anchor. An important duty usually performed by a watch of experienced seamen. 2. The officer and seamen detailed to see that the ship does not drag whilst at anchor. Ancient - An archaic term for the colours, or flag, and their bearer. Ancon - An angle of a knee timber. Also a Spanish name for an anchorage. Andrew Miller, The Andrew - 1. A legendary pressgang leader, who was reputed to have pressed so many seamen that he owned the navy. 2. US and UK seamen’s nickname for the Navy, and for any other unpopular form of authority, after Andrew Miller. 3. A colloquial American nickname for a Man-of-War, probably through the initial letters, and possibly borrowed from the British seamen’s habit of calling the navy The Andrew. Anemometer - Wind gauge or wind speed measuring instrument. Anemoscope - A wind direction indicator pointer. An-end – 1. The position of any mast rigged above another. 2. The term used for a rope coiled down and clear for running. 3. Said of a yard rigged perpendicularly. Aneroid - A portable barometer. Angary, Right of - The claim by a warring country to seize ships of a neutral country that could benefit an enemy. Valid in maritime law, but restoration is required, eventually. Angel - Slang term for a coin of Elizabethan times. Angel shot - Slang term for chain shot. Angil - A fish-hook. Angle bar - Steel or iron rolled bar, used in ship construction, with an L-shaped section. Angle Crown - Anchor with straight arms meeting in a point, called Admiralty Pattern after 1840. Angle of commutation - The difference between the heliocentric longitudes of the earth and a planet or comet, the latter being reduced to the ecliptic. Angle of cut - In navigation, the smaller angle at which a pair of position lines intersect. Larger angles give a better fix. Angle of eccentricity - An astronomical term meaning an angle whose sine is equal to the eccentricity of an orbit. Angle of lee-way - The difference between the true and apparent course, when close-hauled. Angle of the vertical - The difference between the geocentric and geographical latitudes of a place. Angle stringer - A longitudinal frame member made from angle-bars, sometimes with added strength from a bulb bar, often fitted halfway between the deck and the bilge. Angular distance - A term denoting heavenly bodies being within measurable distance for calculating the longitude from them. The length of an arc of a great circle. Angular motion - Motion in a circular direction, such as planets revolving around the sun. Angular velocity - The speed of motion of binary stars around each other. Angulated sail - A sail of triangular shape, with the cloths running differently at the top and bottom, meeting in a mitre joint. Used to save cloth and to spread the load more evenly across the sail. Also mitred sail. Anigh - Close by. Anilla – The commercial term for indigo. Anker - A cask of about 8 gallons. Anne, Queen - (1665-1714) The only woman to ever hold the office of Lord High Admiral of Britain, in 1708, for twenty-nine days, on the death of her husband, Prince George of Denmark, who had held that office since 1702. Anniversary winds - Regular winds occurring at certain seasons, such as monsoons, trade winds, etc. Annotinae – Ancient Roman victualling vessels. Annual Accounts – A ship’s books for the year. Annual returns - A navy ship was required to return three reports to the Admiralty each year, in addition to the general accounts; namely, on the sailing qualities, the men and the progress of the young gentlemen in their navigation lessons. Annul - To cancel a flag signal. Annular Eclipse - An eclipse of the sun, in which a ring of sunlight shows all round the silhouette of the moon. Annular scupper - An invention by Capt. Downes, in which scuppers were fitted with removable concentric rings, thus enabling a surcharge of water to be passed quickly. Annulus Astronomicus - A 16c brass navigational instrument. Anomalistic year - The actual period of the Earth's orbit. Anon - Directly, or immediately. Anson, Lord George - (1697-1762) English admiral of the fleet who famously circumnavigated in the mid 18c, in the ship HMS Centurion, The ship in which he tested the first practical (if unwieldy) ship's chronometer on an earlier trip to the West Indies, and returning with few of the original fleet company but with vast prize wealth. He later became a very effective First Sea Lord of the Admiralty. Answer, to - To reply or succeed. When a ship was seen to follow the instructions given in signal, she was said to 'answer' the signal. Also used in describing the suitability of a gun, boat, etc., e.g. 'the gun will answer' meaning it is 'just the job'. Answering pendant - A red and white striped pendant that was hoisted when answering a flag signal, to indicate that it was understood. It was hoisted 'at the dip', i.e. at half mast, until the message was fully understood. Antarctic – The south polar region. The Antarctic Circle is the latitude of 66° 33' S. Antarctic convergence - The boundary where the cold Antarctic surface water flowing north passes beneath the warmer sub-Antarctic waters flowing south, marking a change in sea temperature and chemical composition and significant biological differences. Ante lucan - Before daylight. Ante meridian - Before noon. Anthelion - A luminous ring surrounding the viewer's shadow, projected onto a cloud or fog bank. Anticyclone - A weather pattern comprising the rotary outward flow of air from a high pressure area. Anti Gallicans - Temporary additional backstays rigged to provide extra support when a ship was in the trade winds. Anti-guggler - The term for a criminal method of extracting the contents of a cask or bottle, by a straw or tube surreptitiously inserted. Anti-Jacobin - An opposer of the French Revolution. The Jacobin political party in France in 1789 supported democratic principles, which caused their revolution. Antipathes – A type of coral with a black horny stem. Antipodes - The opposite side of the globe. Came to popularly mean Australia and New Zealand. Hence 'antipodean' applied to the peoples of those countries. Antiscorbutic - An enriched vitamin source used in the treatment for scurvy. The best form was fresh meat and vegetables, citrus fruit being often issued, but not often effective. Antitrade - A wind blowing steadily in the opposite direction to a prevailing trade wind. Antwerp Hell Burner - 16c explosive fire ship. Anyhow – Doing ones duty by any means. Apace - Quickly. Apeak, apeek - Vertically. "Oars apeak" was an order given in a ship's boat, on approach to its destination. Also said of an anchor when the ship has moved to be over its vertical cable while being hove in, and it is about to break free of the ground. Aphelion - The point on a planets orbit farthest from the sun. Aphlaston – Ship’s stern ornament. Aplanatic - Refraction that corrects the aberration and chromaticity of light rays. Aplustre - The ornamentation at the prow and the ensign on the stern of ancient vessels. Apobathra - Gang-boards on ancient ships, onto the quay. Apocatastasis - The time taken by a planet to return to a heavenly position from whence it started. Apogee - The point on the moon's orbit farthest from the earth. cf perigee. A-poise - When a ship was well trimmed she was said to be a-poise. A-port - Towards the port side. Apostles - Two large bollards near the bows, on the main deck, around which anchor cables were belayed. Apparel - All the removable equipment and fittings of a ship, such as sails, rigging, boats, etc. Apparatus – The equipment of war. Apparel – The furniture or gear of a ship, for insurance purposes. Apparelled – Fully equipped, of a ship. Apparent Equinox – The position of the equinox, as it has been affected by nutation. Apparent Noon – The moment when the centre of the sunis on the meridian. Apparent solar day - The interval between two successive transits of the true sun across the observer's meridian, at which times it is the apparent noon. The length of the apparent day varies with the Earth's orbit. Apparent solar time – Time based on the hour angle of the true sun. The time used on sundials. Also true solar time or astronomical time. Appearance – 1. The moment that land is first seen on lanf-fall. 2. The first arrival of an officer for duty upon a new appointment. Apple-bowed - Bluff shaped ship's bow. Appledore Roller Boom - Worm operated reefing system. Apple-Pie Order – In good order. Apples - Pay, from the golden apples in mythology. Appointed - Equipped or armed and commissioned for duty. Appointment – 1. An officer’s commission. 2. The equipment of a vessel. Appraisement – A legal requirement of the captors of a vessel, from their being responsible for its expenses henceforth. Approval – A senior officer’s signature on an application. Apron - 1. Curved timbers of uniform section, fixed below the stem and above the leading end of the keel. Also Stomach-Piece. 2. In dock, the underwater masonry platform at the entrance to a dock, over which the gates close, if they exist. 3. The piece of sheet lead laid over the touch-hole of a gun, in an attempt to prevent the entry of dampness. Apostis - Outrigger structure of a galley which allows the use of longer oar stroke. Aquage – An old term for water-carriage tolls. Arbalest – An ancient wooden instrument used to measure altitudes of heavenly bodies, comprising a cross, or transversary, sliding on a staff that had graduated degrees marked on it. Also cross-staff, Jacob’s staff or fore-staff. Ardent - Said of a vessel that tends to fly into the wind, needing an excess of weather-helm. Argand light - An early type of lighthouse or alarm light vessel. Arch-Board – Part of the stern above the counter. Arch Of The Cove – The elliptical moulding installed over the cove of a vessel, at the lower part of the taffrail. Arched Squall – A type of violent squall under
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