THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 136 137 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 Marines share 1/8; Rest of Crew share 1/4 Proa - Currency unit Proceed Proctor's Bills, Mr Clerks Tactics - The creaming off of profits from the taking of privateers, by shore officials? Proda - Foredeck of brigantine, galley, etc Proff - Naval slang for acquiring an item without authority. On land, some would say stealing. Profile draughts - The name given to a pair of sheer plans for a vessel, one showing her layout and the other showing the layout of her fittings. Prog Proper return port – The port to which a seaman should be returned at the end of a voyage. Proportional lengths - The correct lengths of a vessel's masts and spars in relation to her dimensions. Protections- Two types: Act of Parliament & Admiralty Protractor - A tool for measuring angles, usually semi-circular in shape. Some were designed for use at sea, such as Hart’s goniometer (c.1800) and the Douglas protractor (c,1925). Proud - Taught Proved – Said of anchors that have been tested for strength and certified as suitable for use. Provost ERR Provost Marshall Prow - The early name for the pointed stem of a vessel. Prudent - A poor vessel was scarce prudent to go to sea Public Service - Pressed into the Royal Navy BDD Puck - A rope cringle used in play. Puddening, pudding, puddinging – 1. A band of plaited cordage forming a chafing mat fastened around a yard to protect it from damage. 2. A dock fender arranged against the dolphin (a wooden structure in harbour for securing a ship); or, safe-guarding the "dolphin" with a "pudding". Pudding chain – A chain made of short links for reeving through a block. Used before wire rigging was introduced. Pudding fender – A fender made in the shape of a small bag filled with cork. Puff the gaff - Blow a secret. Puggs – Seamen, 17c. Pull - A form of rowing in which the oars are not feathered with each stroke. Pulley – Any wheel turning on a pin, with its edge grooved to take a rope. A block sheave. Pulling – Seamen’s term for rowing. Pulling boat – Any boat propelled by oars. Pump – The main pump of a sailing ship, comprising a wooden tube extending from the bilge to the deck, where it was operated by the pump brake and two attached pistons. Also bilge pump. Cf chain pump. Pump box – One of the valved pistons forming part of the pump. Pump brake – The handle or lever used to work a bilge pump. Pump dale outlets(tge) Pumped Over Pump room Pumps- SMS Pump ship - To urinate. Pump spear – The iron bar between the pump brake and the pump box and used to operate the latter. Pump well - The compartment in a vessel's bottom, contrived to allow water to drain into it without the ballast getting in, from which such water is pumped out. Punch – A popular drink comprising sugar, water, lime juice and brandy, rum or arrack. Puncheon- 100 gallon (approx) cask Punishment- If money taken in lieu of Grog then stopping Grog was not an option, so flogging was inevitable instead. Punt – 1. A small river craft. 2. A Lowestoft longshore boat Puoy – A type of quant, but with a spike at the end. Purchase blocks – Two blocks used together as part of a purchase or tackle. Purchase fall – A rope run through a series of blocks to gain mechanical strength. Purchase – 1. Blocks and lines used in an arrangement to give extra pull. Any tackle mechanism used to move heavy loads or set up the rigging. 2. Capture, plunder, prize. Purchase Rods - connect hand lever to traveller on windlass CTC Pure Bob Smith – US seamen’s name for pure rye whisky, introduced to replace rum in US Navy in 1806, by Robert Smith, Secretary of the Navy. Purser - A nickname for a mortar. Purser's cabin Purser's Deputy Purser's dips - Candles. Purser’s dirk – 1. A seaman’s knife of uniform pattern. 2. A midshipman’s dirk. Purser's Eights-2oz in the pound, due to 14oz in the pound served(stopped Spithead Mutiny), #Quart= 35fl oz Purser's Establishment (14oz=1lb) ERR Purser's grin - Seamen's slang for an insincere smile. Purser’s knife – A seaman’s clasp knife. Purser’s pound – The measure of 14 ounces, which was a deduction of one eighth of full measure, until 9 January 1797. Purser's Quart" Usually three half pints Purser's Savings Purser's store Purser's Tricks- Fiddles. Purse seine – A fishing net used to encircle a shoal of fish, the bottom of which is then gathered together, or pursed, to stop the fish getting away through the open bottom. Purveyance - The sovereign's right to goods at a fixed price. Pusher - The mizen mast on a six-masted ship. Pusser- Purser's nickname after about late 19c. Pusser - The purser, slurred. Pusser's: - 1 Dip - a candle. 2 Dirk - a seaman's clasp knife. 3 Leaf - rolled tobacco. 4 Loaf - biscuit. 5 Rum - Proper Naval rum. etc, etc Put About Put a head on - To punch or assault someone, to silence them. Put Off to support a fleet of 120 ships for the siege of Calais. one shilling a tun on wine, two shillings a sack of wool, six pence a pound on goods, at first. This was the beginnings of financing a royal fleet Pound & Pint-WW45 Powder Monkey Powder room - The gunpowder bulk storeroom of a man-of-war. Also used for any room in which explosives were stored. Power-Train Praam - Small 20 gun ship type. Prahm- A vessel similar to a Pontoon. Pram - Norwegian skiff, with spoon bow. Pram – A twin-transomed boat originating in Scandinavia. Prao ERR Pratique- Ship's licence for port facilities to be given on its presenting clean bill of health. Prayer book – A small holystone used to scrub areas of deck inaccessible to the bibles. Preaching Jemmy - Seamen’s nickname for Admiral James Gambier. Also Dismal Jimmy. Preddy Preferment Premier - First Lieutenant. Presentation Sword Decorative smallsword given 1750-1850 for brave deeds. Press gang – A party of seamen under the command of an officer, detailed to go ashore and seize men to be pressed into service for the Royal Navy. Press of canvas – All sails set and drawing well. Press Room Press Warrant Press-See Impress Service Pressing tender Boat used by press gangs Pressing-WW150 Prest Money- The King's Shilling, once accepted, however unwillingly, represented a contract to serve. Prest from the French word for Loan or advance. Prester- Officer in charge of Press Gangs. Pretty - Fine, gallant. Prevailing wind – The average wind in any given location. Also reigning wind. Preventer - Any rope used to supplement another. Usually identified with its purpose by adding the name of the original rope, such as a preventer backstay, used to reinforce a backstay. Preventer bolts - Bolts holding the preventer plates. Preventer brace - An extra brace rigged as insurance, in case the original brace is damaged. Preventer cross tree(ecr) Preventer fid - An extra fid, comprising an iron or wooden bar, mounted above the fid, in case of it breaking. Preventer plates - Iron plates bolted between the side planks and the chains, to hold the side seams together when they come under strain from the shrouds under heavy weather conditions. Preventer ringbolt(tge) Preventer-stays - Duplicates of stays, rigged to prevent the masts collapsing if the stay should fail. Most commonly used in men-of-war, where they would be laced together diagonally, allowing either to part more than once and survive. Prick – A pound-weight of tobacco, officially called a prick of tobacco, issued to seamen was formed, by the recipient, into a tightly rolled cylinder wrapped in canvas, with obvious but unexplainable anatomical similarities that have come ashore. Perique Pricker – 1. A small pointed tool with a wooden handle, used to force holes through canvas when sailmaking, or for piercing a powder cartridge. 2. The skilled crew member of a cod fishing boat whose job it was to prick the cod freshly hauled from the sea-bottom to release the air from its sound. 3. The instrument, made from a fileddown handle of a silver spoon, used by a pricker to prick. Prick-farrier – The ship's doctor, from his skills with VD and the seamen’s regrettably frequent need to employ them. Pricking- Tattooing. Pricking the sails – The practice of sewing a middle seam between two side seams of two overlapping pieces of canvas, to strengthen the sail. Prickly Pear Priddy the deck - Make it tidy, etc. Priest – A short heavy club used to kill the live cod from the well of a fishing boat, when the catch is landed. Also called a cod knocker. Priest of the Parish"- Game entailing fast ritual dialogue, with punishment if deviating. Prime meridian – A semi-great-circle on the world, from pole to pole and perpendicular to the equator, from which longitude is reckoned. Also first meridian. Prime vertical – The vertical circle through the east and west points. Prime vertical circle - See Observer's meridian. Prince Alberts - Ad hoc leggings of tightly bound burlap on feet and legs. Principal vertical circle – The vertical circle through the north and south points of the horizon. Also observer’s meridian. Prison Ship Private Privateer's Licence - Obtained from the Post Office. Private Men- Not Officers Private Ship- One without Admiral or other Flag Officer on board. Private Signals Privateer Private Trade - Allowed on many merchant ships, up to 5% of total carrying space BDD Privilege - Small allotment of cargo space in which a merchant seaman could, freight free, ship a few items for private trading BDD Prize Prize Agent Prize Commission - Incorporated 1644. Ran the Navy under the Parliament of the Civil War. Prize Court Prize Master Prize Money - Captain=3/8 (But if Admiral involved then he gets 1/8 share, taken away from Captain); Captain of Marines, Lieutenants, Master share 1/8; Lieutenant of Marines, Warrant Officers, Master's Mates, Senior Petty Officers, Chaplain's share 1/8; Midshipmen, Senior Petty Officers, Warrant Officers' Mates, Sergeant of
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