THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 48 49 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER ©2024 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF PETER TURNER If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com If any reader can provide information, please send to galf@abandos.com CSS - The prefix to ships' names used for the warships of the States of the Confederacy (the South) during the American Civil War, standing for Confederate States Ship. cf USS. Cabin – 1. A room or space on a ship, particularly allocated to an individual. See also great cabin and coach. cf steerage. 2. Any single room in Navy accommodation ashore. 3. The Cabin, on board, was the Captain's Cabin. Cabin boy – A junior rating assigned to attend to the needs of the officers. Cabin Passenger - A passenger entitled to a private cabin, usually through having paid for it. Cabin sole - Floor. More usually used in yachts. Cable - 1. Strictly, a heavy chain or hemp rope of about 120 fathoms length, to which the anchor is attached, made from nine strands laid in three threes and then the three into one, it came to refer to any large hemp or wire rope, or, occasionally, chain that attached to the anchor. Originally, in the Royal Navy, the term applied only to a 20 inch cable of hemp made in Bridport, but later came to be more loosely used to refer to other heavy ropes. The size of anchor cable of a ship was determined roughly as half an inch of circumference for every foot of beam of the ship. The standard rope cable length was between 100 and 115 fathoms, with hawser-laid cable being 130 fathoms. 2. A measure of distance at sea of 100 fathoms or 200 yards. Approximately one tenth of a nautical mile. Also cable’s length. Cable expressions - Look up open hawse, foul hawse, flying moor, cross in the hawse, elbow round turn, round turn & elbow. Cable holders - Capstans on the forecastle deck of larger ships set on either side of ship's centreline, by which the bower anchors are weighed or veered. Cable-holders are geared into the main capstan engine so that the cable is hove in mechanically, and are freed from the clutch when letting go so the anchor and cable run free. Cable-laid - A term used to describe the heaviest ropes, made by laying or twisting three ordinary ropes, each themselves made from three strands laid together. The three final strands, or hawsers, are twisted from right to left; otherwise the cable would become untwisted and lose its strength. Also cablet and water-laid. cf hawser-laid. Cable locker - The compartment in the bow of a vessel where the anchor cable is stowed, with its inboard end secured. Cable nipper – A short length of spun-yarn used to temporarily fasten the cable to the messenger. Chain cables would be similarly attached by using hinged iron nippers. Cable party – Those crewmembers detailed to work the anchor cable. Cable shackle – A shackle with a pin flush in its side, used to join lengths of cable in such a way that the cable’s passage through the hawse holes would not be obstructed. Cable’s length – A measure of length of 120 fathoms. Approximately one tenth of a nautical mile. Also cable. Cable stoppers – A short length of spun-yarn used to make a light rope or messenger fast to a cable when heaving it in. An iron nipper would be used on a chain cable. Many devices were used to hold the chain cable when a ship lies at anchor. These were either used as standbys when the cable was held on a brake, or used to hold the cable temporarily whilst the inboard part of the cable was handled. The four most common types of stopper were: 1. Brake slip, which comprised a tongue gripping the cable, attached in turn to a short length of chain cable fastened to a deck bolt. 2. Riding slip, which was a Blake slip, but attached in the cable tier, between the cableholder and the navel pipe. This was used as a preventer when the ship was lying at anchor, in case the brake renders. 3. Screw slip, which was another Blake slip, but with a bottle-screw in the chain. This was used at sea to draw up the anchor to the hawse. 4. Senhouse slip, which was attached to the last link at the end of a chain hawser, to prevent its being drawn out. See also Devil's Claw. Cablet - An alternative name for cable-laid rope. Cable tier - The hold into which the anchor hawser drops in folds when the anchor is raised, and in which it is coiled up and stowed. The name comes from the tiers onto which the cable is laid, to assist its drying out. Cable tier pinch - A pinch bar or crowbar for manipulating lengths of cable in the stowage tiers or racks. Caboose - The housing for the galley chimney. Came to be applied to the galley or cook-house, when built as a small deck-house, or any other enclosed space on deck, usually on smaller vessels. Cabot, John (Giovanni Caboto) - (c.1450-98) Italian navigator, born in Genoa, who is now credited as being the first European to find the north American landmass, for the King of England, Henry VII. He moved to England in 1484, fired up with the idea of reaching Cathay (China) by voyaging west, probably after hearing of Columbus's expeditions, which he seems to have been sceptical about, and certainly driven by the attraction of trade, not glory. Well, not much glory. He sailed from Bristol in May 1497 in the ship Matthew, manned by a crew of eighteen, and sighted Newfoundland on 24 June of the same year. On this voyage he discovered the rich cod fields of the Grand Banks, when catching fish over the ship's side by the basket load, which led to the development of the Newfoundland cod fishery. Henry VII granted him a prize of £10 for finding the 'new island', which they all thought was off the coast of Cathay, after which a new expedition was proposed, to seek Cipango (Japan). This second expedition comprised five ships and 300 men and it set off in February 1498, but was never heard from again. If the expedition had survived, even if it had failed, it is now supposed that accounts of it, and the previous voyage, would have resulted in John Cabot, and not Christopher Columbus, being hailed down the centuries as the true discoverer of the New World, because Columbus only ever found the Caribbean and never knew about the American continent. Cabot, Sebastian - (1476-1557) A son of John Cabot. He came to fame as Pilot Major and chief navigator of Spain, in 1518. He led an expedition westward to find the Orient, for Spain, but went south and was sidetracked by tales of vast riches, before he even reached the Magellan Strait, for which he was banished to Africa on his return to Spain. He later tried to get a licence from Henry VIII of England to lead various expeditions, but by the time he succeeded he was too old to lead them. He founded the Bristol company of Merchant Adventurers in 1551 and under his stewardship the first of the many expeditions to find the North-East Passage was sent out. If he had been a more honest chronicler of events experienced with his father, the family name may have been enhanced, but, unfortunately, those stories he did relate led only to incredulity. Cabotage - French coastal trading. Caboteur - A small French coastal trading vessel. Cabral, Pedro Alvarez de Gouvea - (c.14671530) Portuguese navigator who led an expedition to South America in 1500, following the voyage of Vasco da Gama in 1499. Cabral is inaccurately credited with discovering Brazil, which had in fact been found three months earlier by the Spaniard Vicente Yañez Pinzon. The expedition continued to India where it loaded a vast cargo of spices, and landed back in Lisbon in July 1501, after which Cabral retired wealthy. Cabrito - A goat. Cabuleur - Sperm whale Cadamosto, Alvise da - (1432-77) Venetian Navigator who commanded the expeditions sent by Prince Henry the Navigator to explore the west cast of Africa, in 1455 and 1456. Cache Cacique – 1. A West Indian chieftain. 2. A local political chief in Latin countries. Cade – An early term for a measure of sprats, of about 1,000. Cadet – A modern sea trainee. Cadiz - A major seaport on the west coast of southern Spain, from which the combined Napoleonic fleet, under Admiral Villeneuve, sailed to meet its destiny with Nelson's fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Cag - Slang for wooden mess drinking utensil. Cagger - An early type of kedge anchor. Caique - 1. A light Turkish boat. 2. The Turkish Sultan's ceremonial barge. 3. A lateen-rigged Levantine vessel. Caisson - 1. From the French caisson, meaning a large chest, it was used to mean an enclosed underwater space with a method of pumping it out. It therefore means an enclosure used in the construction of bridges, dams, etc., from which the works could be carried out. 2. The working part of dock gates. 3. A floating enclosure that can be submerged under a wreck and then pumped out, thereby raising the wreck by giving it buoyancy. cf camel. Caisson Disease - Slang name for the bends, or decompression disease. Cakes Calashee watch - A watch in which all hands were to stand by for a call, such as when the ship is making short boards or tacks. Calavances - 1qt = 1qt Pease Equivalent. Calcutta - A major seaport on the mouth of the Hugli River in India, founded in 1690 by the Honourable East India Company Calder, Sir Robert - (1745-1818) Scottish admiral in the Royal Navy, knighted for his services in the Battle of Cape St Vincent. Known for having let Villeneuve's fleet slip past him in the fog after the latter having been chased from the West Indies in the summer of 1805, for which he was court-martialled. He was severely reprimanded at the court-martial, which ended his naval career. Calenture Cales - The name for Cadiz prior to 1600. Calf - 1. A 'small' piece of floe ice that has broken off the main body of pack ice, after calving. 2. A small island lying off a larger island. 3. A young sea mammal. Calf in the reef - The English translation for the Swedish term used to describe an unsightly bulge in a reef. Calibre - The modern term used to express the measurements of a gun, or sometimes just its bore. California Banknotes – Hides. Caliper (tge) Caliver - Small arm. A long, light musket. Calk - See caulk Call – 1. The special whistle blown by boatswain’s mates of the Royal Navy, to give orders or pay respects in a salute. Also called boatswain’s call or boatswain’s whistle. 2. A signal sounded on the boatswain’s call. Also called a pipe. Call boatswain’s mates – A summons to the boatswain’s mates to muster for a long call that had to be sounded in unison. Callbolus - Mixture of rum, sugar and small beer, after a similar N American drink. Also Kallebogas. Call boy – The junior rating who duty it was to carry the boatswain’s pipes, to relay his orders and to take part in the ceremonial piping aboard of visiting dignitaries. Callender, Sir Geoffrey Arthur - (1875-1946) The British naval historian who founded the National Maritime Museum and was the drive behind the successful appeal to restore HMS Victory. Calling the soundings – ‘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 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!’ Call the wheel - Take a trick Cally ho - Callao. Seamen's slang for unduly free and easy, especially of the ship's routine, which C Cables and Crutches
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