THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 32 33 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 Bloody Flag - Seamen’s' name for the large red flag hoisted at the mastheads of British ships to indicate that they were about to go into battle. Bloody Flux - Dysentery. Blore – A stiff gale. Blout – A northern dialect expression for the break up of a storm. Blow, a – 1. A storm. 2. The exhalation or spouting of a whale. Blowfish – Fishermen’s name for whale. Blowhole - A whale's breathing nostril, or double nostrils, in the top of its head, through which it spouts when surfacing. Blow home - A wind is said to blow home if it blows at equal strength across land and sea. Blowing great guns and small arms - Old term describing a heavy gale or hurricane. Blowing the Grampus - Sailor's term for waking a crewmember asleep on watch by throwing a bucket of water over him. A grampus whale would blow in a similar way to the waking sailor. Blowing up - See freshening. Blowing weather - Continuous strong gales. Blown into her courses - Said of a ship with a increasing wind from astern. Blown itself out - Said of a finishing gale. Blow over - What is said to be about to happen to a gale expected to soon finish. Blow the gaff - Expose a secret or inform against someone. Blow the horns off a bull - Said of a strong wind. Blow-Out – An excessive feast. The usual second wish of a seaman on a run ashore. Blow Over – Said of a gale expected not to last too long. Blow The Gaff – Expose or inform against someone. Blubber - Oil rich under-flesh layer on a whale, seal, walrus, etc. A whale carcass, during flensing, would have 'tears' of fat running down its sides, like weeping tears on a face - hence the verbal link with common language. Blubber chopper, fork and hook - Implements used to flense a whale by carving and pulling strips of blubber off the carcass and then chopping it up for storage. Blubber guy - A rope between the fore and mainmast heads, used to rig the speck-falls when flensing. Blubber room – The area below decks where the blanket pieces was placed before being cut into horse pieces. Blue – The proverbial colour of deep sea. 'Till all's blue' was a term meaning carried out fully, from the action of leaving harbour. 'To look blue' was to look surprised and displeased. Bluebacks – Privately published English sea charts, from the stiff blue backing paper. 'Blue Billy' - One of many nicknames for Admiral Sir William Cornwallis. Blue Devils - Naval officers' depression. Blue ensign - Originally denoted the squadron of the fleet. Bluejacket, Blue jacket –.Another name for Jack, or a sailor of the Royal Navy, after 1858, when the blue uniform became standard. Blue light – 1 Night pyrotechnic signal on an approaching ship, to summon a pilot or boat, or to indicate a ship's position to a remote ship's boat. Also Bengal Lights. 2 Nickname for a captain who ordered prayers every day and twice on Sunday, i.e. sanctimonious. Blue moon - An indefinable period. Blue nose - A native of Nova Scotia. BluePeter - Blue flag with white square in middle, originally used to recall officers and men to ship, prior to her sailing. Blue pigeon - Seamen’s' nickname for the sounding lead. Blues - French naval professional commoners. See Bleus. Bluewater - Deep sea. Blue water navy - Deep-sea craft, as distinct from brown water craft. Bluewhale - Sibaldus musculus. The world's largest whale, and the largest animal ever on earth, reaching over 100 ft long and weighing over 100 tons. Bluff - Vertical, of ship's bows, cliffs, etc. Blunk - A sudden squall. Blunt – A slang term for ready money. Blunt end - The technical term for the stern of a vessel. Compare with its opposite number, sharp end. Blusterous - Stormy weather, or said of a bombastic person. Boanga – A Malay oared pirate ship. Board - 1. A ship's side, hence 'go by the board', 'on board', 'over board', 'weather board', etc. 'To run a ship on board' meaning to run foul into the side of another ship, and 'to lay a ship on board' meaning to place one's own ship alongside of it. 2. Sideways direction of ship's course, especially when tacking, hence 'make short boards' meaning to tack frequently. The distance travelled on a tack when beating. Also leg. 3. Attack, hence 'board and carry' meaning to take another ship by occupation. 4. To come alongside. 5. ‘Above board’ referred to anything on deck, in plain view. 6. ‘Gone by the board’ meant swept overboard and lost. Board and board – Said of vessels sailing together on the same tack, or board. Board & half board - When a ship is turned up into the wind, as if about to tack, but falls off again on the same tack, the manoeuvre was called 'half board' or 'pilot's luff'. A succession of these was called 'board and half board'. Board a tack – To haul on the tack of a sail to sail closer to the wind. Boarder - Seaman or officer boarding an enemy ship in an attack. Board Him – To assail a male opponent with unfriendly intention. Board Her – To assail a female opponent with friendly intention. Board him in the smoke - To take someone by surprise. Boarding – Placing one’s vessel alongside another. Boarding and entering – A phrase commonly used to describe taking an enemy’s vessel. In fact ‘boarding’ means placing one’s vessel alongside the opponent and ‘entering’ means going onto/into that vessel to take it. Boarding book - A book in which details of ships boarded were returned to the commanding admiral. Boarding netting - Netting rigged outboard at the ship's sides, etc., to hamper boarding by others. Boarding pikes - Pikes, long handled bladed weapons used when boarding. Boarding platform - Platform forming part of the beakhead area, upon which boarders could most easily assemble and then cross onto the ship under attack. Boarding rope - Hand ropes rigged down ships' sides, usually near entry ports, to assist those climbing aboard. Boarding sword – 1. Small, bladed, hand weapon used when boarding. 2. A sword-like tool used to dismember a whale and to make a hole in the carcass for the blubber hook. Boardlings – Recently appointed members of the Admiralty or Navy Boards who have not yet earned the respect of their subordinates, as named by the latter, and who are usually not expected to. Board of the Admiralty - The agency that managed the day-to-day running of the Navy. Also the Admiralty Board, the Board of Commissioners of the Navy, etc. cf Navy Board, Ordnance Board, etc. Board of Customs & Excise - That government agency set up to control Customs & Excise matters. Board of Longitude - The name by which the Commissioners for the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea were generally known, comprising scientists, naval officers and government officials. It's role was to judge the entrants to the competition to find a means of accurately determining longitude at sea, for which they offered a prize of up to £20,000.00, in the 1714 Act of Longitude, the extent of the prize being subject to the accuracy of the method. The Board ceased to exist in 1828, by which time it had disbursed more than £100,000.00 in prizes. See also John Harrison. Board of Trade - The ministry created to encourage commerce. Boardsman – The crew member of a line-smack who baits and shoots the lines. Boat - Small open vessel. A boat is not a ship. Types of boat include: Accident boat; Cock; Dinghy; Dory; Galley; Jolly boat; Lifeboat; Pram; Pulling boat; Quarter boat; Row boat, or rowing boat; Sea boat; Surf boat; Whaleboat. Boat – (v) To bring oars inboard and stow them. Boatable - Waters navigable by boat. "Boat Ahoy!" - Watchman's challenge to an approaching boat. See Boat Calls. Boat boom - Spar, in pairs mounted across the waist, upon which the ship's boats were stored. Boat Buoys – Buoyancy aids for lifeboats, etc. Boat Calls- Challenges and responses to boats approaching a moored ship at night, initiated by Watchmen of the Gangway, as follows: "Boat Ahoy!", pronounced "Oy-y", first challenge by watcher; "Standard", reply if a Royal on boat; "Admiralty", reply if member of Admiralty Board on boat; "Flag", reply if Admiral on boat; "Staff", reply if Admiral's staff officer on boat; "Ship Name", reply if Captain of named ship on boat; "Aye-aye", reply if officer on boat; "No-no", reply if no officer on boat; "Coming here?", secondary challenge to boat; "Passing", alternative response; "Guard Boat", reply if relevant. Boat chocks - Blocks used on boat booms to secure the boats. Boat cloak - Large cloak worn at sea by officers. Boat cover – The canvas cover used to protect a boat stowed in the davits. Boat davit - A curved sheaved timber projecting over a boat's stern, for use in weighing anchor. Boat-deck - Top deck, on which the ship's boats were stored. Boat drill – 1. The regular mustering of crewmembers and passengers at their allotted lifeboats stations to familiarise them with what to do in the case of an emergency. 2. Practice in hoisting out the ship's boats. Boat fast - The painter or boat rope. Boat-gear, Boat-geer – The rigging and furniture of a boat. Boat grapnel - Triple hook bent onto a rope, used to hook onto a makeshift dock, jetty, etc. Boat header – An American term for the experienced whaleman who steered the whaleboat as it approached its quarry and who killed it with lances after the harpooner had caught it. Boat hire – The use of non-naval boats when in harbour. Boat hook – An iron or brass hook and spike on a long wooden pole, used to pull in a boat, or push off again from a dock or from a ship's side or for picking up thrown lines. Boat keeper - That crew member left in charge of a boat when the others are away. Boat leadlines, or Boat lead and line – A tapered 7 lb lead attached to 10 to 12 fathoms of 2½ lb (light) line marked with depths, as with a ship’s lead line, used to precisely establish the depth of an area in soundings, or being chosen as an anchorage, from a boat. See also leadline. Boat pulling – Seamen’s term for rowing. Boat rope – A rope connecting a boat to its ship, attached to the front of both to keep it pulling alongside. Boat’s badge – The insignia on a boat, to show what ship she belongs to. Boat’s bag – A bag of tools and materials often needed in an emergency, kept stocked and ready in an accident boat. Boatschip - 18c Dutch three mast ship with flat transom stern, used primarily as coaster or in herring fishing. Boat's compass – A boat’s compass. Boat’s Crew – The regular men appointed as the crew of a particular boat. Boat's gripes - Lashings used to secure boats when stowed. Boat skids – Hardwood chocks on which a ship’s boats are stored. Boat’s recall – The flag hoists used by a ship to summon her boats back. Early ship’s recalled their boats by firing cannon. Boats, The - Seamen's slang for small ships. In modern times refers to destroyers. Boat steerer-harpooner – The American title for the crew member assigned to man the harpooner oar. Boatswain - Boat husband, literally. Pronounced
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