| A1 |
Reported by Lloyd's examiner in first class condition |
| A. B. |
Able Bodied; higher and more experienced that an
"ordinary seaman" |
| Abaft |
Behind or on the side near the stern as "abaft the
deckhouse" |
| Aft |
Near the stern, or behind the vessel |
| Athwart or thwart |
Across, generally across the slip; as the thwarts or seats
on which rowers sit |
| Ballast |
Heavy material, such as iron, lead, bags of sand or shot,
barrels or tanks of water, carried in the bottom of the ship to steady her or to prevent
her leaning over too easily when the wind blows against her side or sails |
| Battens |
Strips of wood or flat iron bars used to fasten down the
tarpaulins covering hatches |
| Beat |
To sail with the wind first on one bow and then the other |
| Before |
In front of, as before the deck-house; on the side nearer
the bows |
| Belay |
To fasten a rope round a cleat or belaying pin |
| Belaying Pin |
Large bolts round which the ropes are twisted to fasten
them |
| Bell |
The ship's bell is rung in a certain way at sea to
indicate the time every half hour. At noon, by observation, eight strokes are given in
four pairs of strokes; at 12:30, one stroke; at one o'clock, two strokes; at 1:30, tow
strokes, and after a short pause, a third stroke; at two o'clock, two pairs of strokes;
and so on to four o'clock when four pairs of strokes, or 'eight bells' are sounded. From
four o'clock to eight o'clock are the first and second "dog watches", and in
these the greatest number of strokes is four bells; but after that the bells are rung in
the usual way until the following noon. |
| Berth |
A sleeping place; the place where a ship lies |
| Bilge |
A ship's bottom extending form the keel to the beginning
of the curve of the sides |
| Bilge Keel |
A keel or projection fastened to the outside of the curve,
for about two-thirds of the vessel's length to reduce rolling |
| Binnacle |
The stand for the compass by which the vessel is steered |
| Boom |
A fore and aft spar extending from a mast to stretch or
extend a sail |
| Bows |
The two sided at the front of a vessel; that on the right
is in the starboard bow, that on the left the port bow. |
| Bowsprit |
A spar projecting in front of the bows, and secured in
place by various ropes, those to each side being "shrouds," and those beneath
"bobstays". |
| Bridge |
A light structure extending across a steamer; reserved for
the captain and other navigating officers. |
| Bulkhead |
A wall or partition in the interior of a vessel |
| Bulwarks |
The raised sides round a vessel's deck |
| Bunk |
A fixed sleeping berth |
| Buoy |
A floating iron can moored by a chain on the edge of a
shoal to mark a safe channel; buoys are of a great variety of shapes, all of which have a
definite meaning to the sailor; some carry bells rung by the motion of the sea, and others
gas-lamps which burn night and day for weeks at a time |
| Caboose |
A revolving post fastened to a deck to haul up an anchor
worked by steam or by men at the capstan bars. |
| Charthouse |
A small deckhouse in which the charts are kept; adjoins
the bridge and is sometimes next to the captain's cabin |
| "Chips" |
Nickname for ship's carpenter |
| Clew |
Lower corner of a sail |
| Close Hauled |
Sailing close to the wind |
| Companion |
A staircase or ladder leading from the deck to an
apartment below; also the hatch covering over this. |
| Crow's Nest |
A barrel-shaped, lookout place on the foremast; usually
accommodates two men. |
| Cuddy |
A small cabin; a cooking galley |
| Cutter |
A one-masted fore and aft rig sailing vessel |
| Davits |
Steel or iron cranes, usually fitted in pairs at the sided
of a ship for raising and lowering boats from and to the water. |
| "Davy Jone's Locker |
The bottom of the sea |
| Dead Reckoning |
In weather when navigating officers cannot see the sun or
stars they estimate the ship's position by the distance traveled, as shown by the log,
etc.; this is called "dead reckoning". |
| Deadlights |
Wood or metal coverings over port-holes or windows; also
used in bad weather to prevent the sea smashing the glass |
| Derelict |
A forsaken ship |
| Dinghy |
A small open boat |
| "Doctor" |
Nickname for a ship's cook |
| Easting |
The degrees of longitude when sailing eastward |
| Fathom |
Six feet. Lead lines always and charts showing depth of
water generally are marked in fathoms |
| Fender |
A long wooden beam usually swinging at the side of a pier
to prevent ships chafing against them. Globular shaped plaited rope, or pudding fenders,
are generally sued when a vessel is moving alongside another or a landing stage to lessen
the shock of contact. |
| Flotsam |
Goods thrown into the sea from a ship and still afloat |
| Fore or Forward |
Opposite to "aft" "The fore or front part
of a vessel" |
| Forecastle |
A small raised deck forward also the accommodation for the
crew beneath this deck. |
| Foul |
Dirty, tangled. |
| Freeboard |
The vessel's side above water amidships. |
| Gunwale |
The top of the sides of a boat. |
| Half-deck |
Forecastle deck; a half-deck boat is one only partially
decked. |
| Halliard, or Haulyard |
A rope or chain for raising or lowering a sail or flag |
| Hatch |
An opening in a deck for passengers or cargo one with a
sliding top is a "booby hatch". |
| Hawse holes |
Holes in the bows through which anchor chains are passed. |
| Heel |
To lean over to one side. |
| Helm |
The tiller or handle controlling the rudder. To "port
the helm" is to put it to the left and send the vessel to starboard, while to
"starboard the helm" is to put it to the right and send the vessel to the left. |
| Hold |
The interior of a ship for cargo. |
| Hurricane Deck |
The topmast deck in a large steamship. |
| Jetsam |
Goods thrown overboard and washed ashore. |
| Jigger Mast |
The fourth mast in a vessel. |
| Jury |
Temporary makeshift, as a jury mast. |
| Ketch |
A vessel with one large mast and the after mast small;
there are many varieties of this rig. |
