THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ THE READERS’ DICTIONARY OF SAILING SHIP TERMINOLOGY ___________________________________________________________________________ 74 75 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 Dough-Boy, doughboy - A marine. From the habit of marines to use pipe-clay ‘dough’ to clean their white belts. Borrowed from the Americans. Douse. dowse – (v) To slacken a rope suddenly, resulting in the attached object dropping. The term was also used for sudden lowering of something or the putting out of a light. Dousing chocks - Thwartship timbers extending to the knight heads. Dover Court - All talkers and no hearers Dove-tail plate - The plate shaped to be used at the junctions of the keel with the stem and stern posts. Down by the head, stern - SMS Down Easter - Ship similar to clippers, but less sharp of prow and with little dead rise Downhaul, downhauls - Lines attached to yards or the upper corners of sails and passing down through the loops that hold the sail to its stay, to haul them down, in the event that the normal effects of gravity are rendered inadequate through the pressure of wind, or through jamming. Downhauler - ERR Downhaul tackle – A tackle comprising a series of heavy blocks, used to haul down the main or fore yard to furl the sail in heavy weather, when the wind force could prevent the yard lowering only by gravity. Downstream – On the side to which a stream is setting. Down the hatch – A Seamen’s toast. Downward - See To leeward. Downwind - See To leeward. Down with the helm – A helm order given when the conner wanted the helm pushed down to the lee side to put the vessel about. The helmsman would answer ‘helm’s a-lee’. Also alee the helm, or luff round. Downs, The - Roadstead off S.E. coast of Kent, protected by being inshore of the Goodwin Sands. Dowse, douse - (v) To slacken a rope suddenly, resulting in the attached object dropping. The term was also used for sudden lowering of something or the putting out of a light. Dowsed - Drunk, as in "dowsed to the gaff t'sl" Dozen at the Gangway - Flogging. Supposed to be the maximum number sentenced. Drabbler - SMS *46 Drabble-tail - A ship or boat with a stern extended to the point where the sea would slap into her was said to be a drabble-tail. Drabler – Additional pieces of sail laced onto the lower edge of a bonnet. Draft - In Elizabethan times, used to refer to a chart. Drafting ship's companies - The whole crew of a ship needing re�it being transferred to one without a crew, but otherwise ready for sea. Drag – (v) To pull a freed anchor along the sea bottom. Dragon Ship - 1. The most frightening and largest of 11 to 13c Nordic longships, so named after their dragon's-head stems, although other animals heads were more commonly used. 2. Far Eastern Dragon ships or boats were 100ft long narrow vessels used for ceremonial occasions. Drag sheet – A sail or canvas used to form a drogue by being attached to a spar. Drakes – A gun with tapered bore, �ired with reduced charges. Also a short name for Saker Drakes. See Cannon. Dram- 1. A neat rum ration. 2. Timber from Drammen, Norway. Draught - The depth measured on a particular vessel, from the water-line to the bottom of the keel, indicating the depth of water needed to �loat the vessel. Draught marks - Figures carved into the stem and stern posts of a vessel to assist in setting her trim and determining her draught. Draw - 1. A vessel is said to draw a given depth of water in which to �loat. 2. Sails draw when they are working well and full of wind. Drawage Drawing Drawing splice - SMS Draw sail – A spare sail deployed beneath the keel of a becalmed vessel to use the tide to tow the net. Drebbel Diving Boat - Boat invented by Dutchman Drebbel, who experimented with his diving boat in 1620s, including one demonstration in front of James I of a boat with 12 oarsmen and several passengers rowed and steered underwater at a depth of between 13 and 16feet (4 and 5m) from Westminster to Greenwich. Dredge – A �ishing net used to scrape mussels and oysters from the seabed, comprising a drag net attached to an iron frame. Drekkar (dragon) - Viking ship of about 30 rooms. Dress ship - Decorate a ship with signal bunting. Dressed overall - Decorate a ship with signal bunting, from the jackstaff to the ensign staff, via the mastheads. Dressing down – This was the treatment of old sails with oil and/or wax to renew them and help resist the water. An of�icer who was reprimanded was said by seamen to have received a dressing down. Dr Hale's ventilation system – Patent improvements to ship ventilation, introduced in 1753, using windmills and air pumps, that greatly reduced sickness and death rates on ship-board. A 2:1 improvement was claimed by the inventor. Dried out in the Shrouds - Punished mildly for mutiny by seizing into the shrouds. BDD Drift – 1. (v) To be carried by the action of wind and tide without helm. 2. The speed of a stream or current expressed in knots. 3. The extent of leeway over the ground. Drift anchor – A sea anchor or drogue. Drift current – A broad, shallow, slow-moving current. Drifter – A �ishing vessel that used drift nets to do its business. Drifting – 1. The technique of using a tapered punch to line up the holes in two plates, prior to riveting. This method was condemned due to the strain and damage it caused to plates. 2. Fishing with a drift net. Drift-lead - SMS Drift net - Developed to catch pelagic �ish - herring, mackerel, pilchard, sprat, etc. Drift piece - The piece of timber that connects the plank sheer to the gunwale. Drift rail(tge) Drifts - The breaks in the sheer rails, where they change height, usually with a scroll decoration. Drift sail – A temporary drogue achieved by throwing a sail attached to a strong line overboard. Drink - The sea. Drip - Seamen's slang for a complaint or a complainer, particularly when there is no just cause. Drive – 1. (v) To fall to leeward by the pressure of wind or sea. 2. Said to be done by a captain who did everything to make a faster passage. Driver – The gaff mizzen sail. Also spanker. Originally it was a sail set on the outer end of the gaff mizzen. Driver boom(hgv) Driver gaff Driving – Of a drifter, having its nets out and moving with the tide. Driving the spigot out – The moment a whale spouts blood after it has been lanced. Droggy - A hydrographer. Drogue – A device used to slow down a vessel, or hold her head to the sea in bad weather, comprising a hollow canvas bag or sail attached to spars that was dragged along against the �low and could be collapsed when no longer needed. Heavier ones are called sea anchors. Droits of the Admiralty/Crown - Rights due to ... Dromon – 1. A large Byzantine oared warship. 2. Large 15c ship built at Southampton for use as a Royal Yacht. Drop(tge) Drop anchor – To let the anchor go, on its cable. Drop astern – To fall behind in a chase. Drop keel - A boat keel that could be lowered when tacking, to reduce the boat making leeway, comprising an iron plate in a wooden frame that was lowered by means of a suitable tackle. Drop on board - Drift leeward into the side of another ship. Drop pawls - SMS Dropping (1) - Of a wind, etc., reducing in strength. Dropping (2) - One form of punishment was dropping from the yard, often coupled with a �logging, but usually preferable to being hanged from the yard. Drowned baby - Steamed plum pudding. Drowning Drown the miller - Dilute the grog by more than the regulation three parts of water to one of rum. Something a few purser's should have had red ears over. Drugg Drumbler - A small fast transport or �ighting vessel. Drumhead – The top part of a capstan barrel with sockets into which the capstan bars are inserted. Drumhead service - A short religious service held in action, from the practice of holding it around the capstan drumhead. Drummer - A drum roll would precede many calls, particularly in action. Drummer's hook - The deck. To hang a thing on the drummer's hook was to drop it. Drummer’s plait – A plait formed by the bight passing through each previous loop. Drunkenness Dry-card compass, Dry compass - A compass having no liquid in the bowl. Dry dock - A dock �itted with watertight gates, so that it could be drained, leaving the vessels hull exposed for inspection and repair. Dry Dock Dues - CTC Dry Hash - +104 Drying height – The height above the chart datum of an object that dries out at low water. D-shackle – A shackle made with two parallel sides. Dub (vb) - To �inish off a timber by smoothing it. Dubas - Two-masted mid 19c Russian coastal cargo vessel Ducat - In Elizabethan times, a Spanish coin worth about 5s. 10d. of English money. Ducatoons - Currency unit Duck - heavy cotton used by Americans for sails CTC Duck - Cloth used for light sails or working suits. Duckboards – The latticed wooden �loorboards found in the bottom of boats were said to keep a seaman’s feet a dry as a duck’s Ducking – 1. A punishment in which the offender was hauled up to the yardarm by a rope round his body and repeatedly immersed in the sea. 2. Clearing sail out of the way of the helmsman, to give him a clear view. Duck pen - Area of deck under whaler's tryworks, �illed with water against overheating. Ducks – Haddock. Due North - Alcoholic content 100%, i.e. pure rum. (see Grog*)(NW – Half and half; Southerly – Empty Glass.) Due West - Alcoholic content nil, i.e. pure water (see Grog*)(NW – Half and half; Southerly – Empty Glass.) Duff - Seamen's slang for 1. A pudding: �iggy duff, plum duff, and 2. anything not good enough. Dugong - Sea mammal often mistakenly thought of as a mermaid, or perhaps the basis of "genuine" mermaid sightings. Also Halicore*, Moon Creature*. Dull in stays - SMS Dull Sailer Dumb barge - Used only the tide-�low for propulsion, so had the right of way in a river. Dumb Chalders - Chalder* is a gudgeon. Dumb fastening - A temporary fastening used to hold a timber or plank in place temporarily, whilst �ixing it permanently. Dummy - Dock? Dummy gantline, or girtline – A rope passed through a block, with a gantline attached to it for reeving. Dummy Knighthead - on iron hulls, as warping chocks etc. CTC Dunderfunk - Seamen’s' food. Dungaree - A cheap rough thin cloth woven of coco-nut �ibre. Dunnage – 1. Seamen's slang for the kit or
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