THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 150 151 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 eventual death if untreated. Scurvy grass - A kind of mustard. Scuttle – 1. (vb) To purposely sink a ship, by opening her sea-cocks and so letting the sea into her, usually to prevent her falling into enemy hands. 2. (vb) To open a barrel, as in the scuttle(d) butt. 3. (n) A small circular window, or any small hatchway or opening in a vessel's side, deck or hatch cover, usually with a cover that could be closed in heavy weather. Scuttle, or scuttled, butt – A cask kept on deck, with a lid and ladle, containing fresh (when available, if not, then what would be described as 'drinking') water. The practice of crewmembers gathering at the scuttle butt for refreshment, and talking whilst doing it has resulted in the term 'scuttle butt' also meaning the latest news, as in "Have you heard the scuttle butt about . . .?" S’death! - God's death Sea - 1. The water that covers two thirds of planet Earth. 2. The waves, or a single wave, or a swell. A long sea has a long fetch and a short sea has a short fetch. Sea acorn - The barnacle. Sea anchor – Any device used to slow down a vessel, or hold her head to the sea in bad weather, usually comprising sails attached to spars lashed together, that was dragged along against the flow. Sea-atlas - Sea charts bound in a book. Sea battery – The assault of a seaman by the master of a ship whilst at sea. Sea Beer- Stronger beer than Harbour Beer. Sea Beggars - A band of exiled Flanders protestant rebels in struggle for independence from Spain, who formed a North Sea pirate group in the 1560s. Initially tolerated by England and allowed to operate out of Dover, this arrangement fell foul of subsequent peace with France and Spain. Sea boat - 1 A small working boat. 2 A sweet sailing ship was known as a good sea-boat. Also see Accident boat. Sea boy – A rating less than eighteen years of age. Sea breeze - An onshore wind that usually occurs in the later parts of day, caused by the land warming up. Sea buoy - See Farewell buoy. Sea caps - See White horse. Sea captain – Originally, the master of a seagoing vessel, but now the term for an officer who has been issued a certificate of competency to be master of a sea-going vessel. Sea-card - See Sea-chart. Sea-chart - A map designed for use at sea. Sea cheers - Calls to encourage crewmen in their labours. eg 'Heave my hearties!' or 'Rouse him up'. Sea shanties without the song. Sea Chest Sea compass - See Mariner's compass. Sea cutter Sea daddy - One who took a new crewmember in hand, to show him the ropes, and all the other things he would need to master if he was to survive and be safe to his crewmates. Sea Dandy - See Afterguard Sea of Darkness – Early European name for the north Atlantic. Sea Dog Sea Fencibles – Started in 1798 as a coastal militia of fishermen and boatmen. Amalgamated with the Impress Service in 1803 to form a local force against invasion. Sea fret – 1. A land breach or passage made from erosion by the sea. Sometimes just ‘fret’. 2. A sea fog blown over the land. Sea gait - See Swell. Sea gaskets- SMS Sea going – A vessel certified as suitable to make deep-sea voyages, as distinct from coastal and inland craft. Sea-harping – The sound of wind resonating the rigging. Sea kindliness – The capacity of a ship to cope with all sea conditions, especially heavy ones. Sea lawyer - A shark, for obvious reasons. See also messdeck lawyer, with which this is sometimes confused. Sea legs – The measure of a person’s aptitude at walking steadily about on board when a vessel is under way. Sealer - Ship hunting seal. Seam - A fore-and-aft joint between planks, filled with oakum and sealed with pitch. Seaman – A person below the rank of officer, who works on deck to operate the vessel. Seamanlike - An action properly carried out neatly and practically was seamanlike. Seaman's eye - The only trusty way to judge the effects of wind, tide and current on a ship's motion, even including modern aids. Seamarks - Navigational aids. Sea Martinet Seamen - Able#, Ordinary#, Landmen Sea mile – A measure of distance of one minute of arc on the meridian. Because of the flattened shape of the earth the actual distance varied between 6,046 feet at the equator and 6,108 feet at the poles, with the standard sea mile being taken as 6,080 feet. Also nautical mile. Seaming palm - A light duty hand protector comprising a leather strip with a metal cup sewn into the palm, used as a thimble for the sailmaker’s needle to be forced through canvas when doing light seam work. Seaming twine – Fine line used by sailmakers, comprising the best long hemp, beaten, spun, well dressed and laid into two or three strands. Also sail twine. Sea of Darkness - Early European seamen’s' name for the North Atlantic. Sea Officers - Have general authority aboard ship Sea painter – SMS Sea pie – A seamen’s dish comprising alternating layers of meat and vegetables between crusts of pastry, called double or triple deckers from their depth. Sea reach – The reach between the last bend in a river and its place of discharge into the sea. Searoom - Space to manoeuvre, needed in abundance in a sailing vessel. Sea suction - A submerged opening in a vessel’s side which allows water to be pumped in for sluicing, etc. Seat board - (tge) Sea story - A true -ish, but exaggerated story, which did not always confine itself strictly to the facts. Sea suction - A submerged opening in a vessel's hull, through which sea water could be drawn, for cleaning purposes. Sea Time Seat of Ease Seat support(tge) Sea-turn - SMS Seaward – In a direction away from the land. Seaworthy – Said of a vessel that is in a fit condition to go to sea. Second futtock - The piece of a frame second from the keel. Second hand – The rank immediately beneath skipper on a fishing vessel. Second Port Payment - The practice of paying off the crew when the second offloading port was arrived at BDD Second tier pigs(tge) Secret block – A block in which the shell completely encloses the sheave, leaving just a small hole through which the rope passes. Secretary's cabin Secure - 1 Finish work, or a particular task. 2 Make fast to something naval (parcels and shoelaces are ‘tied up’). See a grey goose at a mile - The traditional call from the lookout to signify that the morning was now sufficiently bright to do that thing, taken as the official start of the day on board. Seel – (v) To make a sudden roll to one side. Seiche Seine – A bag-shaped fishing net with its upper parts buoyed and the lower weighted. Seistan - A strong to gale-force N summer wind in the Persian or Arabian Gulf. Seize-Up(vb)- Also Seize-To. Bind togther by seizing. Seizing - Racking turns of twine around two ropes, or a rope and a spar, to bind them together. Seizing Stuff – Twine used for seizing. Self-mousing hook – A hook with a mousing that permits easy hooking without accidental slippage. Selvagee strop – Several rope yarns marled together with spunyarn to from a soft sling that is less likely to slip. Used to attach the hook of a tackle to a rope. Semaphore Semaphore CTC Semi-diurnal tides - See Diurnal. Send - Words used to describe sea-wave action, or pitch of swell. Sending Down Spars Senhouse slip – A short length of chain by which the inboard end of the anchor cable was attached to the cable locker, with a quick-release slip hook that would pass through the cable’s open link. Sennit, Sennet – Braided cordage. See Sinnate. Separation – Various materials used to keep separate cargoes or items of cargo apart. Separation cloths – Large sheets of fabric used to keep different bulk cargoes apart or to protect cargoes that must stay dry from moisture. Seron - A bale or package made up in animal's skin. Serpentine - Gun Serpentine Powder - A coarse, unstable, early form of gunpowder, comprising a chemical mixture with the main ingredient being saltpetre, which was very prone to separate in storage and decay in damp. See corned powder. Servants Serve – (v) To tightly bind the ends of a rope with spunyarn and canvas or hide or similar, to prevent fraying. Serving is done with a serving mallet. Service, to press into – The practice of impressment – by press gangs and the Imprest Service (cf). Services of cables- SMS Serving - SMS Serving (twine wrapped around parcelled rope) Serving board – A flat wooden board with a handle used to serve a rope with spunyarn. Serving mallet – A mallet scored with a semicircular groove used when applying a tight serving to a rope. Set – 1. The order given to finally put a sail into operation. 2. The direction of tidal flow. Set sail – To let a sail fall and trim it to draw. Settee - See Couch Settee - Spanish ship. Settee mizzen sail ERR Settee rig ERR Settee sail (mizzen course) ERR Set the land – Take compass bearings of land features to establish position. Setting & Taking In Sails Setting strop- SMS Setting the Watch- Ceremony at end of day to denote cessation of hostilities for the night. See "Beating the Retreat". Settle – (v) 1. To gradually ease the pressure on a rope by slackening it bit by bit. 2. To lower a sail slightly to make reefing it easier. Settle the land – To lose sight of the land by sailing away from it and causing it to drop below the horizon. Settling halliards- SMS Set up - To tighten up the standing rigging and remove any slack. Seven bells - As eight bells denotes the end of a watch, seven bells means not quite finished off, as when someone has had seven bells knocked out of them. Seven Year War-1755-62 Sew – (v) To need a greater depth of water to float, stating the difference between the waterlevel and the vessel’s flotation-mark. Also sue. Pronounced ‘soo’. Said of the depth of water to reduce: “the water sewed to 3 fathoms.” Sewn boat - A particular form of boat construction, in which it is built of two layers of Honduras mahogany, fixed at right angles to each other and sewn together with copper wire. Sextant - A doubly reflecting navigation instrument that measures the angular distance
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