THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 116 117 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 fog or mist. Loom gale – An easy gale. Loop holes - Small holes cut through a ship's bulkheads, or elsewhere, through which a boarding enemy could be fired at with small arms. Loops - (hgv) Loose – (v) To let go the gaskets of a furled sail, ready to set it. Loose fish – A whale that is fair game for anyone to harpoon. Loose footed – Said of a sail that had an unattached foot, as distinct from those on which the foot is attached to a boom. Loose points, reefing - SMS Looseness - Diarrhoea. Loosers - SMS Loosing sail - SMS Loosing to a bowline, buntline - SMS Lop – Short quick-running seas. Loppy – Said of a sea with lop. Lorcha – A small Chinese pirate sailing vessel with a European style hull but Chinese junk rig; usually armed. Lord High Admiral - Now, the Sovereign, but in the past, a high office of state in the gift of the Sovereign. Known to have been abused. Lord Mayor's Men - Delinquents who were sent to sea rather than to prison. Lord of the Heads - Lose Ground - Losing way - SMS Lost the number of his mess – Died, of a seaman. Lotion - Alcohol. Lowbell - A small bell, usually used in fowling. Low bunts - SMS Lowdies or lowders - Woodlice, the curse of ship's timbers Lower! - Second Pipe Call. Lower and dip – The order given to dip a lugsail round to the other side of its mast. Lower away – The order given to lower a yard or sail. Lower boom - Earlier name for a guess warp boom, usually arranged by the rigging of a studding-sail boom from the lower yard-arm. Lower cheerily – The order to lower something rapidly. Lower counter timber - Lower deck - The deck immediately above the orlop deck. Lower deck, On the - Not an Officer. Generic term denoting non-commissioned ranks and ratings. Lowerer – One of the crew members who assisted on the lowering and raising of a ship’s boats. Lower handsomely – The order to lower something carefully and slowly. Lowering gear - SMS Lower mast - The bottom part of the mast, erected directly onto the keel and carrying the lowest sails and the upper parts of the mast. Lower rail - The bottom most of the stem railings. Low tide – The lowest water level reached during one tidal oscillation. Also low water. cf high tide, or high water, or full sea. Low water – The lowest water level reached during one tidal oscillation. Also low tide. cf high tide, or high water, or full sea. Loxodrome – A rhumb line. Loxodromes – Lines radiating from the wind rose on ancient charts. Loxodromic Charts Lubber - A lazy and inexperienced seaman, or any disappointing person. Landlubber is such a person ashore. Lubberland - Seamen's slang for an imaginary paradise where even lubbers can be tolerated. Lubberly - Unseamanlike. Lubber's hole - A gap in the top, next to the mast, through which nervous climbers gained the top, to the disdain of seamen. Lubber's line - The line drawn across the bowl of the ship's compass, indicating the fore-and-aft line of the ship. The coincidence of the lubber's line and a point on the compass card indicated the course being steered. Lubber's point – Similar to Lubber’s line, but a single pointer. Luck - Lucky bee - A bee that accidentally turns up on a vessel at sea. Luff - 1. To bring a ship closer to the wind is known as 'to spring a luff'. 2. A helm order given when the conner wanted the vessel to come closer to the wind. Also ‘keep your luff’, or ‘keep your wind’, or ‘spring the luff’. Luff, and lie & touch her - SMS Luff and touch her – A helm order given when the conner wanted to see how close to the wind the vessel will sail. Luffed - Caught to do an unpleasant task. Luffed up - Staggered, said of a drunk. Luff hooks - Halyard fitted with a hook at each end leading from the leech of a mainsail or foresail to a block on the vessel’s side and used to lift the sail during reefing operations. Luffing - SMS Luff-jack-lines - A method of joining staysails to stays where booms are used, that loosen on lowering, preventing jamming. Luff round – 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 a-lee the helm, or down with the helm. Luff tackle – A heavy tackle comprising a single and a double block, used for various purposes. Luff-up - Luff upon luff – A tackle formed by attaching the block of one luff tackle to the fall of another, to increase their mechanical power. Lug or lug sail – A four-sided sail with a shorter fore edge and the yard set obliquely to the mast. Lugger - A small fast 18c sailing ship carrying three short masts all carrying lugsails. Favourite of French privateers. Lug out - To draw sword. Lug piece - Short lengths of angle-bars, used throughout a vessel, for uniting and strengthening structural components. Lug sail - See Lug. Lug topsail – A square sail set above a gaff sail, with its head attached to a small spar angled across the mast, like a lugsail. Also jackyard topsail or jackyarder. Lull - A brief period of calmer weather during a gale. Lum - To handle oars Lumper – A port worker, paid by the lump to load or unload a ship. Lunar day – The tidal prediction term meaning the interval between successive Moon transits across the meridian. The average lunar day is 24 hours and 50 minutes. Also tidal day. Lunar tides - Lunar month – The tidal prediction term meaning the interval between one New Moon and the next. The average lunar month is 29½ days. Also lunation, or synodical month. Lunar Tables - Meyer's -1755 Lunation – The tidal prediction term meaning the interval between one New Moon and the next. The average lunar month is 29½ days. Also lunar month, or synodical month. Lunitidal interval – The tidal prediction term meaning the period between the Moon’s southing and the next high water. Also interval. Lunsforthe - An early navigation instrument. Luny, Thomas - SMS Lute heads – The frames at each end of a trawl net from which the net is dragged. Luzons - The Philippines (Elizabethan). Lying a hull - SMS Lying heavy on the helm - SMS Lying to - SMS Lymphads - Small Highland oared galleys from medieval times to 16-17c.
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