THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 184 185 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 watch, day and night, serving duties four hours on and four hours off. A common punishment for officers. Watch Below Watch below - NTUS 1012 Watch bill – The list of crewmembers in a particular watch, in which each man’s duties and station are detailed. Watch buoy - NTUS 1803 Watch doggy - A warship on escort duty. Watches, The – Middle (also Graveyard*): 00010400; Morning: 0400-0800; Forenoon: 08001200; Afternoon: 1200-1600; First Dog: 16001800; Last Dog 1800-2000; First Middle: 20000000. A bell rung every half-hour told the time, except during Silent Hours*. Watchet - Light blue, sky blue. Purser's jacket for boy servants. Watching - Something afloat, but only just visible, is said to be watching. Watching the buoy- SMS Watch keeper - Anyone standing a watch. Watch machine - Chronometer. Watch on stop on - Serve a second duty without relief. Watch tackle – A heavy tackle comprising a hooked single block and a double block with a selvagee tail. Watch there watch – The warning call that the deep-sea lead line is about to run out. Watchmen of the Gangway- Nightwatchmen at the Gangway*, who called challenges* to incoming boats Water – (v) To take on fresh supplies water. Water anchor – A sea anchor or drogue. Water bewitched and tea begrudged - NTUS 1012 Water-borne - Said of a vessel that has just refloated after being grounded or in dry-dock. Water casks- SMS Water-Gate- Entrance to a Wet-Dock Water Guard – Inshore Customs squad formed 1809. Water hole, in sail(tge) Water-laid – Another name for a rope that has been laid left-handed. Water-line - The horizontal line along a ship's side, marked by the surface of the water. This line's height on a ship's side would vary depending on the loading. Waterline plane- SMS Waterlogged – 1. So filled with water as to be nearly sinking. 2. Unable to force in a drop more alcohol, try as one might. Also water wedged. Waterplane - The imaginary section through a ship's hull drawn at the water-line, so representing her outline in the water at any given draught. Water sail – A small fair-weather sail occasionally set under the lower studding sails or the driver boom. Also save-all. Water-Sky- In Pack Ice*, indication of open water by sky appearance. Water splice - NTUS 0512 Water spout - NTUS 0203 Water store - NTUS 0300 Water-way - A gutter along each side of a deck, in which water could run easily to the scuppers. Waterway plank(hgv) Water whip- SMS Wave Line Theory- SMS Waveson - Goods or cargo left floating on the surface after a ship has sunk. Wax - To grow. Way Way - The vessel's motion through the water. Way aloft – Away aloft. Way enough – toss and boat oars – The order given to a boat’s crew to stop rowing, when the coxswain judges that enough headway remains to permit the boat to reach its landing point, and then to raise their oars to the vertical and lay them in the boat. At this order, any fenders are laid out and lines readied for throwing. Ways of the Navy - The customs and practices of the Navy. Weak-See Crank Wear – 1. (v) To change tack by running off before the wind and sailing round onto the other tack by trimming sails. 2. To fly a particular flag. A ship wears her suit of flags. Whereas an Admiral flies his flag, a ship wears it. Wearing a flag - Said of a ship serving under an Admiral. Weather – (v) To sail clear to windward of a headland or similar hazard. Weather anchor – The anchor on the weather bow of a ship coming to anchor. Weather beam- SMS Weather bitt – An extra turn of cable around the windlass, as a precaution in heavy weather. Weather board – The side of a vessel from where the wind blows. Also weather side. Weather bound – Unable to leave harbour due to heavy weather. Weather bow - The bow on the windward side of a vessel. Weather braces- SMS Weather clew- SMS Weather cloth – A canvas protective cloth rigged to shelter the watchman from the weather. Weather coil- SMS Weather deck - An open deck that is unprotected against the effects of weather or breaking seas. Weather Division- Of fleet. Weather eye – To watch something carefully for change or deterioration, as a seaman would watch the weather. Weather gage – The position to the windward of another vessel. The preferred position by an aggressive enemy, from where they could choose when or whether to attack. Weather halliards- SMS Weather helm – The extent by which the helm has to be held to windward to keep the vessel from coming up into the wind. A ship with a tendency to gripe is said to have a Weather Helm and was considered desirable. Weather helmsman, Helmsman who could see the compass, sails, etc. Weather Jigger Rigging Weather leech- SMS Weather Lift- Rope from mast to suspend the yardarm end, on the weather side. Weather lurch – A sudden roll to windward. Weather quarter – 1. The part of a ship abaft the beam. 2. The area of the sea off the ship’s quarter. Weather Rail Weather reef tackle- SMS Weather ropes – Tarred ropes. Weather side – The side of a vessel from where the wind blows. Also weather board. Weather, to be under – When a crewman stood watch on the weather side of the ship, where its worst would hit him, he was said to be under the weather. Weather tide – A tide flowing against the wind. Weather wheel rope- SMS Weather working days – Days when the weather allows the cargo to be loaded or unloaded without being ruined or delayed. Weather-shore - The shore lying to the windward side of a vessel. Weather-verb Weatherly- SMS Web frame - A heavy frame, fixed every fourth or fifth frame, formed of plates and bars. Web sheave – An iron sheave with four spokes joined by a thin web and usually with a brasscoaked pin-hole. Wedding Garland- A garland hoisted at the masthead, comprising two loops of evergreen at right angles to each other, to signify ship was out of routine for 2 to 3 days, on return to port, when an officer or seaman was getting married, from the old signal that women were welcome on board, to prevent the pressed men trotting. Weeding – Removing any unnecessary lines, stops, etc., from the rigging. Weekly Accounts- White patch on Midshipmen’s' coat collar. Weep (vb) - To leak very slowly. Weep - When a ship's nails start to weep she is about to complain Weeping butts – Butt joints that are opening up and letting in water. Weevil – The frequent first partaker of ship’s biscuit, being a small red beetle that would infest them in the hold, along with other stored foods. Weigh – (v) To lift the anchor out of the ground by its cable. Weigh off - NTUS 1012 Weigh Up- To raise a sunken ship by passing a line under her at low tide, fastened to lighters, which lift her at high tide. Weigh- Raise, see Weigh Up Weighing anchor- SMS Well - 1. The space in a vessel's bottom where water gathers, before being pumped out. 2. In a fishing vessel, a space filled with sea-water and used to contain live fish. Well deck - Those parts of an upper deck that have fore and aft bulkheads supporting higher decks. Well found - Said of a good ship that was wellstocked with furniture, equipment and all necessary stores for a voyage. Well(tge) Wending – An early expression for going about from one tack to another. Wesley hunters – Dockside scroungers on the lookout for fishermen with a good payout, from whom they can profit. Named from John Wesley, who was always keen to raise money. West country shipping - NTUS 0512 West Indiamen Westerlies - NTUS 1701 Western Approaches Western planting - Elizabethan proposals for colonies in North America. Western Squadron Wet - 1. Said of a vessel that ship's water too easily. 2. Seamen's name for a drink, usually an alcoholic one (as if they would ever recognise any other sort). 3. To wet a stripe or a swab was to celebrate promotion with alcohol. Wet as a messdeck scrubber - Not much use. Sometimes simply ‘wet as a scrubber’. Wet Christmas- Sometimes lethal result of Grog* saving. Wet compass - See Liquid compass. NTUS 1906 Wet dock - NTUS 2003 Wet-Dock Wetted surface - The external parts of a ship's hull that are under water when she floats. Wet provisions- SMS Wet the stripe, or swab - Toast the promotion signified by the new epaulette worn. Whack - A fair share. Whaleback - Said of a ship with a very steeply cambered deck. Whaleboat, whaler, whaling boat – A light lithe clinker-built double-ended boat of between 20 and 30 feet long, originally used by whalers, who would use it with oars and often fitted with an auxiliary sail as they were often towed far from their mother ship by a harpooned whale making a run. Being light and fast they became popular on other ships, where they would be called whalers. Whale lance – A light steel lance attached to a ten-foot wooden shaft, used to kill a whale after it had been harpooned. Whale-line – The pliable line attached to the whaler’s harpoon, originally of hemp cured with tar smoke but later of manilla, of about 300 fathoms. Whalemen Officers- Captain, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Mates Whaler - A double-ended rowing boat. A whaleboat. Whaleship – A tough dirty broad-beamed flushdecked square-rigged ship of between 200 and 300 tons whose trade it was to catch and render whales. Whale spade, whaling spade – The sharp spadelike tool used to loosen the blubber from a whale’s carcass so that the blanket-pieces could be stripped off. Whange- Chinese Cane Wharf - NTUS 2003 Wharfinger – 1. The owner of a wharf. 2. A shipowner’s representative responsible for overseeing the loading and unloading of a vessels’ cargo. Wheel - The steering wheel. Wheel chains - NTUS 0309 Wheel chains - See steering chains. Wheel house - An enclosure built around the steering wheel, to protect the helmsman from the weather and the binnacle. Wheel house - NTUS 0312 Wheelman – A seaman steering a vessel. In a merchant ship the helmsman was usually a quartermaster. Also steersman or helmsman.
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