THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 160 161 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 Sou'wester Soul and body lashing – Spunyarn lashed around the body and through openings in oilskin garments to keep out the weather. Sound (vb) - Measure the depth of water. Sound - A narrow stretch of navigable water between two land masses. Sound, The- Passage between Denmark and Sweden. Sound Dues – Charged by Denmark for shipping to pass through the Sound. Sounding - Measuring the depth of water. More often said as taking soundings. Sounding board - On which the slavemaster of a galley beat time for the rowing rhythm. Sounding pipe – A tube in any tank or other liquid storage vessel, through which the sounding rod could pass. Sounding rod – A graduated rod used to measure the depth of a liquid cargo in its compartment. Soundings - That part of the sea where it is possible to take soundings, i.e. shallow enough. They first appeared on charts in 1560. Soundings calls – ‘Marks’ were the fathom depths marked on the lead-line, at 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 and 20 fathoms. ‘Deeps’ were the fathom depths not marked. The sounding calls were, for example, as follows: At 5 fathoms ‘By the mark, five!’ At 5¼ fathoms ‘And a quarter, five!’ At 5½ fathoms ‘And a half, five!’ At 5¾ fathoms ‘A quarter less, five!’ At 6 fathoms ‘Deep, six!’ ’No bottom!’; ‘No bottom at 20 fathoms!’ Sound off - Play a bugle call. Southerly buster - A violent rain storm of spring or summer, followed by a Brickfielder, off New South Wales, Australia. South-west monsoon - ‘The Rains’. SW winds of June-October off India. Southern Oceans, The - Storm tossed chain. Also Southern Fifties. Sowed Up – Drunk. Sovereignty of the sea - A legal nicety invented by the English in late 13c in a dispute with France. Subsequently more often exploited in court by those seeking compensation from acts of piracy by subjects of the English kings. Spade man – The whaleship crewmember who cuts the blubber into horse pieces, while the gaff man holds it up with a gaff. Spadroon - 1780s straight long sword that was unsuccessful and consequently disappeared. Span – 1. The wire or rope support to the peak of a gaff or boom. 2. A measure of length of about nine inches. 3. Any rope fastened at both ends, so that a block and tackle could be attached at its middle. 4. A short line attached by its middle to a stay, and with blocks or thimbles at its ends, to be used as fairleads for other ropes. Span - Sheet on gaff CTC Span block – A type of block lashed in pairs around the mast, to take the studding sail halyards. The span is the length of rope holding the blocks. Spanish bowline – A knot made to produce two firm loops on a bight, used to haul a man aloft or in staging or jury rigging. Spanish burton – A simple tackle comprising two single blocks. Spanish catting- SMS Spanish fox – A line made by splitting a single strand of rope and re-laying it in the opposite direction, used for seizing and to make paunch mats. Sometimes just ‘fox’. Spanish lifts- SMS Spanish reef – An untidy reef in a sail. Spanish windlass – A contrivance of two ropes attached to a line secured to a crossbar which, when turned, would draw the ropes tightly together. Used to tighten dead-eyes. Spanker Outhaul- Rope used in hauling out the spanker. Spanker – The main fore-and-aft sail set with a boom and a gaff on the mizzen. Spanker boom - The boom of the main fore-andaft mizen sail. Spanker gaff - The gaff of the main fore-and-aft mizen sail. Spanking – Said of a brisk, lively wind. Spanning Key- To wind the mainspring of a flintlock. Span shackle - An eye-bolt with a shackle attached, fastened to the deck and used to lash an article or boat down. Span tackle - A heavy metal bolt fixed at the forecastle deck, with a strong socket in which the cat davit sat. Spar - The general name for a rounded length of timber used as a yard, gaff or boom. Spar ceiling – Loose battens and boards used to keep a cargo away from direct contact with a ship’s sides whilst leaving airways for ventilation and protecting the cargo from moisture. Spar-Deck - Upper deck from bow to stern, in certain types of vessel. Sometimes a temporary deck constructed of spars supported by beams. Spare anchor- SMS Sparling-boat - Sprat boat. Sparlingfare - A haul of sprats. Spunyarn job - Seamen's term for a badly performed or temporary job. Spar plan(tge) Sparring- Fist fight. Spar- Rounded piece of timber such as a yard, gaff or boom. Sparrowfart - Dawn. Speaking trumpet – A funnel like hand-held tube through which orders could be called to amplify them. Specie- Coin Specksynder – The chief harpooner on a Dutch whaleship, who shared command with the captain. The word means ‘fat cutter’. Also speksioneer. Spectacles, spectacle clew, spectacle iron – Three or four rings formed into a single fitting at the clew of a sail, onto which the bolt-ropes, sheets, etc., were attached. Also clew iron. Spectacle plate(hgv) Speculum Oris - Punishment device put in the mouth of swearers or blasphemers BDD Speel Yacht- Dutch name for pleasure craft which first became popular in 17c, with two masts and tall transom and bulwarks to protect passengers from the elements. Speksioneer - Whaler/ harpooner. Spell – A period spent on duty. Spencer – 1. A fore-and-aft sail attached behind a lower main or fore mast, by means of an auxiliary mast called a spencer mast. 2. Fore and aft gaff sails of a square rigger, except the driver or spanker. Spencer mast - An auxiliary mast placed immediately behind a main mast or a fore lower mast, to which a spencer sail is attached by hoops. Spend, to - To lose a mast, etc. Spend – (v) To allow a broken mast or sail to be carried away in bad weather. Sperone - The beak on a brigantine Spert, Thomas - The first Master of Trinity House, in 1512. Spets - Skewers upon which fish are strung to dry. Spherical angle – Is expressed either in arc or in time. Spherical sailing – Any sailing by navigation that takes account of the roughly spherical shape of the Earth. Also globular sailing. Spherical triangle – A three-sided closed shape on the surface of a sphere, having as its sides three great circles. Spherical Trigonometry Spider - An outrigger, usually in the form of an iron bracket, used to keep a block away from a ship's sides. Spider band, spider iron - A metal band around the lower masts, with sockets to take the belaying pins. Spidereen - Seamen's term for a mythical ship. When asked to disclose the name of his ship, a seaman would say 'The spidereen frigate with nine decks'. Spidereen frigate - See Spidereen. Spider hoop - A metal band around the masts, to take the shackles of the futtock shrouds. Spider iron - See Spider band. Spigot Spike – 1. (n) The pointed tool used for rope work. 2. (vb) To spoil an enemy gunner's fun by driving a spike hard into the touchhole of his, presumably temporarily, captured gun and cutting it off flush with the breech, thus rendering it useless. Spike-boom - A single piece boom or bowsprit. Also spike bowsprit. Spike bowsprit - A simple one-piece bowsprit. Also spike boom. Spike Bowsprit - Combined jib-boom and bowsprit Spike bowsprit - A bowsprit formed of a single spar. Spile- To pierce Casks to prevent bursting Spilling lines - Alternatives to buntlines, used to the same ends, but rigged on the after side of sails. Spill – (v) To bring a vessel up into the wind and make the weather leech of a sail shake out its wind. Spiller – A light fishing line used in North Cornwall, to which up to 2,000 hooks were attached. Spilling line - A line connected to the foot of a sail, and up the after side, and used to spill the wind from the sail prior to furling. Spilling lines were alternatives to buntlines. Spin a yarn - Elaborate a story, usually to cover up a misdemeanour or to strengthen its chat-up value, from the laborious task of making yarn from old ropes. Spindle – 1. The timber core of a made mast. 2. The heavy iron-footed shaft about which the capstan revolves. Spindle eye - See Artificial eye. Spindle staysail ERR Spindrift - Fine spray blown off the tops of waves by high winds. Spinnaker – A modern large triangular baggy sail used in yachts when sailing before the wind. Spinnaker boom - A light boom used to extend the foot of the spinnaker. Spiral bracing- SMS Spirit - One who enticed naive street people into service at sea BDD Spirit room Spirit room- SMS Spirket - The name for the space between floor timbers. Spirketting - Planks running between the sills of the ports and the deck waterways. Spirketing CTC Spitfire, spitfire jib – A small triangular jib made of heavy canvas and used as a storm sail on a cutter. Spitfire staysail - Spithead - The area of sea between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth harbour. Spithead nightingale – 1. Boatswain's Mate, so called from the piping aboard of senior officers. 2. The Bosun's whistle. Spithead pheasant - Seamen's term for smoked herring, namely kippers or bloaters. Spithead Revolt or Mutiny- See also Valentine Joyce, leader of mutineers. Spitkid – 1. A bucket, breaker, or similar, used as a messdeck rubbish bin, originally for spitting into when chewing tobacco. 2. Someone who was found to have spat on the deck was required to wear a spitkid, or spittoon, around their neck as a punishment. Spits Splashboard(tge) Splashboard(tge) Splashboard- SMS Splay tackle – A two-block tackle rigged foreand-aft, used to move and hold the heels of sheer legs. Splice - 1 Join two things together. 2 Marry. 3 Splice the mainbrace is a celebratory issue of grog. Splicing hammer – A tapered hammer used when splicing. Splicing the main brace - Order for issue of an extra tot of rum, usually to reward a job well done, especially under adverse conditions. From the fact that the main brace was rarely spliced or rejoined if damaged. Splinters Split - 1. Said of a sail torn by the wind. 2. Said of a ship's bottom that has been opened up by rocks or the shore. Split belly – Said of a torn trawl net. Split lug – A lug sail split into two parts at the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTYyMzU=