DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS.

ABACK. The situation of the sails when the wind presses their surfaces against the mast, and tends to force the vessel astern.

ABAFT. Toward the stern of a vessel.

ABOARD. Within a vessel.

ABOUT. On the other tack.

ABREAST.

Alongside of. Side by side.

ACCOMMODATION. (See LADDER.)

A-COCK-BILL. The situation of the yards when they are topped up at an angle with the deck. The situation of an anchor when it hangs to the cathead by the ring only.

Without fasts.

ADRIFT. Broken from moorings or fasts.
AFLOAT. Resting on the surface of the water.
AFORE. Forward. The opposite of abaft.
AFT-AFTER. Near the stern.

AGROUND. Touching the bottom.

AHEAD. In the direction of the vessel's head. Wind ahead is from the direction toward which the vessel's head points.

A-HULL. The situation of a vessel when she lies with all her saile furled and her helm lashed a-lee.

A-LEE. The situation of the helm when it is put in the opposite direction from that in which the wind blows.

ALL-ABACK. When all the sails are aback.

ALL HANDS. The whole crew.

ALL IN THE WIND. When all the sails are shaking.
ALOFT. Above the deck.

AMIDSHIPS. In the centre of the vessel; either with reference to her length or to her breadth.

ANCHOR. The machine by which, when dropped to the bottom, the vessel is held fast.

ANCHOR-WATCH. (See WATCH.)

AN-END.

When a mast is perpendicular to the deck.

A-PEEK. When the cable is hove taut so as to bring the vessel nearly over her anchor. The yards are a-peek when they are topped up by contrary lifts.

APRON. A piece of timber fixed behind the lower part of the stern, just above the fore end of the keel. A covering to the vent or lock of a cannon.

ARM. YARD-ARM.

The extremity of a yard. Also, the lower part of an anchor, crossing the shank and terminating in the flukes. ARMING. A piece of tallow put in the cavity and over the bottom of

a lead-line.

A-STERN. In the direction of the stern.

A-TAUNT. (See TAUNT.)

ATHWART. Across.

The opposite of a-head.

Athwart ships. Across the line of the vessel's keel; across the length of a vessel, in opposition to fore and aft.

Athwart-hawse. Across the direction of a vessel's head. Across her cable.

A-TRIP. The situation of the anchor when it is raised clear of the ground. The same as a-weigh.

AVAST, or 'VAST. An order to stop; as, "Avast heaving!"

A-WEATHER. The situation of the helm when it is put in the direction from which the wind blows.

A-WEIGH. The same as a-trip. AWNING. A covering of canvas over a vessel's deck, or over a boat, to keep off sun or rain.

BACK. To back an anchor, is to carry out a smaller one ahead of the one by which the vessel rides, to take off some of the strain. To back a sail, is to throw it aback.

To back and fill, is alternately to back and fill the sails. BACKSTAYS. Stays running from a masthead to the vessel's side, slanting a little aft. (See STAYS.)

BAGPIPE. To bagpipe the mizen, is to lay it aback by bringing the sheet to the weather mizen rigging.

BALANCE-REEF. A reef in a spanker or fore-and-aft mainsail, which runs from the outer head-earing, diagonally, to the tack. It is the closest reef, and makes the sail triangular, or nearly so. BALE. To bale a boat, is to throw water out of her.

BALLAST. Heavy material, as iron, lead, or stone, placed in the bottom of the hold, to keep a vessel from upsetting.

To freshen ballast, is to shift it. Coarse gravel is called shingle ballast.

BANK. A boat is double-banked when two oars, one opposite the other, are pulled by men seated on the same thwart.

BAR.

A bank or shoal at the entrance of a harbour. Capstan-bars are heavy pieces of wood by which the capstan is hove round.

BARE-POLES. The condition of a ship when she has no sail set. BARGE. A large double-banked boat, used by the commander of a vessel in the navy.

BARK, or BARQUE. (See Plate 4.) A three-masted vessel, having her fore and main masts rigged like a ship's, and her mizen-mast like the main mast of a schooner, with no sail upon it but a spanker, and gaff-topsail.

BARNACLE. A shell-fish often found on a vessel's bottom. BATTENS. Thin strips of wood put around the hatches, to keep the tarpaulin down. Also, put upon rigging to keep it from chafing. A large batten widened at the end, and put upon rigging, is called a Scotchman.

BEACON.

off.

A post or buoy placed over a shoal or bank to warn vessels
Also as a signal-mark on land.

BEAMS. Strong pieces of timber stretching across the vessel, to support the decks.

On the weather or lee-beam, is in a direction to windward or leeward, at right angles with the keel.

On beam ends. The situation of a vessel when turned over so that her beams are inclined toward the vertical.

BEAR.

An object bears so and so, when it is in such a direction from the person looking.

To bear down upon a vessel, is to approach her from the windward. To bear up, is to put the helm up and keep a vessel off from her course, and move her to leeward.

To bear away, is the same as to bear up; being applied to the vessel instead of to the tiller.

To bear-a-hand. To make haste.

BEARING. The direction of an object from the person looking. The bearings of a vessel, are the widest part of her below the plankshear. That part of her hull which is on the water-line when she is at anchor and in her proper trim. BEATING. Going toward the

tacks.

BECALM. To intercept the wind.

is said to becalm another.

direction of the wind, by alternate

A vessel or highland to windward So one sail becalms another.

BECKET. A piece of rope placed so as to confine a spar or another A handle made of rope, in the form of a circle (as the handle of a chest), is called a becket.

rope.

BEES. Pieces of plank bolted to the outer end of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays through.

BELAY.

To make a rope fast by turns round a pin or coil, without

hitching or seizing it.

BEND. To make fast.

To bend a sail, is to make it fast to the yard.

To bend a cable, is to make it fast to the anchor.

A bend, is a knot by which one rope is made fast to another.

BENDS. (See PLATE 3.) The strongest part of a vessel's side, to which the beams, knees, and foot-hooks are bolted. The part between the water's edge and the bulwarks.

BENEAPED. (See NEAPED.)

BENTICK SHROUDS. Formerly used, and extending from the futtockstaves to the opposite channels.

BERTH. The place where a vessel lies. The place in which a man sleeps.

BETWEEN-DECKS. The space between any two decks of a ship.

BIBBS. Pieces of timber bolted to the hounds of a mast, to support the trestle-trees.

BIGHT. The double part of a rope when it is folded; in contradistinc

tion from the ends. Any part of a rope may be called the bight, except the ends. Also, a bend in the shore, making a small bay or inlet.

BILGE. That part of the floor of a ship upon which she would rest if aground; being the part near the keel which is more in a horizontal than a perpendicular line.

Bilge-ways.

Pieces of timber bolted together and placed under the

bilge in launching.

Bilged. When the bilge is broken in.

Bilge Water. Water which settles in the bilge.

Bilge. The largest circumference of a cask.

BILL. The point at the extremity of the fluke of an anchor.

BILLET-HEAD. (See HEAD.)

BINNACLE. A box near the helm, containing the compass.

BITTS. Perpendicular pieces of timber going through the deck, placed to secure anything to. The cables are fastened to them, if there is no windlass. There are also bitts to secure the windlass, and on each side of the heel of the bowsprit.

BITTER, or BITTER-END. That part of the cable which is abaft the

bitts.

BLACKWALL HITCH. (See PLATE 5, and page 37.)

BLADE. The flat part of an oar which goes into the water.

BLOCK. A piece of wood, with sheaves or wheels in it, through which the running rigging passes to add to the purchase. See p. 53. BLUFF. A bluff-blowed or buff-headed vessel is one which is full and square forward.

BOARD. The stretch a vessel makes upon one tack, when she is beating Stern-board. When a vessel goes stern foremost.

By the board. Said of masts when they fall over the side. BOAT-HOOK. An iron hook with a long staff, held in the hand, by which a boat is kept fast to a wharf, or vessel.

BOATSWAIN. (Pronounced bo-s'n.) A warrant officer in the navy, who has charge of the rigging, and calls the crew to duty.

BOBSTAYS. Used to confine the bowsprit down to the stem or cutwater. BOLSTERS. Pieces of soft wood, covered with canvas, placed on the trestle-trees, for the eyes of the rigging to rest upon.

BOLTS. Long cylindrical bars of iron or copper, used to secure or unite the different parts of a vessel.

BOLT-ROPE. The rope which goes round a sail, and to which the canvas is sewed. BONNET. An additional piece of canvas attached to the foot of a jib, or a schooner's foresail, by lacings. Taken off in bad weather. BOOм. A spar used to extend the foot of a fore-and-aft sail or studding-sail.

Boom-irons. Iron rings on the yards, through which the studdingsail booms traverse.

BOOT-TOPPING. Scraping off the grass, or other matter, which may be on a vessel's bottom, and daubing it over with tallow, or some mixture.

BOUND. Wind-bound. When a vessel is kept in port by a head-wind. Bow. The rounded part of a vessel, forward.

BOWER. A working anchor, the cable of which is bent, and reeved through the hawse-hole.

Best Bower, is the lager of the two bowers. (See page 4.) BOW-GRACE. A frame of old rope, or junk, placed round the bows and sides of a vessel, to prevent the ice from injuring her.

BOWLINE. (Pronounced bo-lin.) A rope leading forward from the leech of a square sail, to keep the leech well out when sailing closehauled. A vessel is said to be on a bowline, or on a taut bowline, when she is close-hauled.

Bowline-bridle. The span on the leech of the sail to which the bowline is toggled.

Bowline-knot. (See PLATE 5, and page 36.)

BowSE. To pull upon a tackle.

BowSPRIT. (Pronounced bo-sprit.) A large and strong spar, standing from the bows of a vessel. (See PLATE 1.)

Box-HAULING. Wearing a vessel by backing the head sails. (See p. 63.) Box. To box the compass, is to repeat the thirty-two points of the compass in order.

BRACE. A rope by which a yard is turned about.

To brace a yard, is to turn it about horizontally.
To brace up, is to lay the yard more fore and aft.
To brace in, is to lay it nearer square.

To brace aback. (See ABACK.)

To brace to, is to brace the head yards a little aback, in tacking or wearing.

BRAILS. Ropes by which the foot or lower corners of fore-and-aft sails are hauled up.

BRAKE.

BREAK.

The handle of a ship's pump.

To break bulk, is to begin to unload.

To break ground, is to lift the anchor from the bottom.

To break shear, is when a vessel, at anchor, in tending, is forced the wrong way by the wind or current, so that she does not lie so well for keeping herself clear of her anchor.

BREAKER.
BREAMING.

A small cask containing water.

Cleaning a ship's bottom by burning. BREAST-FAST. A rope used to confine a vessel sideways to a wharf, or to some other vessel.

BREAST-HOOKS. Knees placed in the forward part of a vessel, across the stem, to unite the bows on each side. (See PLATE 3.) BREAST-ROPE. A rope passed round a man in the chains, while sounding.

BREECH. The outside angle of a knee-timber. The after end of a gun. BREECHING. A strong rope used to secure the breech of a gun to the ship's side.