An Universal Dictionary Of The Marine - free ebook by William Falconer

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An Universal Dictionary Of The Marine

William Falconer

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49 chapters

PREFACE.

PREFACE.

The following work has engaged my utmost application for some years. Several performances on the same subject have already appeared; as Sir H. Manwaring’s Seaman’s Dictionary ; Boteler’s Sea Dialogues ; Guillet’s Gentleman’s Dictionary , and Blanckley’s Naval Expositor , &amp;c. Far from exhibiting an enlarged and comprehensive view of naval affairs, these productions are extremely imperfect, according to the very circumscribed plan which their authors have adopted. There are besides, the Di

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A LIST of the SUBSCRIBERS.

A LIST of the SUBSCRIBERS.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester . His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland . Right Hon. Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty , as a Board....

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A.

A.

ABACK, coeffé , the situation of the sails when their surfaces are flatted against the masts by the force of the wind. The sails are said to be taken aback , when they are brought into this situation, either by a sudden change of the wind, or by an alteration in the ship’s course. They are laid aback , to effect an immediate retreat, without turning to the right or left; or, in the sea-phrase, to give the ship stern-way , in order to avoid some danger discovered before her in a narrow channel; o

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B.

B.

BACK of the post . See the article Stern-post . To Back an anchor , empeneller , to carry out a small anchor, as the stream or kedge, ahead of the large one, by which the ship usually rides, in order to support it, and prevent it from loosening, or coming home , in bad ground. In this situation, the latter is confined by the former, in the same manner that the ship is restrained by the latter. To Back astern , in rowing, scier à culer , is to manage the oars in a direction contrary to the usual

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C.

C.

CABIN, cabane , a room or apartment in a ship where any of the officers usually reside. There are many of these in a large ship; the principal of which is designed for the captain, or commander. In ships of the line, this chamber is furnished with an open gallery in the ships stern, as also a little gallery on each quarter. The apartments where the inferior officers or common sailors sleep and mess, are usually called births; which see. The bed-places built up for the sailors at the ships side i

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D.

D.

Davit, minot , a long beam of timber, represented by a, a, plate II . fig. 28, and used as a crane, whereby to hoist the flukes of the anchor to the top of the bow , without injuring the planks of the ship’s side as it ascends; an operation which by mariners is called fishing the anchor. The anchors being situated on both the bows, the davit may be occasionally shifted so as to project over either side of the ship, according to the position of that anchor on which it is to be employed. The inner

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E.

E.

EARINGS, rabans , certain small cords employed to fasten the upper corners of a sail to its respective yard; for which purpose one end of the earing is spliced to the cringle , fixed in that part of the sail; and the other end of it is passed six or seven times round the yard-arm and through the cringle, thereby fastening the latter to the former. Two of the turns are intended to stretch the upper-edge of the sail tight along the yard; and the rest to draw it close up to it. The former are there

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F.

F.

FACTOR, in commerce, an agent, or correspondent, residing beyond the seas, or in some remote part, and commissioned by merchants to buy or sell goods on their account, or assist them to carry on their trade. Hence any place where a considerable number of factors reside, to negociate for their masters, or employers, is called a factory; as the factories of Lisbon, of Leghorn, of Calcutta, &amp;c. FAG-END, the end of any rope, or cord, which is become untwisted and loosened by frequent use. To

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G.

G.

GAFF, a sort of boom or pole, frequently used in small ships, to extend the upper edge of the mizen; and always employed for the same purpose on those sails whose foremost edges are joined to the mast by hoops or lacings, and which are usually extended by a boom below. Such are the main-sails of all sloops, brigs, and schooners. The foremost, or inner extremity of the gaff, is furnished with two cheeks forming a semi-circle, which incloses the after-part of the mast so as to confine the gaff clo

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H.

H.

HAGS TEETH, or Hakes Teeth , those parts of a matting , pointing , &amp;c. which are interwoven with the rest, in an erroneous and irregular manner, so as to appear aukward in the general uniformity of the work. See Pointing , &amp;c. HAILING, the salutation or accosting of a ship at a distance, either at sea or in a harbour. The usual expression is, Hoa, the ship ahoay! To which she answers, Holloa! Whence came ye? Where are ye bound? Good voyage! What cheer? All well! How fare ye? &amp

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J.

J.

JACK, a sort of flag or colours, displayed from a mast erected on the outer end of a ship’s bowsprit. In the British navy the jack is nothing more than a small union flag, composed of the intersection of the red and white crosses; but in merchant ships this union is bordered with a red field. See the article Union . JAMMING, the act of inclosing any object between two bodies, so as to render it immoveable, whilst they continue in the same position. This expression is usually applied to the situa

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K.

K.

KAICLING, or KECKLING, a name given to any old ropes, which are wound about a cable, with a small interval between the turns, and used to preserve the surface of the cable from being fretted, when it rubs against the ship’s bow, or fore-foot . See also Rounding and Service . KEDGE, ancre de touei , a small anchor, used to keep a ship steddy whilst she rides in a harbour or river, particularly at the turn of the tide, when she might otherwise drive over her principal anchor, and entangle the stoc

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L.

L.

TO LABOUR, travailler , as a sea-term, implies to roll or pitch heavily in a turbulent sea; an effect, by which the masts and hull of the ship are greatly endangered, because by the rolling motion the masts strain upon their shrouds with an effort, which increases as the sine of their obliquity: and the continual agitation of the vessel gradually loosens her joints, and often makes her extremely leaky. LADDER, echelle , a well-known convenience, of which there are a great number in a ship, forme

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M.

M.

MAGAZINE, soute au poudres , a close room or store-house, built in the fore, or after-part of a ship’s hold, to contain the gun-powder used in battle, &amp;c. This apartment is strongly secured against fire, and no person is suffered to enter it with a lamp or candle: it is therefore lighted, as occasion requires, by means of the candles or lamps which are fixed in the light-room contiguous to it. See that article. MAGNET. See the article Compass . MAIN, an epithet usually applied by sailors

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N.

N.

NAVAL, of or belonging to a ship, or to the royal navy. Hence we say, naval-stores, naval officers, &amp;c. NAVE-LINE, a sort of small tackle, depending from the head of the main-mast and foremast, and fastened to the middle of the parrel immediately behind the mast, and communicating with the gears. It is used to keep the parrel directly opposite to the yard, and particularly whilst hoisting or lowering, as it would otherwise hang under the yard, and prevent it from being sufficiently brace

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O.

O.

OAKHAM, or OAKUM, the substance into which old ropes are reduced, when they are untwisted, loosened, and drawn asunder. It is principally used to drive into the seams, or intervals, between the planks of a ship, to prevent the water from entering. See the article Caulking . White Oakum , is that which is formed of untarred ropes. OAR, rame , ( are , Sax.) a long piece of timber, flat at one end, and round or square at the other, and which being applied to the side of a floating-vessel, serves to

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P.

P.

PACKET, or PACKET-BOAT, ( paquet , Fr.) a vessel appointed by the government to carry the mail of letters, packets, and expresses from one kingdom to another by sea, in the most expeditious manner. Thus the packet-boats, under the direction of the post-master-general of Great-Britain, carry the mails from Dover to Calais, from Falmouth to Lisbon, from Harwich to Helvoetsluys, and from Parkgate to Dublin. PADDLE, pagaie , ( pattal , Welsh) a sort of oar used by the savages of Africa and America t

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Q.

Q.

QUADRANT, an instrument used to take the altitude of the sun or stars at sea, in order to determine the latitude of the place; or the sun’s azimuth, so as to ascertain the magnetical variation. These instruments are variously constructed, and by consequence the apparatus of each kind is somewhat different from those of the others, according to the improvements they have at different times received from several ingenious artists. As all the different kinds of quadrants are circumstantially descri

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R.

R.

RABBIT, rablure , ( rabatre , Fr.) a deep groove, or channel, cut in a piece of timber longitudinally, to receive the edge of a plank, or the ends of a number of planks, which are to be securely fastened therein. The depth of this channel is equal to the thickness of the plank, so that when the end of the latter is let into the rabbit, it will be level with the outside of the piece. Thus the ends of the lower planks of a ship’s bottom terminate upon the stem afore, and the stern-post abaft, with

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S.

S.

SADDLE, a small cleat or wooden block, hollowed on the upper and lower side, and nailed on the lower yard-arms , to retain the studding-sail- booms in a firm and steddy position. For this purpose the cavity on the lower part of the saddle conforms to the cylindrical surface of the yard to which it is attached: and in like manner the hollow, on the upper side, answers to the figure of the boom, and serves as a channel whereby it may be run out or in, along the yard, as occasion requires. SAGGING

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T.

T.

TABLING, bander , a sort of broad hem formed on the skirts and bottoms of a ship’s sails, to strengthen them in that part which is attached to the bolt-rope. TACK, couet , a rope used to confine the foremost lower-corners of the courses and stay-sails in a fixed position, when the wind crosses the ship’s course obliquely. The same name is also given to the rope employed to pull out the lower corner of a studding-sail or driver to the extremity of its boom. The main-sail and fore-sail of a ship a

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V.

V.

VAN, avante-garde , the foremost division of any naval armament, or that part which usually leads the way to battle; or advances first in the order of sailing. See Center , Fleet , and Rear . VANE, a thin slip of bunting hung to the mast-head, or some other conspicuous place in the ship, to show the direction of the wind. See b , fig. 1. plate I . It is commonly sewed upon a wooden frame called the stock, which contains two holes whereby to slip over the spindle, upon which it turns about as the

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W.

W.

WAD, bourrelet , a quantity of old rope-yarns rolled firmly together into the form of a ball, and used to confine the shot or shell, together with its charge of powder, in the breech of a piece of artillery. M. Le Blond observes, in his Elements of war, that the wad is necessary to retain the charge closely in the chamber of the cannon, so that it may not, when fired, be dilated around the sides of the ball, by its windage as it passes through the chace; a circumstance which would considerably d

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X.

X.

XEBEC, a small three-masted vessel, navigated in the Mediterranean sea, and on the coasts of Spain, Portugal, and Barbary. See fig. 8. plate XII . The sails of the xebec are in general similar to those of the polacre, but the hull is extremely different from that and almost every other vessel. It is furnished with a strong prow , and the extremity of the stern, which is nothing more than a sort of railed platform or gallery, projects farther behind the counter and buttock than that of any Europe

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Y.

Y.

YACHT, a vessel of state, usually employed to convey princes, ambassadors, or other great personages from one kingdom to another. As the principal design of a yacht is to accommodate the passengers, it is usually fitted with a variety of convenient apartments, with suitable furniture, according to the quality or number of the persons contained therein. The royal yachts are commonly rigged as ketches, except the principal one reserved for the sovereign, which is equipped with three masts like a s

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SUPPLEMENT and ERRATA.

SUPPLEMENT and ERRATA.

In the article Aback , line 19. for fig. 1. read fig. 14. and in line 22, read fig. 13. After the Anchor is a cock bill, read à la veille. An-end , debout , the situation of any mast or boom, when erected perpendicularly on the plane of the deck, tops, &amp;c. The top-masts are also said to be an-end when they are hoisted up to their usual station, at the head of the lower masts, as in fig. 3. plate VI . In line 24. page 2. of Naval Architecture , dele see the article Elevation, and line 21.

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ERRATA.

ERRATA.

In the Article Aller en course, read, in search of an enemy. AMURÉ , r. larboard or starboard-tacks. Barres de panneaux , &amp;c. r. under the covers of the hatchways. Cheville œillets , &amp;c. r. Cheville à œillets , &amp;c. Clef des etains , for cheek, r. chock. Corde de retenue (art. 2d.) r. also the pendant, &amp;c. Coup de partance , r. as a signal, &amp;c. For DEPLOER, r. DEPLOIER. Faire honneur , for a quelqu’ r. à quelqu’ , &amp;c. Faire le petit , r. Faire la pe

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A.

A.

ABATÉE , or Abbatée , fallen off to a certain point; expressed of a ship when she lies by, with some of her sails aback. ABATTRE , to bear away, to drive, to edge farther to leeward. Abattre un vaisseau , to heave down or careen a ship. Le vaisseau s’ ABAT , the ship drives or falls to leeward. This phrase is more peculiar to the motion of a ship when her anchor is loosened from the ground. ABORDAGE , the shock or concussion produced by two vessels striking each other in battle or otherwise; als

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B.

B.

BABORD. See Bas-bord . BAC , a large flat-bottomed ferry-boat, for horses, carriages, &amp;c. Bac a naviger , a punt, or small boat, used by the shipwrights to carry tar, pitch, &amp;c. BACALAS , cleats of various kinds. BACALIAU , a name given to dried salt cod-fish. BACASSAS , a sort of lighter, somewhat resembling an American periagua. BACHE , or Bachot , a yawl or wherry. BACLAGE , a tier of boats, moored along-side of each other. BACLER les ports , to fortify harbours by fixing chai

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C.

C.

CABANE , a flat-bottomed passage-boat, with a deck, navigated on the river Loire. CABANES , the cabins or apartments wherein the officers and sailors sleep or mess aboard a ship. See Teugue . CABESTAN , the capstern or crab of a ship. Virer au Cabestan , to heave the capstern round with bars. CABILLOT , a toggel; also a wooden pin for belaying ropes. CABLE , the cable; also a measure of 120 fathoms, called by the English seamen a cable’s length. Cable à pic , the situation of the cable when the

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D.

D.

DAGUE de prevôt , the colt or cat used by the prevôt to punish criminals. DAILLOTS , or Andaillots , the hanks or grommets of a stay. DALE , the gutter or channel in which the train is laid in a fire-ship. Dale de pompe , the pump-dale. DALOTS , the scupper-holes of a ship. See Gouttiere . DAME-JEANNE , a demijan, or large bottle, containing about four or five gallons, covered with basket-work, and much used in merchant-ships. DAMELOPRE , a vessel navigated on the canals of Holland. DAMOISELLES.

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E.

E.

EAU changée , discoloured water, or water whose colour is changed by approaching the shore, or otherwise. Eau du vaisseau . See Sillage . Eau haute , high-water. See Haute-marée . Eau maigre , or Maigre-eau , shoal-water. This phrase is peculiar to the common sailors. Eau plate &amp; courtoise , very smooth water; the state of the water in a dead calm. Eau premiere &amp; Eau seconde , the first and second floods after a neap-tide. EAUX fermées , water enclosed with ice. Eaux ouvertes , a

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F.

F.

FABRIQUE , the particular built or structure of a ship, either with regard to her figure, or the place where she was fabricated. FABRIQUER , to build or construct a ship. FAÇONS , the narrowing of a ship’s floor afore and abaft. FAGOT. See Barque . FAIRE abattre . See Abattre . Faire abordage . See Abordage . Faire aiguade , or Faire de l’eau , to water a ship, or procure the provision of water necessary for a voyage, &amp;c. Faire bon bord , or bonne bordée , to make a good board or tack, w

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G.

G.

GABARE , Gabarre , a sort of flat-bottomed lighter or barge, used in the river Loire, to lade and unlade shipping. GABARIER , a lighter-man, or the person who conducts the gabare . GABARI , a sort of model to represent the outline and thickness of the frames of a ship’s timbers. See Couple . Premier Gabari , or rather maître Gabari , the midship-frame. GABARIS de l’arriere , the after-frames. Gabaris de l’avant , the fore-timbers or frames. GABIE , the top, in the dialect of Provence. GABIER , t

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H.

H.

HABIT de bord , sea-cloaths, as jackets, trowsers, &amp;c. HABITACLE , the binacle. HACHE coignée , an ax or hatchet, used by ship-wrights, &amp;c. Hache d’armes , a pole-axe or battle-axe, used for boarding an enemy’s ship. HACHER , to hew or chop with an axe. HALAGE , the tracking or towing a ship from one place to another. HALE à-bord , the boat rope, or guess-rope of a boat’s moorings. Hale - bas , a down-haul, or down-haul tackle. Hale - bouline , a fresh-water sailor. HALER , to ha

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J.

J.

JAC , or Jacht . See Yacht . JACQ. See Pavillon . JALOUX , a name given in Provence to the quality of rolling violently at sea; or of being crank. JAMBES de hune . See Gambes de hune . JARDEN , a name sometimes given to the gallery or balcony of a ship. JARLOT , the rabbit, or channel, cut in the stem afore, and in the stern-post abaft, &amp;c. and into the keel, to receive the ends or edges of the planks which cover the timbers. JAS , or Jouails d’ancre , the anchor-stock, or the two pieces

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L.

L.

LABOURER , to raise, or harrow the surface of the ground with the ship’s keel, in passing over a shallow. L’ancre Laboure , the anchor comes home, shifts, or loosens from its hold. LAC , a great lake of fresh water. LAGAN. See Choses de la mer . LAGON , a sort of bay. LAGUE d’un vaisseau , the path, tract, or way of a ship, either before or behind her. See Sillage . LAISSES &amp; relais , a sort of bank thrown up by the waves of the sea, upon any coast. LAMANAGE , coasting-pilotage, or the a

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M.

M.

MACHEMOURE , bread dust, formed of rusk, or broken biscuit. MACHINE à mater , the sheers of a sheer-hulk, or other machine for masting a ship. MACLES , nettings of the quarters or sides of a ship. MAESTRALISER , a name given to the west-variation of the magnetical needle, in the Mediterranean. MAGASIN général , a store-house, or magazine, to contain naval stores in a dock-yard. MAGASIN particulier , a store-house which contains the rigging and cordage used for the king’s ships, magazines, &a

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N.

N.

NACELLE , a skiff, or small boat, without masts or sails, used to pass a river. NAGE , the row-lock of a boat. See also Autarelle . Nage à bord , come aboard with the boat! the order given to the rowers in the longboat, to bring her aboard, or along-side. Nage à faire abattre , pull to leeward! the order to the rowers in a boat, to tow the ship’s head to leeward. Nage au vent , pull to windward, or tow the ship to windward! Nage de force , pull chearly in the boat! hooroa in the boat! Nage qui e

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O.

O.

OCCIDENT , or Ouest , the west. OCEAN , a name generally given in France, to the Western, or Atlantic Ocean. OCTANT , the octant, or quadrant invented by Hadley. OEIL , Yeux , ou Trous , the holes in the clews of a sprit-sail to let out the water which falls into its cavity when the ship pitches. Oeil de bœuf . See Yeux . Oeil de bouc , a water-gall, or weather-gall. Oeil de pie , or Yeux de pie , the eye-let holes wrought in the reef of a sail, through which the points are reeved. Oeil de roue

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P.

P.

PACFI , ou Pafi , le grand Pacfi , the main-course, or main-sail. Le petit Pacfi , ou Pacfi de bourcet , the fore-course or fore-sail. Etre aux deux PACFIS, to be under the courses. PACIFIER , to become calm; also to fall, or grow smooth, when spoken of the sea. PAGAIE , the paddle of a canoe. PAGE de la chambre du capitaine , the cabin-boy. PAGES. See Mousses &amp; garçons . PAILLES de bittes , long iron bolts thrust into holes in the bits, to keep the cable from starting off. PAILLOT , the

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Q.

Q.

QUAI , a wharf or key on the side of a harbour or river. Amarré à Quai , rangé à Quai , moored along-side of the key or wharf. QUAIAGE , wharfage. QUAICHE , a ketch, or ship so called. QUARANTAINE , quarantine. Faire Quarantaine , to perform quarantine. QUARANTENIER , a rope of the size of a rattling-line, used as a lashing, &amp;c. QUARRÉ de reduction , see Quartier de reduction . Quarré naval , the naval square, a scheme drawn on a ship’s quarter-deck, to represent the division of a fleet

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R.

R.

RABANER , to fit a sail with rope-bands and earings, ready for bending to its yard. RABANS , a general name given to earings, gaskets, knittles, and rope-bands. Rabans d’avuste , a sort of braided knittles, like those formed to point a rope. Rabans de ferlage , the gaskets employed to furl the sails to their yards. Rabans de pavillon , the rope-band of a flag or ensign. Rabans de pointure , the head-earings, or reef-earings of a sail. Rabans de têtiere , the rope-bands of any sail. RABATTUES , t

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S.

S.

SABLE , a watch-glass of any measure of time. See also Horloge . Sable mouvant , a quick-sand or shifting-sand. SABORD , a gun-port in the ship’s side; whence, Fermer les Sabords , to let fall, or shut in the port lids. Faux - Sabord , a false port painted on a ship’s side, and corresponding to a wooden gun, both which are calculated to deceive an enemy in time of war. SABORDS pour le lest , ballast-ports. SACHETS de mítrailles , grape-shot, or partridge-shot. SAFRAN de gouvernail , the after-pi

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T.

T.

TABERNACLE , or Tendelet , a place under the awning of a row-galley, where the captain sits to give his orders. TABLEAU , the compartment, whereon the name is engraved or painted on the stern of a Dutch flight. See Ecusson . TABLETTE , the rising-staff; a form, or scale, used by shipwrights when erecting the frames of the timbers. TABOURIN , the fore-castle of a galley, with the space underneath it, where the artillery are loaded and fired. See Covert de l’iscosele . TAILLE- mer , or gorgere , t

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V.

V.

VADROUILLE , a brush used to pay a ship’s bottom with tallow or stuff. VA et vient , a span or rope extended from one place to another, whereon to draw any thing along by the means of a traveller. VAGANS , vagrants or hovellers, who infest the sea-coast in a tempest, in expectation of plunder from some shipwrecked vessel. See Debris . VAGUES , the waves or surges of the sea. See Lames . VAIGRER , to fix on the planks and thick-stuff of a ship’s cieling to the timbers. VAIGRES , ou serres , a gen

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W.

W.

WATREGANS , pronounced Outregans , a sort of canals or ditches, filled with water, which are usually navigable for boats and small-craft. WOLFE , or Vulfe , a whirl-pool, or race, on the coast of Norway....

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Y.

Y.

YACHT , or Yac , a yacht. YEUX de bœuf , bulls eyes, or wooden travellers; also the trucks of a parrel. Yeux de pie . See Oeil de pie ....

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Z.

Z.

ZEPHIRE , or Zephir , the west wind. ZOPISSA , or poix navale , tar. See Goudron . 1 . In regno Saracenorum quatuor prætores statuit, qui admiralii vocabantur. Sigebert. 2 . Mr. Bigot de Morogues says from 4000 to 4500, and Mr. Hauksbee 5000. 3 . “The change proposed here, of reducing the quantity of powder in all ship guns to one-third of the weight of the bullet, has for some time past been practised by the French in a much severer service, where the encreasing the velocity of the bullet could

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