THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 120 121 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 Mast tackle – 1. A heavy tackle used for lifting a mast, comprising fixed treble block attached to sheers and a moving double block onto which the mast is attached by means of a selvagee strop and toggle. 2. Any tackle attached to a mast. Mast tenon - (tge) Mast trunk - The wooden or metal sheath in which a small vessel's mast is stepped. Mast wedges - (tge) Mat – A flat piece of protective fabric made up from woven ropes, yarn, straw or other fibres. Match - A slow-burning fuse used for firing guns. Small rope treated to make it inflammable. Used to make slow- and quick-match. Match bin - (tge) Match Tub - Mate – 1. On a merchant vessel, an officer serving below the master, with seniority denoted by the title First Mate, Second Mate, etc. The First Mate was and still is usually called the Mate. 2. An assistant to a non-commissioned officer; hence: Bosun’s Mate, Carpenter’s Mate, etc. Matelot - The marines' and, eventually, seamen's slang for a lower deck sailor, from the French word for sailor. Matelotage – The practice of pairs of buccaneers sharing their lives, livings, etc, from the French for ‘bed companion’. Mate’s log – A log kept by the ship’s mate, compiled from entries in the deck, or rough, log and prepared by the mate for the master’s signature. Also called the smooth log. Matey - Dockyard mateys were the artificers working in the dockyards. They were very defensive of their roles, as is not unknown in some unions. Mathematical principles - SMS Matthew Walker – A knob knot formed in the separate strands at the end of a rope, to thicken it to prevent its slipping through a sheave or similar. Matthew Walker Knots - ? Matthew Walker's Roses - A knot. Maul - A heavy iron, or sometimes wooden, hammer. Maund – 1. A measure of about 1,000 sprats. 2. The basket used to hold a maund of sprats. Also mand and cade. Mazy – Herrings in poor condition after spawning. Mean draught - The average of the forward and after draughts of a vessel. Mean sun – An imaginary sun that is considered to travel at a constant speed around the ecliptic, used in navigation when the inconstant real sun makes things difficult. Measurage - Quay dues on goods. Meat - +103 Mechanical sounding - Any method of sounding not using a sounding leadline or echo sounding, such as feelers, water measuremnt or rotators. Meckanicks Answer - The name given to the answer proposed in 1530 by Gemma Frisius to the question of how to find longitude at sea. It was correct, in that it proposed the use of an accurate timekeeping machine, as turned out to be the successful method, by John Harrison, in the 18c, but it was ahead of the capabilities of 16c technology to realise it practically. Meet her – A helm order given when the quartermaster or navigator wants the helm reversed to stop the vessel swinging any further round. Because of the slowness with which a ship turns, when rudder is put over to alter course it is necessary to ‘meet her’ with opposite rudder before the required heading is reached, to prevent swinging too far. Meets - Navigation beacons set up so that when they line up, or meet, when viewed from the sea, they indicate the direction of the deep water channel. Meltemi (Etesians) - Cool, fine NE-NW summer winds in the Aegean Sea. Mend – (v) To protect a rope with an extra serving. Mercator, Gerard - Flemish Cartographer. Mercator chart - A chart constructed on Mercator Projection in which all meridians are parallel and the latitude scale increases in the same ratio as the longitude scale in any aprticular latitude, which renders rhumb lines as straight. This is the basic principle used on all sea charts since 1750. Mercator’s sailing – Sailing by using the principles of a Mercator chart. Also rhumb line sailing, or Wright’s sailing. Merchant's Ship - Merchantmen - Mercury - Treatment for Pox or VD. Meridian – A semi-great-circle on the world, from pole to pole and perpendicular to the equator. Meridian altitude – The action of taking an observation of the sun’s altitude at noon, at its culmination, and deducting its declination, from which the latitude can be derived. Also noon sight. Meridional parts – The lengths of the arc of the meridian between the equator and a given parallel on a Mercator chart. These were expressed in units of one minute of longitude on the equator. Mermaid - Merry Andrews - Gaily dressed sailors. In the pre-late-twentieth century sense of the word gay. Mess – 1. A group of crew members of the same rank who were berthed in the same quarters and who ate together. 2. The space allotted to a mess. Mess Bills - For monthly orders from the Purser. Mess Chest - Mess Cloth - Mess Cook - For the Week. Messdeck, Mess deck – 1. The deck on a man-ofwar, on which the crew lived and took their meals. Home-from-home for a sailor. 2. The term would prefix many expressions, meaning they were of the lower deck, such as a messdeck lawyer, who was always complaining and quoting regulations and rights; messdeck dodger, who did the cleaning; messdeck justice, informal and roughly administered by messmates, etc. Messenger – 1. A long loop of endless rope passed round the capstan, used to heave the anchor cable when it is too heavy to be turned round the capstan itself. The anchor cable would be temporarily attached to the messenger by means of nippers, which would be cast off and reattached as the cable is hauled in. 2. Any lighter collar of a midshipman. Also called quarterly accounts. Marl – (v) 1. To wind a small line around a rope, with each turn secured by a hitch, so that if either was cut the other would hold. 2. To wind a small yarn or twine around a splice before serving. Marline – A line comprising two threads laid together, used to seize a strop onto a block. Marline hitch – A series of single overhand knots used to lash a bundle or hammock or similar loose load. Also used to make up selvagees. Marline spike – An iron tool in the shape of a large tapered pin with a sharp or a wedge-shaped end point, used to separate the strands of s rope when being spliced. Marline spike hitch – A turn of line taken 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. Also Admiralty hitch. Maroon – An unofficial punishment in which the offender was left on an island, or similar isolated place, without the means to escape. Marooners – As pirates so frequently punished there own by marooning them, some proudly called themselves “Marooners”. Marooning – Orig. the abandonment of an unwanted crewmember to live amongst the ‘Maroons’, short for Cimaroons, who were escaped black slaves of the Caribbean. Maroons - Seamen purposely marooned as a punishment or to avoid paying them. Also Cimaroons. Marry (vb) - To unlay Marrying the falls - SMS Marry the gunner's daughter - A Royal Navy punishment involving the thrashing of a miscreant, over the breech of a gun. Said to be usually done to a midshipman when having his seat spanked whilst bent over a gun. A not uncommon punishment. Marry-up - Work two lines together to form one, or to generally bring things into line. Marshalsea (The) - Grub Street? "Cruise the Marshalsea"- Pretend to be a seaman. Marthambles – Seamen’s name for what landsmen called griping of the gut. Martingale - A rope or chain passing down from the jib-boom end to the dolphin striker, staying the former against the upward tensions of the jib and the jib-stay. Sometimes also used as an alternative name for the dolphin striker. Martingale backrope - See Gob rope. Martnet - The leech line of any sail. Maryatt's Signal Code Flags - Captain Frederick Marryat's Code of Signals for the Merchant Service first appeared in 1817 and was used until about 1890. Mast - A vertical or raked spar stepped on a vessel's keel and carrying sails, yards, rigging and other gear. See also made mast. The foremast was 1/9 down length of lower gundeck, from bow; the mainmast was at the centre or slightly aft centre of lower gundeck; the mizzenmast was 17/20 down lower gundeck, all measured from the bow. Mast band - Any metal band around a mast, with lugs used to fasten blocks. Mast battens - (ecr) Mast cap - (ecr) (tge) Mast carlings - Heavy fore-and-aft timbers fixed on the underside of the deck beams, where masts pierce the decks, to give added strength. Also called mast partners. Mast chock - (tge) Mast clamp – A metal clamp that holds the mast to a boat’s thwart. Mast cloths - Additional cloths sewn on the after side of a sail, where the mast would chafe, to prevent it. Mast coat - A shaped canvas cover around a mast base, to seal it to the deck and prevent water penetrating below. Master – 1. The navigating officer on a Royal Navy ship. 2. The officer in command of a merchant ship. The name for both derives from the original term of master mariner. Master and Commander - Master at arms – The petty officer, under the boatswain, who was responsible fro disciplinary duties. Master Attendant - Responsible for all ships in Ordinary in a port. Master Corsair - Master mariner – The original name of master. Master's cabin Master Shipwright - Master's Mates - Mast-head - The upper parts of a mast, above the rigging. If a midshipman was caught in a misdemeanour he was likely to be 'mast-headed', which meant he was condemned to sit up there until recalled - not popular. Mast-heading – The sending of a midshipman to the mast-head, for misbehaviour, which meant he was sentenced to sit up there for a, usually, undefined period. Mast head pennant - Remains flying whilst a ship is in commission. Also Commissioning Pennant. Mast hoop – A sliding ring of wood, later metal, to which the edge of a fore-and-aft sail attaches to the mast. Mast House - Masting sheers - A type of crane on shore, or on a sheer hulk, comprising a pair of sheer-legs, used to hoist a mast into position on a ship. Mast lining – A reinforcing piece of canvas sewn to the after side of a topsail to prevent chafing by the mast. Mast Men - +95 Mast partners - The position on a mast where it passes through the deck. Mast party - Bittmen SMS Mast Pond - Vat of Pickle+13 Mast quarters - Positions along the mast at which bands were fitted. Mast rope – A rope used to hoist an upper mast. Mast ship - A ship specially designed to transport masts, or trees from which to make them, usually with rectangular ports at bow and stern to facilitate the stowing of long timbers below deck. Mast step - A strong recessed wooden or steel framework mounted on the keelson, in the form of a socket that tightly holds the square heel, or butt, of a mast.
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