Glossary of nautical terms (M–Z)

M
mack: A structure which combines the radar and the exhaust of a, thereby saving valuable deck space.

Mae West: A Second World War used to keep people afloat in the water; named after the 1930s actress Mae West, well known for her large bosom.

magazine: The ammunition storage area aboard a.

magnetic bearing: An using.

magnetic north: The direction towards the North Magnetic Pole. Varies slowly over time.

maiden voyage: The first voyage of a ship in its intended role, i.e. excluding.

Maierform bow: A V-shaped introduced in the late 1920s which allowed a to maintain a given speed with less power, improved, increased, reduced  movements, and improved  immersion to increase performance in rough seas.

main: The high sea; the open ocean.

main deck: The uppermost continuous extending from to.

mainbrace: Either of the attached to the of the  (the largest and lowest sail on the ) on a  vessel.

mainmast: 1. The tallest on a ship with more than one mast, especially the tallest mast on a. On a ship with more than one mast, the second mast from the.

mainmast head: The top of a sailing vessel's.

mainmastman: A assigned to the.

mains: The main on the.

mainsheet: A sail control that allows the most obvious effect on trim. Primarily used to control the angle of the, and thereby the mainsail, this control can also increase or decrease downward tension on the boom while sailing upwind, significantly affecting sail shape. For more control over downward tension on the boom, a may be used.

mainstay: The running from the top of the to the bottom of the, or from the top of the foremast to the ship's.

making way: When a vessel is moving under its own power.

man-of-war: A from the Age of Sail.

man overboard: An emergency call that alerts the crew that someone has gone into the water and must be rescued. A person who has fallen into the water from a ship or boat – the object of the resulting rescue attempt.

man the rails: To station the crew of a naval vessel along the rails and superstructure of the vessel as a method of saluting or rendering honors.

man the yards: To have all of the of a sailing vessel not required on to handle the ship go  and spread out along the. Originally used in harbors to display the whole crew to harbor authorities and other ships present to show that the vessel's guns were not manned and hence her intentions were peaceful, manning the yards has since become a display used in harbor during celebrations and other special events.

manifest: A document listing the cargo, passengers, and crew of a ship for the use of customs and other officials.

Marconi rig: An archaic term for Bermuda rig. The is triangular, rigged with its  fixed to the. The  is a  hanked onto the. Refers to the similarity of the tall mast to a radio aerial.

marina: A docking facility for small ships and yachts.

marine: A soldier trained for service afloat in a (primarily) infantry force that specializes in naval campaigns and subordinated to a navy or a separate naval branch of service rather than to an army. Often capitalized (e.g. a Marine or the Marines). Notable examples are the United Kingdom's Royal Marines, formed as the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot in 1664 with many and varied duties including providing guard to ship's officers should there be a mutiny aboard, and the US Marine Corps, formed in 1775 as a separate naval service alongside the US Navy. It is incorrect, and often viewed by marines as offensive, to refer to a marine as a "soldier" or "infantryman", as these terms refer to personnel of an army rather than those of a marine force. It also is incorrect, and sometimes considered offensive by both merchant mariners and marines, to refer to as "merchant marines", because merchant mariners are civilian sailors responsible for operating merchant ships and are not marines. Marines sometimes are thought by seamen to be rather gullible, hence the phrase "tell it to the marines", meaning that one does not believe what is being said. An alternative term for a, uncommon in English but common in other languages. Of or pertaining to the sea (e.g. marine biology, marine insurance, marine salvage). A painting representing a subject related to the sea.

marine sandglass (or glass): An hourglass-like timekeeping instrument used aboard ships from at least the 14th century until reliable mechanical timepieces replaced it in the early 19th century. Marine sandglasses measured the passage of time in 30-minute increments to regulate time on watch, to measure a boat's speed, and to assist in determining a ship's position by measuring the time elapsed while she was on a given course.

mariner: A.

maritime: Of or related to the sea (e.g., maritime activities, maritime law, maritime strategy). Bordering on the sea (e.g., maritime provinces, maritime states). Living in or near the sea (e.g., maritime animals). Of or relating to a mariner or sailor.

marlinspike: A tool used in ropework for tasks such as unlaying rope for splicing, untying knots, or forming a makeshift handle.

mast: A vertical pole on a ship that supports or. If a wooden multi-part mast, this term applies specifically to the lowest portion.

mast case: A yachtsman's tabernacle. The iron fitting in which the heel of the is mounted.

Mast partner: The reinforced area of the deck surrounding the hole through which a mast passes as it rises from its step (usually on the keel) to the above-deck area

mast step: The place in the hull where the lowest point of a mast rests, taking the weight of the mast and the thrust imposed by the tension of the rigging, and preventing lateral and fore and aft movement of the bottom of the mast. With a wooden hull and mast, this is usually achieved by having a socket cut in the top of the, a or some other major structural component. A tenon cut into the bottom of the mast sits snugly in the socket. With a deck-stepped aluminium mast, the step may consist of a metal fitting bolted to the deck, to which bolts a matching fitting at the bottom of the mast.

mast stepping: The process of raising a.

masthead: A small platform partway up the mast, just above the height of the mast's main. A is stationed here, and men who are working on the main yard will embark from here. See also.

masthead light: A white displayed at the front of a vessel.

master: The of a commercial vessel. A senior officer of a naval sailing ship in charge of routine seamanship and navigation but not in command during combat. (master) A former naval rank.

master-at-arms: A non-commissioned officer responsible for discipline on a naval ship. Standing between the officers and the crew, commonly known in the Royal Navy as "the Buffer".

matelot: A traditional Royal Navy term for an ordinary.

material: Military equipages of all descriptions for the naval services. The bombs, blankets, beans, and bulletins of the Navy and Marine Corps. Taken from Nelson's British navy as the US services became professional. See also materiel – military supplies, equipment and weapons.

Mediterranean mooring: A method of mooring stern-to.

merchant marine: A collective term for all merchant ships registered in a given country and the civilians (especially those of that nationality) who man them; the ships and personnel in combination are said to constitute that country's merchant marine. Called the in the United Kingdom and some other countries.

merchant mariner: A civilian officer or sailor who serves in the merchant marine. Sometimes such personnel are incorrectly called "merchant marines", but both merchant mariners and frown on this term; although merchant mariners are part of the merchant marine, they are civilians and are not in any way marines, which are a specialized type of military personnel.

merchant navy: A name bestowed upon the merchant marine of the United Kingdom by King George V, and since adopted by some other countries as well. The merchant navy's personnel are civilians, and the term "merchant navy" does not imply that they or their ships are a part of the navy. Synonymous with the term merchant marine.

merchantman: A merchant ship - any non-naval passenger- or cargo-carrying vessel, including,, and passenger ships but excluding troopships.

mess: 1. An eating place aboard a ship. A group of who live and eat together.

mess deck catering: A system of catering in which a standard ration is issued to a supplemented by a money allowance, which the mess may use to buy additional victuals from the 's stores or elsewhere. Each mess was autonomous and self-regulating. Seaman cooks, often members of the mess, prepared the meals and took them, in a tin canteen, to the to be cooked by the ship's cooks. As distinct from "cafeteria messing" where food is issued to an individual hand, which is now the general practice.

metacenter: The midway point between a vessel's when upright and her center of buoyancy when tilted.

metacentric height (GM): A measurement of the initial static stability of a vessel afloat, calculated as the distance between her center of gravity and her metacenter. A vessel with a large metacentric height more quickly and therefore more uncomfortably for people on board; a vessel with a small metacentric height will roll sluggishly and may face a greater danger of.

Middle Passage: The portion of the triangular trade pattern of the late 16th through the early 19th centuries in the Atlantic Ocean in which slaves were transported from Africa to the Americas. In the terminology of the slave trade itself, the Middle Passage linked the First Passage (the delivery from Europe of the trade goods to be used to purchase slaves) with the Final Passage (the shipment of the products of slave plantations – sugar, tobacco, cotton – to the markets of Europe).

middles: The middle on the, higher than the lowers, and lower than the mains.

midship house: A built over the section of the, often housing the  and officers quarters, as well as passenger quarters aboard s. A common feature of s, s, and s up until the mid-20th century, when ship design moved away from the use of midship houses.

midshipman: During the 17th century, a naval rating for an experienced seaman. From the 18th century, a naval commissioned officer candidate. From the 1790s, an apprentice naval officer. From the 19th century, an officer cadet at a naval academy. In contemporary British usage, a non-commissioned officer below the rank of lieutenant. Usually regarded as being "in training" to some degree. Also known as "Snotty". It is "the lowest form of rank in the Royal Navy" where he has authority over and responsibility for more junior ranks, yet, at the same time, relying on their experience and learning his trade from them. In contemporary American usage, a cadet of either sex at the United States Merchant Marine Academy or the United States Naval Academy, or under contract and having sworn the Oath of Office in the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program. When plural (midshipmen), the term refers to the student body of either academy, and more formally as "the Regiment of Midshipmen" for the Merchant Marine Academy and "the Brigade of Midshipmen" for the Naval Academy, or for the NROTC unit members usually organized into battalions.

midshipman's hitch: An alternative to the Blackwall hitch, preferred if the rope is greasy. Made by first forming a Blackwall hitch and then taking the underneath part and placing it over the bill of the hook.

midshipman's nuts: Broken pieces of biscuit as dessert.

midshipman's roll: A slovenly method of rolling up a hammock transversely and lashing it endways by one clue.

midships: A shortened form of, with both alternative meanings.

mile: See.

military mast: A hollow, tubular used in in the last third of the 19th century, often equipped with a  armed with light-caliber guns.

millers: Shipboard rats

mine: A self-contained explosive device intended to damage or sink surface ships or submarines, designed to be placed in water and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, proximity of, or contact with a surface ship or submarines.

minehunter: A vessel designed or equipped to detect and destroy individual mines. It differs from a, which is designed or equipped to clear areas of water of mines without necessarily detecting them first.

minelayer: A vessel designed or equipped to deploy (or "lay") mines.

minesweeper: A vessel designed or equipped to clear areas of water of mines without necessarily detecting them first. It differs from a, which is designed or equipped to detect and destroy individual mines.

misstay: To be "" (i.e. to lose forward momentum) when changing.

mizzen: A mizzen sail is a small (triangular or ) on a or  set  the. A mizzen staysail is an occasional lightweight on a ketch or yawl, set forward of the mizzenmast while reaching in light to moderate airs. A mizzenmast is a on a ketch or yawl, or spritsail barge. Its positioning afore of abaft the distinguishes between a ketch or a yawl. On a barge its rig determines if she is a or a.

mizzenmast: The third, or the mast of the, on a ship.

mole: A massive structure, usually of stone or concrete, used as a, breakwater, or causeway between places separated by water. May have a wooden structure built upon it and resemble a wooden pier or, but a mole differs from a pier, quay, or wharf in that water cannot flow freely underneath it.

molgogger: A type of roller fairlead, also known as a cage roller, with vertical and horizontal rollers, mounted on the or and used to constrain and guide a fishing net or towing cable for a net or. A removable or folding vertical bar or hook fitted to the bulwarks of a tug on either side to prevent the towline moving too far forward, which can endanger stability. Sometimes fitted with a roller. Also called a Norman pin.

monitor: A turreted of the second half of the 19th century characterized by low, shallow, poor , and heavy guns, intended for riverine and coastal operations. In occasional 19th-century usage, any turreted warship. A shallow-draft armored shore bombardment vessel of the first half of the 20th century, designed to provide fire support to ground troops, often mounting heavy guns. (breastwork monitor) A 19th-century monitor designed with a breastwork to improve seaworthiness. (river monitor) A monitor specifically designed for riverine operations, used during the 19th and 20th centuries and more recently than other types of monitor. River monitors generally are smaller and lighter than other monitors.

monkey bridge: A high platform above the offering better visibility to the operator while maneuvering.

monkey's fist: A ball woven out of used to provide heft to heave the line to another location. The monkey fist and other heaving-line knots were sometimes weighted with lead (easily available in the form of foil used e.g. to seal tea chests from dampness) although Clifford W. Ashley notes that there was a "definite sporting limit" to the weight thus added.

moor: To attach a boat to a or post. To a ship. To secure a vessel with a or.

mooring: A place to a vessel.

mother ship: A vessel that leads, serves, or carries smaller vessels, in the latter case either releasing them and then proceeding independently or also recovering them after they have completed a mission or operation. A mother ship sometimes contrasts with a, which often (but not necessarily) is a vessel that supports or cares for larger vessels.

motorsailer: A type of motor-powered vessel, typically a, that can derive power from its s or engine, independently of each other and often with both at the same time

motorsailing: Proceeding under the power of s and engines at the same time. In a this is usually to windward and may be found more comfortable than using just sails or engines on their own.

motor ship:

A ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine.

mould: A template of the shape of the in transverse section. Several moulds are used to form a temporary framework around which a hull is built.

moulded: (of a timber in a wooden hull) The identifier of a measurement of a in a wooden hull, used, together with, instead of width and thickness which could be ambiguous – length, the third dimension is not ambiguous. Moulded identifies the measure across the surface of an individual timber where one side of that surface is shaped to fit the overall hull shape, as determined by the moulds. Therefore this is the dimension across the vertical sides of a keel, the athwartships face of a frame, or the fore and aft face of stem or stern post.

moulded beam: moulded breadth: The breadth of the hull lines at the widest point, normally at midships and measured inside the hull planking or plating. Used in some systems of tonnage measurement.

moulded depth: The distance between the horizontal plane of the top of the keel and the top of the main deck beams at the edge of the hull. Compare with.

moulded dimensions: Dimensions of a ship shown by the, generally excluding planking thickness and shell thickness.

moulded draft: moulded draught: Draught measured relative to the base line. Compare with.

mould loft: Where the of the ship are drawn out full-size and the templates for the s are made.

mousing: Several turns of light around the mouth of a hook, to prevent unhooking accidents.

mulie: A rigged with a main, and a large    the steering wheel. It is sheeted to the saddle.

multipurpose vessel: A that has fittings to carry standard shipping containers and retractable that can be moved out of the way so that the ship can carry bulk cargo.

multiservice tactical brevity code: Codes used by various military forces to convey complex information in a few words.

muster drill: An exercise conducted by the of a ship prior to embarking on a voyage. Passengers are required to participate in the drill so that they can be instructed how to evacuate safely in the event of an emergency on board the ship.

muster station: A specific location on a vessel planned as a gathering place during an emergency or a muster drill. If a person is believed missing, all passengers must report to their muster station for a head count.

muzzle: Iron ban around the to hold the of the.

M.S. (or MS): An abbreviation for, used before a ship's name.

M.V. (or MV): An abbreviation for, used before a ship's name.

M.Y. (or MY): An abbreviation for motor yacht, used before a yacht's name.

N
name ship: A ship whose name also is used to refer to her entire ' of ships. Usually but not always the first ship of her class to be completed and enter service, in which case the term name ship can be used as a synonym for '.

natural harbour: A body of water protected from the weather by virtue of its being mostly surrounded by land, and deep enough to provide for the vessels using it.

narrowboat: A type of boat designed specifically to fit the narrow canal locks of the United Kingdom.

narrows: A narrow part of a navigable.

nautical: Of or pertaining to sailors, seamanship, or navigation; maritime.

nautical chart: A map of a sea or ocean area and adjacent coastal regions, intended specifically for navigation at sea. Nautical charts use map projections designed for easy use with hand instruments, such as the Mercator projection, and indicate depths, hazards,, such as, and facilities of interest to. Nautical charts are generally originally published by government agencies such as the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and are now provided in both print form and digital for use in chartplotters.

nautical mile: A unit of length corresponding to approximately one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian arc. By international agreement, it is equivalent to exactly 1852 metre.

naval programme: The British system of authorizing naval construction by an annual bill in Parliament.

naval infantry: subordinated to a trained and equipped to operate temporarily as an organized infantry force, but at other times responsible for the normal duties of sailors aboard ship. A specialized, permanent force of troops subordinated to a navy and responsible for infantry operations ashore. Although more specialized than sailors trained to operate temporarily as naval infantry and bearing similarities to a force or marine corps, such permanent naval infantry forces often lack the full capabilities of a marine force. Naval infantry forces also usually differ from marine forces in being subordinated directly to a navy rather than to a separate branch of naval service such as a marine corps.

navigation: All activities related to determining, plotting, and tracking the position and of a ship in order to keep track of its position relative to land while at sea. Navigation charts have been used since ancient times, and remain in use as back-ups to modern satellite-based positioning systems. Numerous map projections including the common Mercator projection were developed specifically to make navigation at sea simple to perform with straight-edges and compasses.

navigation light: A source of illumination on a vessel intended to give information to other vessels on her position, heading, or status.

navigation rules: Rules of the road that provide guidance on how to avoid collision and also used to assign blame when a collision does occur.

nay: A reply in the negative, synonymous with "no". The opposite of "".

net cutter: (Fisheries patrol), also trawlwire cutter: A device employed by the Icelandic Coast Guard during the "Cod Wars" to cut the wires of foreign fishing trawlers working within Iceland's claimed exclusive fisheries zones. (Submarine): A device, sometimes powered by explosives, mounted on the of a to cut through anti-submarine netting. (Torpedo): A scissors-like or pistol-powered device on the nose of a intended to assist the torpedo in breaking through s.

net laying ship: A type of naval equipped for and primarily tasked with laying s or s to protect individual ships at anchor, harbors, or other anchorages from attack and intrusions by.

net tender: An alternative term for a.

New Company ship: A term used for a ship trading between England and ports east of the Cape of Good Hope for the English Company Trading to the East Indies, a new company chartered in 1697 to compete with the "old" East India Company. The term fell into disuse when the two companies merged in 1707.

night boat: (United States) A type of that provided sleeping quarters for passengers on overnight voyages, as opposed to a that had no need of such facilities.

nipper: A short rope used to bind a to the "messenger" (a moving propelled by the ) so that the cable is dragged along, too (used where the cable is too large to be wrapped around the capstan itself). During the raising of an, the nippers were attached and detached from the (endless) messenger by the ship's boys. Hence the term for small boys: "nippers".

nock: The throat of the.

no room to swing a cat: The entire was expected to witness floggings, assembled on deck. If it was very crowded, the might not have room to swing the  (the whip).

non-self-sustaining: See.

nun: A type of navigational, often cone-shaped, but if not, always triangular in silhouette, colored green in IALA region A or red in IALA region B (the Americas, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines). In channel marking its use is opposite that of a "can buoy".

O
oakum: Any material, often tarred hemp fibres picked from old untwisted ropes, used for gaps or seams between the planks of.

oar: A pole, usually of wood, with a blade at one end and a handle at the other, which is pivoted on a fulcrum on the side of a boat to provide propulsion by pushing the blade through the water.

oar crutch: A metal (or sometimes plastic) fitting that acts as the fulcrum point of an. It usually takes the form of a U-shape, with a pin underneath the bottom of the "U". The pin rotates in a socket in the boat's, and the oar rests in the "U". See also.

ocean liner: See.

officer's country: The part of a naval vessel containing the residential quarters and for commissioned officers. Officer's country is off-limits to enlisted personnel unless they are there on official business.

offing: The more distant part of the sea as seen from the shore, generally implying the beyond anchoring ground.

offshore: Moving away from the shore. (of a wind) Blowing from the land to the sea. At some distance from the shore; located in the sea away from the coast.

oiler: (ship) A naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks which refuels other ships. (occupation) The job title of a holding a junior position in a ship's engineering crew, senior only to the engine room.

oilskins: Foul-weather clothing worn by sailors.

old man: 's slang for the,, or commanding officer of a vessel.

old salt: Slang for an experienced.

on board: See.

on her own bottom: Said of a vessel making a voyage without being carried aboard another vessel; e.g. "the crossed the ocean on her own ", or in the plural, "yachts rarely cross the ocean on their own bottoms".

on station: A ship's destination, typically an area to be patrolled or guarded.

on the beach: A Royal Navy term that means "retired from the Service." On.

on the hard: A boat that has been and is now sitting on dry land.

open registry: An organization that will register owned by foreign entities, generally to provide a.

ordinary: See.

ordinary seaman: A in the British Royal Navy in the 18th century who had between one and two years of experience at sea. Later, a formal rank in the Royal Navy for the lowest grade of seaman, now obsolete. The second-lowest rank in the United States Navy from 1797 to 1917, between and. Renamed "" in 1917. The for entry-level personnel in the of a ship in the United States Merchant Marine. An ordinary seaman (abbreviated "OS") is considered to be serving an apprenticeship to become an.

ore carrier: A type of specially designed to carry ore.

oreboat: A Great Lakes term for a vessel primarily used in the transport of iron ore.

orlop deck: The lowest of a. The deck covering in the.

oscar: International signal for a. Nickname for a water rescue training dummy. See also.

outboard: Situated outside the of a vessel. Situated within a vessel but positioned away (or farther away, when contrasted with another item) from her. Farther from the of a ship; e.g. "the larger boat was tied up alongside the ship outboard of the smaller boat". Farther from the or shore; e.g. "the tanker and cargo ship were tied up at the pier alongside one another with the tanker outboard of the cargo ship". An. A vessel fitted with an outboard motor.

outboard motor: A motor mounted externally on the of a small boat. Outboard motors are often mounted in a way that makes them easily movable, such that the boat may be steered by rotating the whole motor with respect to the boat's bearing, instead of or in addition to using a.

outdrive: The lower part of a.

outhaul: A used to control the shape of a.

outrigger: Generally, any structure projecting from the side of a vessel. Any contraposing float beyond the side of a vessel to improve the vessel's stability. A thin, long, solid hull used to stabilize the inherently unstable main hull of an or a. A variety of structures projecting from a by which the may be attached outboard of the. A pole or series of poles projecting from a that allow the vessel to trawl with more fishing lines in the water without the lines tangling and allowing lures and bait to simulate a school of fish. A triangular frame on a or that holds the  away from the  or  to optimize leverage for the rowers. Also called a rigger.

outward bound: To leave the safety of, heading for the open ocean.

over-canvassed: To have too great a sail area up to safely maneuver in the current wind conditions.

over-reaching: Holding a course too long while.

over the barrel: Adult sailors were flogged on the back or shoulders while tied to a grating, but boys were beaten instead on the posterior (often bared), with a cane or, while bending, often tied down, over the barrel of a gun, known as.

overbear: To sail downwind directly at another ship, stealing the wind from its sails.

overboard: Off or outside a vessel. If something or someone falls, jumps, or is thrown off of a vessel into the water, the object or person is said to have gone overboard. See.

overfalls: Dangerously steep and breaking seas due to opposing currents and wind in a shallow area, or strong currents over a shallow rocky bottom.

overhead: The ceiling of any enclosed space below decks in a vessel, essentially the bottom of the deck above.

overhaul: Hauling the ropes over the sails to prevent them from.

overtaking sea: Seas approaching a vessel from between 15° to port or starboard of at a speed greater than that of the vessel.

overwhelmed: or.

owner: Traditional Royal Navy term for the, a survival from the days when privately owned ships were often hired for naval service.

ox-eye: A cloud or other weather phenomenon that may be indicative of an upcoming storm.

P
packet: 1. Originally, a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies, and outposts. Later, any regularly scheduled ship carrying cargo or passengers, as in.

packet trade: Any regularly scheduled cargo, passenger, or mail trade conducted by ship.

packetman: A aboard a ship engaged in.

paddle box: A covering, usually made of wood, for the upper part of a paddle wheel on a paddle steamer.

paddle guards: See.

paddy wester: Traditional Royal Navy term for a young or inexperienced seaman.

pagoda mast: A large and distinctive type of installed aboard Imperial Japanese Navy and  during modernization and reconstruction of the ships in the 1930s. A pagoda mast was created by strengthening a ship's existing and adding platforms to it for searchlights,, shelters, and other structures, giving the mast the appearance of a pagoda temple.

painter: A rope attached to the of a vessel, used to make the vessel to a  or a larger vessel, including when towed.

palace steamer: The term for a number of luxurious s that carried passengers and cargo on the Great Lakes of North America between 1844 and 1857.

palm: A protective device, usually leather, worn on the hand when working with a sail needle to repair sails.

panting: The pulsation in and out of the and plating as the ship alternately rises and plunges deep into the water.

paravane: (weapon) A device stabilized by vanes that functions as an underwater glider and is usually streamed from the bow of a vessel and towed alongside, intended to cut the mooring of submerged mines or otherwise destroy them. (water kite) A towed underwater object with hydrofoils, of use in commercial and sport fishing, water sports, marine exploration, and military operations, sometimes equipped with sensors and also of use in exerting a sideward holding force on a vessel. Also called a water kite.

parbuckle: A method of lifting a roughly cylindrical object such as a. One end of a rope is made fast above the object, a loop of rope is lowered and passed around the object, which can be raised by hauling on the free end of rope.

parley: A discussion or conference, especially between enemies, over terms of a truce or other matters.

parrel: A movable loop or collar, used to fasten a or to its respective. A parrel still allows the spar to be raised or lowered and swivel around the mast. It is sometimes made of wire or rope and fitted with beads to reduce friction.

part brass rags: Fall out with a friend. From the days when cleaning materials were shared between sailors.

passageway: An interior corridor or hallway on a ship.

passenger-cargoman: See.

passenger-cargo ship: See.

patache: A type of very light and shallow Spanish sailing vessel of the 15th through 18th centuries with two s, resembling a cross between a and a. Originally a type of, but later in use as a trading vessel.

pawls: Small bars used to stop the barrel of a or moving backward under an increased load or if the turning power was reduced. In early capstans, the pawls had to be manually moved in and out of the notches in which they worked. Later capstans had automatic pawls that dropped into notches as the barrel turned. In breaking out an, a crew would "heave and pawl" if the bow was rising and falling with the waves, so giving a varying load on the.

pay off: To let a vessel's head fall off from the wind (to ). During the Age of Sail, the practice of paying a crew its wages for the voyage when a vessel completed her voyage, at which point the crew was said to be paid off. In British and Commonwealth usage, to a warship, e.g. "The old destroyer paid off after returning to port at the end of her final cruise."

paying: Filling a seam (with or pitch), lubricating the running ; paying with, protecting from the weather by covering with slush. See also.

paymaster: The officer responsible for all money matters in Royal Navy ships including the paying and provisioning of the crew, all stores, tools, and spare parts. See also.

pea coat: Heavy topcoat originally made from pilot cloth. Officers and chief petty officers wear a variation with gold buttons called a reefer or a longer model called a bridge coat.

peace cruiser: U.S. Navy term of the early 20th century for obsolete s and s used in policing and diplomatic roles.

peak: The upper corner of a ; used in many combinations, such as peak-halyards, peak-brails, etc. The narrow part of a vessel's bow, or the within it. The extremity of an fluke; the bill.

peaks: The uppermost on the. Upper and lower peaks are normal, but a barge may carry a third set, too.

pelagic: Living in the open ocean rather than coastal or inland waters (e.g. a pelagic shark). Taking place in the open ocean (e.g. pelagic fishing, pelagic sealing).

pelican hook: A hook with a hinge in the curve of the hook, normally held closed by a metal ring that keeps the two hinged parts together. Can be instantly released by knocking the ring along the hook so that it frees one of the hinged parts which swings open and releases whatever the hook is holding. Often seen on opening sections of guard rails and life-raft lashings, but also used on more heavily loaded components.

pendant: A length of wire or rope secured at one end to a or and having a  or other fitting at the lower end. A length of wire or rope hooked to a on. An alternate spelling of.

pennant: A long, thin triangular flag flown from the of a military ship (as opposed to a, the flags thus flown on yachts).

picaroon: An obsolete (circa 17th century) term for a.

picket boat: A boat on sentry duty, or one placed on a line forward of a position to warn against an enemy advance.

pier: A raised structure, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars, used industrially for loading and unloading commercial ships, recreationally for walking and housing attractions at a seaside resort, or as a structure for use by boatless fishermen. The lighter structure of a pier contrasts with the more solid foundations of a or the closely spaced piles of a. In North America, the term "pier" used alone connotes either a pier used (or formerly used) by commercial shipping or one used for fishing, while in Europe the term used alone connotes a recreational pier at a seaside resort.

pier-head jump: When a sailor is drafted to a at the last minute, just before she sails.

pilot: A specially knowledgeable person qualified to navigate a vessel through difficult waters, e.g. harbour pilot, etc.

pilot boat: A type of boat used to transport maritime between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting.

pilot ladder: A highly specialized form of rope ladder, typically used to embark and disembark over the side of a ship. Sometimes confused with, but the design and construction of pilot ladders is governed tightly by international regulation and includes spreaders – elongated versions of the standard machined step – rather than the type of steps generally found on Jacob's ladders.

pilothouse: An alternative term for a 's ' or '.

PIM: Points (or plan) of intended movement. The charted course for a naval unit's movements.

pinas: A type of two-ed with a large,, and built in the Terengganu area on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.

pinnace: (ship's boat) A small, light boat propelled by or a, used as a to larger vessels during the Age of Sail. (full-rigged pinnace) A small "race built", with either two or three. In modern usage, any small boat other than a or associated with a larger vessel.

pintle: The pin or bolt on which a ship's pivots. The pintle rests in the.

pipe (bos'n's): A whistle used by (bosuns or bos'ns) to issue commands. Consisting of a metal tube that directs the breath over an aperture on the top of a hollow ball to produce high-pitched notes. The pitch of the notes can be changed by partly covering the aperture with the finger of the hand in which the pipe is held. The shape of the instrument is similar to that of a smoking pipe.

pipe down: A signal on the to signal the end of the day, requiring lights (and smoking pipes) to be extinguished and silence from the crew.

piping the side: A salute on the performed in the company of the deck watch on the side of the  or at the head of the, to welcome or bid farewell to the ship's, senior officers, and honoured visitors.

piracy: An act of robbery or criminal violence at sea by the occupants of one vessel against the occupants of another vessel (and therefore excluding such acts committed by the crew or passengers of a vessel against others aboard the same vessel). Piracy is also distinguished from, which is authorized by national authorities and therefore a legitimate form of war-like activity by non-state actors.

pirate: One who engages in an act of.

pitch: A vessel's motion, rotating about the /transverse axis, causing the and ends to rise and fall repetitively.

pitchpole: To capsize a boat stern over bow, rather than by rolling over.

pivotting: To turn a sailing in shallow water by dropping the so it drags in the mud, then putting the. The maneuver is often used to enter congested harbours.

plane: To skim over the water at high speed rather than push through it.

Plimsoll line: A special marking, positioned, that indicates the of the vessel and the legal limit to which the vessel may be loaded for specific water types and temperatures.

plotting room: See.

pocket battleship: British term for the German Navy's Deutschland-class s, which entered service in the 1930s. The ships had -like armament and armor but were of cruiser size and faster than battleships of the time and were intended to serve as commerce raiders. Classified by the German Navy as Panzerschiffe ("armored ships").

point: A unit of bearing equal to the angle made by $1/undefined$ of a circle, i.e. 11.25 degrees. A turn of 32 points is a complete turn through 360 degrees.

point up: To change the direction of a sailboat so that it is more upwind, i.e. to bring the. This is the opposite of.

points of sail: The course of a sailing vessel in relation to the direction of the wind, divided into six points: ' (pointed directly into the wind), ' (sailing as close into the direction of the wind as possible), ' (between close hauled and beam reach), ' (perpendicular to the wind), ' (wind behind the vessel at an angle), and ', running before the wind, or simply running (wind directly behind the vessel).

polacca: A 17th-century sailing vessel commonly seen in the Mediterranean, similar to a with two or three ; two-masted polaccas were known as brig-polaccas and three-masted polaccas as ship-polaccas or. Polacca-settees had a sail on the, a European-style  on the, and a  or lateen on the.

polacca-settee: A three-masted.

polacre: Another name for a.

polacre-xebec: A type of with a on her,  sails on her other masts, a, and two. A polacre-xebec differed from a in that a felucca had only lateen sails.

pontoon: A flat-bottomed vessel used as a,, or , or a moored alongside a or a ship to facilitate boarding.

poop deck: A high on the superstructure of a ship. The deck forms a roof over the "poop cabin" in the aft of the ship.

pooped: (of a ship or boat) to have a wave break over the stern when travelling with a following sea. This contingency, that can cause significant damage to the ship, is also referred to as "pooping". (colloquially) Exhausted.

port: (facility): A maritime facility on a sea coast, in an estuary, or on a river with loading areas at which a vessel can bring aboard or discharge cargo or passengers. A place along a coast or riverbank where a vessel can take shelter, often including loading and unloading facilities for vessels. A city or town associated with a such a facility or sheltering area. (direction): The left side of a ship or vessel when facing forward (formerly ). Denoted with a red light at night. Toward the left-hand side of the ship when facing forward (formerly "to "). (rowing): A who rows with one  on one side of a boat and primarily on the port (left) side of the boat.

port of registry: The listed in a vessel's registration documents and lettered on her. Often used incorrectly as a synonym for, meaning the port at which the vessel is based, but it may differ from the port of registry.

port tack: When sailing with the wind coming from the side of the vessel. Vessels on port tack must give way to those on.

porthole: An opening in a ship's side, especially a round one for admitting light and air, fitted with thick glass and, often, a hinged metal cover, used as a window.

portolan: An obsolete form of nautical chart used prior to the development of lines of latitude and longitude that indicated distances and bearing lines between ports.

position light: An alternative term for.

post-captain: An obsolete alternative form of the rank of in the Royal Navy; once achieved, promotion thereafter was entirely due to seniority.

post ship: The British term used from the second half of the 18th century until 1817 for a sixth rate sailing warship armed with 20 to 26 guns, smaller than a but large enough to require a  as her commanding officer.

powder hulk: A used to store gunpowder.

powder magazine: A small room/closet area in the of the ship used for storing gunpowder in barrels, or "kegs", usually located centrally so as to have easy access to the grated loading area. Sometimes may be an enclosed closet with a door, so it can be locked and only the captain would have the key, similar to how rum is stored.

pratique: The license given to a ship to enter port on assurance from her captain that she is free from contagious disease. A ship can signal a request for pratique by flying a square solid-yellow flag. The clearance granted is commonly referred to as free pratique.

predreadnought: A term used retrospectively after 1906 for a wide variety of steam built between the 1880s and c. 1905 designed with only a few large guns for long-range fire, relying on an intermediate secondary battery used at shorter ranges for most of their offensive power, and having triple-expansion steam engines. They were rendered obsolete by the revolutionary battleships, which began to appear in 1906 and differed from predreadnoughts in having steam turbine propulsion and an "all-big-gun" armament layout in which the ship's primary gun power resided in a primary battery of its largest guns intended for use at long range, with other gun armament limited to small weapons intended for close-range defense against torpedo boats and other small warships.

press gang: Formed body of personnel from a ship of the Royal Navy (either a ship seeking personnel for its own crew or from a "press tender" seeking men for a number of ships) that would identify and force ("press") men, usually merchant sailors, into service on naval ships, usually against their will.

preventer: A sail control originating at some point on the leading to a fixed point on the boat's  or  (usually a  or ) used to prevent or moderate the effects of an accidental.

Principal Naval Transport Officer: In British usage, a Principal Naval Transport Officer is a shore-based or responsible for sea transport duties, and for assisting the Senior Naval Officer in the preparation of naval orders and conducting.

Principal Warfare Officer (PWO): One of a number of Warfare branch specialist officers.

prison ship: A vessel used as a prison, often to hold convicts awaiting transportation to penal colonies; particularly common in the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries.

private ship: In British usage, a commissioned in active service that is not being used as the of a. The term does not imply in any way that the ship is privately owned.

privateer: A privately owned ship authorised by a national power (by means of a ) to conduct hostilities against an enemy.

prize: A property captured at sea in virtue of the rights of war, e.g. an enemy warship or merchant vessel.

prize crew: Members of a warship's crew assigned to man a vessel taken as a prize.

promenade deck: An open-air upper of a on which passengers can stroll or relax.

propeller: (fixed) A propeller mounted on a rigid shaft protruding from the hull of a vessel, usually driven by an inboard motor. (folding) A propeller with folding blades, furling to reduce drag on a sailing vessel when not in use.

propeller walk: The tendency for a to push the sideways. In theory, a right-hand propeller in reverse will walk the stern to.

prow: The forwardmost part of a vessel's above her. An alternative term for the of a vessel, sometimes used poetically.

puddening: Fibres of old rope packed between or used as a fender.

pulling: (of an oar, as used at sea) using an oar for propulsion of a boat where each person (of several) uses one oar. This contrasts with ing (at sea), where each person uses two oars, one each side of the boat. See for a full explanation of the complexities of the strict definitions.

pump boat: An powered by a small gasoline engine or diesel engine, used in the Philippines and by Sama-Bajau migrants and refugees in Sabah and eastern Indonesia.

punt: A flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water and typically propelled by pushing against the riverbed with a pole. In this way it differs from a, which is propelled by an.

punting: Boating in a.

purchase: A mechanical method of increasing force, such as a or lever.

purser: The person who buys, stores, and sells all stores on board ships, including victuals, rum, and tobacco. Originally a private merchant, latterly a warrant officer.

Q
quarter: Designation for the aft part of the ship between 120° and 180° to starboard (the starboard quarter), or 180° and 240° to port (the port quarter).

quarterdeck: The aftermost of a. During the Age of Sail, the quarterdeck was the preserve of the ship's officers.

quartering sea: Seas approaching a vessel from between 105° and 165° to port or starboard. Aft of a beam sea and abeam of a following sea.

quartermaster: In merchant marine usage, the seaman responsible for steering a ship. In naval usage, additional duties in running the ship's routine are included. US Navy enlisted rating (QM) who, in addition to the above duties, assists with the navigation of the ship.

Queen's Regulations: The standing orders governing the British Royal Navy issued in the name of the current Monarch.

quay: A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels, generally synonymous with a, although the solid foundations of a quay contrast with the closely spaced piles of a wharf. When "quay" and "wharf" are used as synonyms, the term "quay" is more common in everyday speech in the United Kingdom, many Commonwealth countries, and Ireland, while "wharf" is more commonly used in the United States. To land or tie up at a quay.

quayside: An area alongside a. Being alongside a quay, e.g. "The ship is moored quayside."

quickwork: The ceiling inside the above the turn of the, usually being of lighter dimensions than the ceiling lower down (spirketting).

quoin: A wedge used to assist in the aiming of a cannon

R
rabbet: A groove cut in wood to form part of a joint.

radar: An electronic system designed to transmit radio signals and receive reflected images of those signals from a "target" in order to determine the bearing and distance to the target. The term is an acronym for "radio detection and ranging".

radar reflector: A special fixture fitted to a vessel or incorporated into the design of certain to enhance their ability to reflect energy. In general, these fixtures materially improve the visibility for use by vessels with radar.

raft: A flat structure used for support or transportation over water, lacking a and kept afloat by buoyant materials or structures such as wood, balsa, barrels, drums, inflated air chambers such as pontoons, or extruded polystyrene blocks.

raft ship: Another name for a.

rail meat: A term used to describe the members of a sailboat crew that are using their body weight to control the angle of of the boat.

rake: To incline from the perpendicular; something so inclined is said to be raked or raking (e.g. a,, , funnel, etc.).

ram: A weapon consisting of an underwater prolongation of the of a vessel to form an armored beak, intended to be driven into the of an enemy vessel in order to puncture the hull and disable or sink that vessel. An armored of the second half of the 19th century designed to use such a weapon as her primary means of attack. To intentionally collide with another vessel with the intention of damaging or sinking her. To accidentally collide bow-first with another vessel.

range: To lay out a rope or chain on deck in a zig-zag or (for rope) a figure‐eight pattern (as opposed to in a ) so that it can run freely. The zig-zag pattern may be described as. The difference between the heights of the high and low tides – a figure that will vary from place to place and day to day. The distance from an observer to a target, such as in gunnery.

range clock: A clockwork device used aboard a to continuously calculate the distance or to an enemy ship.

range lights: See.

rating: 1. In British usage, a junior enlisted member of a country's ; i.e., any member of the navy who is not an officer or. In contemporary U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard usage, rating is the occupational specialty of an enlisted member of the service, rate denotes enlisted pay grade, and rank generally applies to commissioned officer pay grades. A classification system of Royal Navy sailing warships.

ratlines: The rungs fastened between the permanently rigged from and  to the  to form rope ladders enabling access to the  and.

razee: A sailing ship that has been cut down to reduce the number of. To cut down a sailing ship to reduce the number of decks.

reach: A section of a stream or river along which similar hydrologic conditions exist, such as discharge, depth, area, and slope. In sailing usage, a straight section of water that can be traversed in a single maneuver, without.

reaching: Sailing across the wind; i.e. bearing anywhere between about 60° and 160° relative to the direction from which the wind is blowing. Reaching can be further subdivided into "close reaching" (about 60° to 80°), "beam reaching" (about 90°), and "broad reaching" (about 120° to 160°). Compare ' and '.

reaching sail: A specifically designed for tighter reaching legs. Reaching sails are often used in racing with a true wind angle of 35 to 95 degrees. They are generally used before the wind angle moves enough to permit  to be flown.

ready about: A call to indicate imminent. See also.

Receiver of Wreck: A government official whose duty is to give owners of the opportunity to retrieve their property and ensure that law-abiding finders of wrecks receive an appropriate reward.

receiving hulk: A used in harbor to house newly recruited sailors before they are assigned to a crew.

Red Duster: A traditional nickname for the, the flown by civilian vessels of the United Kingdom.

Red Ensign: A British flag flown as an by certain British ships. Since 1854, it has been flown by British (except for those authorized to fly the ) as the United Kingdom's. Prior to 1864, ships of the Royal Navy's Red Squadron also flew it, but its naval use ended with the reorganisation of the Royal Navy in 1864.

red right return: A phrase used as a mnemonic to remember that the navigational standard for a vessel entering ("returning to") a port in the Americas (excluding Greenland), Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines is for her to steer so that red-marked lie to (to the "right") of an observer facing  on the vessel, while green-marked aids must lie to  (i.e. to the "left"). This contrasts with the rest of the world, where the standard is the opposite, i.e. green markers must lie to starboard and red ones to port.

red-to-red: A passage of two vessels moving in the opposite direction on their sides, so called because the red navigation light on one of the vessels faces the red light on the other vessel.

reduced cat: A light version of the for use on young sailors.

reef: (noun) Rock or coral that is either partially submerged or fully submerged but shallow enough that a vessel with a sufficient may touch or run. (verb) To temporarily reduce the area of a exposed to the wind, usually to guard against adverse effects of strong wind or to slow the vessel.

reef-points: Lengths of rope attached to a and used to tie up the part of a sail that is taken out of use when. In older systems, such as or, the reef points take some of the load on the sail and distribute it to the ; with slab reefing, the reef-points just keep the sail fabric controlled in a tidy manner. Reef points may either be sewn to each side of the sail or passed through eyelets.

reef-bands: Long pieces of rough canvas sewn across the sails to give them additional strength.

reef-tackles: Ropes employed in the operation of reefing.

reefer ship: 1. A refrigerated cargo ship used to carry perishable goods that require refrigeration. A shipboard refrigerator.

reeve: To thread a through in order to gain a mechanical advantage, such as in a.

regatta: A series of boat races, usually of sailboats or rowboats but occasionally of powered boats.

regular ship: A term used by the British East India Company from the 17th to the 19th centuries for merchant ships that made "regular voyages" for the company between England (later the United Kingdom) and ports east of the Cape of Good Hope, a trade over which the company held a strict monopoly. The company most of its ships; "regular ships" were those under long-term charter, and the company kept their operations under tight control. A set of "regular ships" set off for Asian ports during each sailing season (September through April), and returned up to two years later. The status and role of "regular ships" differed from that of ships the company referred to as,, , and.

relative bearing: A relative to the direction in which the vessel is pointing or traveling; the angle between the vessel's forward direction and an object, as measured clockwise from the. See also.

repair ship: A naval designed to provide maintenance support to other ships.

replenishment oiler: A naval which provides fuel and dry stores to other ships.

research vessel: A ship designed and equipped to carry out research at sea, especially hydrographic surveys, oceanographic research, fisheries research, naval research, polar research, and oil exploration.

reserve fleet: A collection of naval vessels fully equipped for service but partially or fully decommissioned because they are not currently needed. In the modern United States, a reserve fleet is sometimes informally called a ghost fleet. During the Age of Sail and well into the 19th century, ships in a reserve fleet were said to be.

rib tickler: A bargeman's name for the.

riding light: A light hung from the when at.

riding turn: a type of jam of the rope on a winch drum: the heavily loaded part of the rope unintentionally rises over the successive s on the winch, so stopping them from moving.

rig: The arrangement of,, and on a sailing vessel. To fit a sailing vessel with its masts, sails or rigging.

rigging: The system of and on ships and other sailing vessels.

rigging chocks: Thick blocks of wood fixed outside the to take the chain plates for the.

rigging screw: A bottle screw used to keep wires taut.

righting: The process of restoring a capsized vessel to upright condition.

righting couple: righting moment: The force that tends to restore a ship to upright equilibrium once a has altered the relationship between the vessel's and  center of gravity.

rigol: The rim or "eyebrow" above a or.

rip rap: A man-made pile of rocks and rubble used as a base to support an, often an offshore.

ro-ro: See.

roads: See.

roadstead: A sheltered area outside a harbour where a ship can lie safe at anchor, often situated in a "shallow indentation of the coast".

Roaring Forties: An area of persistent strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40 and 50 degrees south. During the Age of Sail, ships took advantage of the Roaring Forties to speed their trips, and yacht sailors still do today.

rode: The anchor, rope, or connecting the to the vessel.

rogue wave: Any unusually large wave for a given ; formally, a wave whose height is more than twice the significant wave height of that sea state (i.e. the mean of the largest third of waves in a wave record).

roll: The side-to-side motion of a vessel as it rotates about the - (longitudinal) axis. is a lasting, stable tilt, or, along this longitudinal axis. Another name for the longitudinal axis itself (e.g. the "roll axis").

roller: rolling swell: Swell that has increased in height due to influence of the bottom in shallow water, but before it is high enough to break.

roll-on/roll-off ship: A vessel designed to carry wheeled cargo that can drive on and off the ship on its own wheels.

rolling-tackle: A number of pulleys, engaged to confine the to the of a ; this tackle is much used in a rough sea.

rolling vang: A second set of sprit-head played out forward to rail near the, used to give additional control and support when needed in a.

romper: In a, a ship that breaks ranks and "romps" ahead out of formation with the other ships.

ropes, the: All ; the in the. Any cordage of over 1 inch in diameter.

rope's end: A summary punishment device used as a flog.

rope yarn: A period, traditionally on Wednesday afternoons, when a tailor boarded a sailing warship while the vessel was in port; the was excused from most duties and had light duty mending uniforms and hammocks and darning socks. When the ship was at sea, the crew similarly was excused from most duties on Wednesday afternoons to engage in mending chores. Wednesday afternoons, like Sundays, thus were a more social time when crewmen rested from normal duties, similar to a Sunday, and, because the crew used rope yarn for mending, Wednesday afternoon became known as rope yarn Sunday. After uniforms began to require less care, and through the mid-20th century, a period on Wednesday afternoons when naval crew members were excused from their regular duties to run personal errands. Since the mid-20th century, any period of free time when a naval crew is given early or otherwise excused from its normally scheduled duties. One of the threads in a rope.

round to: To turn the of a vessel into the wind.

rove: Past tense of.

row: (in general speech) to propel a boat with s (more precisely, as used at sea) to propel a boat with oars, where each rower handles two oars, one on each side of the boat. This contrasts with the inland waters definition. When, at sea, a person is working just one oar, this is termed (more precisely, as used at in inland waters) to propel a boat with oars, where each rower uses just one oar. On inland waters, one person using two oars, one on each side of the boat, is termed

rowlock: The cutout in the of a boat into which an oar is placed, so providing a fulcrum when the oar is in use. A common term for an, the u-shaped metal fitting, with a pin underneath that fits in a socket in the of a boat to provide the fulcrum for an. See also.

royal: On large sailing ships, a right above the mast. The of such a mast.

rubbing strake: An extra plank fitted to the outside of the, usually at deck level, to protect the.

rudder: A steering device that is placed and pivoted about a (usually vertical) axis to generate a moment from the hydrodynamic forces that act on the rudder blade when it is angled to the flow of water over it. There are several types of rudder, which generally divide into outboard or inboard. An outboard rudder is hung (hinged) on the of the vessel. An inboard rudder has a which passes through a gland in the, with the structure of the hull continuing towards the stern above the rudder. A spade rudder is hinged solely on the stock and has no lower bearing to help take the loads. Other rudder types may be hinged on an extension of the or on a. Rudders may be balanced, by having some of the blade extend in front of the stock. On simple watercraft, the rudder may be controlled by a —essentially, a stick or pole attached to the top of the rudder to allow it to be turned by a helmsman. In larger vessels, the rudder is often linked to a via cables, pushrods, or hydraulics.

rudder stop: A fitting that limits the swing of the rudder.

rudderstock: The structural part of a that transmits the torque created by the or steering gear to the rudder blade. It may consist of a steel tube which passes through bearings in the hull above the rudder, or with a stern-hung rudder, is the structure carrying all or some of the pintles or gudgeons on which the rudder pivots.

ruffle: A serrated iron ring attached to the barrel of the and to which the  is applied to prevent backruns of the.

rum-runner: See.

rummage: 1. A place or room for the of cargo in a vessel. The act of stowing cargo aboard a vessel. To arrange (cargo, goods, etc.) in the of a vessel; to move or rearrange such goods; the pulling and moving about of packages incident to close stowage aboard a vessel. To search a vessel for smuggled goods, e.g. "The customs officers rummaged the ship."

rummage sale: A sale of damaged cargo (from French arrimage).

run: The of the underwater body of a ship from where it begins to curve upward and inward. A voyage, particularly a brief or routine one.

running before the wind: Sailing more than about 160° away from the direction from which the wind is blowing (i.e. moving in the same or nearly the same direction as the wind). If moving directly away from the wind, it is called a. Compare ' and '.

running backstays: A that can be released and moved out of the way so that it does not interfere with or  on the. On, the new windward running backstay must be set up promptly to support the mast.

running gear: The propellers, shafts, struts, and related parts of a motorboat. The of a sailing vessel.

running light: An alternative term for.

running rigging: used to manipulate,, etc. in order to control the movement of a sailing vessel. Contrast.

S
safe harbour: A that provides safety from bad weather or attack.

safe haven: A, including natural harbours, which provide safety from bad weather or attack.

safety briefing: See.

saddle chock: A transverse beam placed over the with for mooring warps.

sagging: A condition in which the of a vessel deflects downward so the ends of the are higher than the middle. The opposite of. Sagging can occur when the trough of a wave is or during loading or unloading of a vessel and can damage her or even break her in half.

sail: A piece of fabric attached to a and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the vessel along. Sails are typically attached to the vessel and manipulated by sailors via a combination of,, and. The power harnessed by a sail or sails to propel a vessel. To use sail power to propel a vessel. A trip in a boat or ship, especially a sailboat or sailing ship. In American usage, a tower-like structure on the dorsal (topside) surface of constructed since the mid-20th century. A submarine's sail is similar in appearance to a fabric sail or fin, and is referred to as a fin in British and Commonwealth usage. It also superficially resembles the of submarines built before the mid-20th century, but differs from a conning tower in that a submarine conning tower contained instruments and controls for the periscopes to direct the submarine and launch torpedo attacks, while a submarine sail (or fin) does not perform these functions.

sail drive: A non-steerable drive leg fitted through the bottom of a sailboat carrying a propeller. Compare ' and '.

sail loft: A large open space used by to spread out.

sail-plan: A set of drawings showing various sail combinations recommended for use in various situations.

sailing canal boat: See.

sailing canal schooner: See.

sailing skiff: See.

sailmaker: A craftsman who makes and repairs, working either on shore in a or aboard a large, oceangoing sailing ship.

sailorman: London term for a sailing, or a bargeman.

sally ship: A method of freeing a vessel on mud, in which the crew forms a line and runs back and forth to cause her to rock back and forth, breaking the mud's suction and freeing her with little or no damage to the. When this is required, the crew is given the order "Sally ship!"

saloon: A social lounge on a passenger ship.

saltie: Great Lakes term for a vessel that sails the oceans.

salty dog: Slang for a, especially for a in the navy.

salvage tug: A specialized used to assist ships in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships which have already sunk or run aground.

salvor: A person engaged in the salvage of a ship or items lost at sea.

sampan: A relatively flat-bottomed Chinese wooden boat from 3.5 to 4.5 m long, generally used in coastal areas or rivers and as traditional fishing boats. Some have a small shelter, and they may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. It is unusual for sampans to sail far from land as they are not designed to survive rough weather.

sampson post: A strong vertical post used to fasten the anchor cable or mooring warps, for towing another vessel, or to support a ship's, the of a ship's, the base of a cargo derrick or any other heavy load. In a smaller vessel, is usually fastened to the keel at its lower end.

sandsucker: A that collects sand from the bottom of lakes.

SB: S.B.: Prefix for "sailing barge", used before a ship's name.

scandalize: To reduce the area and efficiency of a by expedient means (slacking the peak and tricing up the ) without properly, thus slowing boat speed. Also used in the past as a sign of mourning.

scantlings: Dimensions of a ship's structural members, e.g.,, , etc.

schooner: A type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of sails on two or more with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts. First used by the Dutch in the 16th or 17th century. A has a square topsail (and may also have a topgallant) on the foremast.

schooner barge: A type of either converted from a or purpose-built as a barge with a schooner, primarily in use from the 1860s to the 1940s, initially on the Great Lakes and later in salt-water environments as well. A schooner barge required a smaller crew than a schooner and needed to be towed, but under favorable conditions could hoist s to reduce fuel consumption by the vessel towing her.

schuyt: Another name for a.

scope: The length of cable extended when a ship rides at anchor.

scow: A method of preparing an for tripping by attaching an to the crown and fixing to the ring by a light  (also known as becue). The seizing can be broken if the anchor becomes fouled. A type of clinker, characteristically beamy and slow. An inland racing boat with no, a large sail plan, and a planing hull.

scow schooner: A vessel with a -like (def. 2) and a rig. Scow schooners appeared on the Great Lakes during the 1820s and served there into the 20th century, and also were common on San Francisco Bay and in New Zealand.

scow sloop: A vessel with a -like (def. 2) and a rig. Scow sloops were common in North America by 1725.

Screaming Sixties: Strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, south of 60 degrees. They are stronger than the similar "Roaring Forties" to their north.

screecher: A specialty sail which can be used as an upwind, sail, or downwind sail. The name comes from combining "" and "reaching".

screw: A. Propeller-driven (e.g. a screw frigate or screw sloop).

scud: A name given by sailors to the lowest clouds, which are mostly observed in squally weather.

scudding: A term applied to a vessel when carried furiously along by a tempest.

scull: (v.) In sport or recreational rowing, especially on inland water, to propel a boat by oars, where each of one or several persons uses two oars, one on each side of the boat. This contrasts with the maritime traditional working boat or naval usage, where this activity is called. (v.) To propel a boat with a single oar resting in a notch at the stern, using a figure of eight motion of the blade of the oar, which is continuously immersed in the water (n.) An used for sculling (n.) A boat propelled by sculling, generally for recreation or racing

scuppers: Originally a series of pipes fitted through a ship's side from inside the thicker deck waterway to the topside planking in order to drain water overboard, with larger quantities drained through freeing ports, which were openings in the.

scuttle: A small opening, or lid thereof, in a ship's or. To sink a vessel deliberately.

scuttlebutt: A barrel with a hole in it, used to hold water that sailors would drink from. By extension (in modern naval usage), a shipboard drinking fountain or water cooler. Slang for gossip.

scuttling: Making a hole in the hull of a vessel or opening, especially in order to sink a vessel deliberately.

sea: The ocean. A body of salt water smaller than an ocean and generally forming part of, or connecting with, an ocean or a larger sea. A large lake, usually one with salty or brackish water. The of an ocean or sea. A single wave, e.g., "A large sea struck the ship."

sea anchor: A stabilizer deployed in the water for in heavy weather. It acts as a brake and keeps the hull in line with the wind and perpendicular to the waves. Often in the form of a large bag made of heavy canvas. See also.

sea chest: A watertight box built against the hull of the ship communicating with the sea through a grillage, to which valves and piping are attached to allow water in for ballast, engine cooling, and firefighting purposes. Also, a wooden box used to store a sailor's effects.

sea shanty/chanty/chantey: Work song to accompany rhythmical labor.

sea state: The general condition of the free surface on a large body of water with respect to wind waves and swell at a certain location and moment, characterized by statistics, including the wave height, period, and power spectrum. The sea state varies with time, as the wind conditions or swell conditions change.

sea trial: The testing phase of a boat, ship, or submarine, usually the final step in her construction, conducted to measure a vessel's performance and general seaworthiness before her owners take delivery of her.

seaboat: A kept ready for immediate use at sea, and used, for example, for retrieving a man overboard, or taking a boarding party to another vessel. Usually rigged with patent disengaging gear that allows both falls to be released simultaneously and quickly, so enabling the boat to be launched from a ship with way on. A term used for any vessel when assessing her physical behavior at sea. A vessel that performs well in challenging weather or sea conditions such as heavy seas is a good seaboat, while one which does not is a bad seaboat.

seaboots: High waterproof boots for use at sea. In leisure sailing, known as sailing wellies.

seacock: A valve in the of a vessel used to allow seawater into or out of the vessel. Seacocks are used to admit seawater for purposes such as cooling an engine, feeding a saltwater faucet, or a vessel, or to drain a sink or toilet into the sea. On, seacocks may be used to flood ammunition magazines with seawater to prevent them from exploding during a fire.

seakeeping: The ability of a watercraft to remain in the conditions she encounters while underway. A vessel with a good seakeeping ability is very seaworthy even in rough weather.

sea-kindly: (of a boat or ship) Having a comfortable motion in rough seas

sealer: A vessel designed for or engaged in seal hunting.

sealing: The hunting of seals. The internal lining of the sides and bottom of the. Also.

seaman: A generic term for a, or (part of) a low naval rank.

seamount: A large geologic landform rising from the ocean floor that does not reach the surface; an underwater mountain.

seaworthy: Certified for and capable of safely sailing at sea.

second mate: A licensed member of the deck department of a, third – or, on some, fourth – in command; a watchkeeping officer, customarily the ship's. Other duties vary, but the second mate is often the medical officer and in charge of maintaining distress-signaling equipment. On oil tankers, the second mate usually assists the chief mate with tank-cleaning operations.

see you on the one: Used principally by pilots and river tug and barge deck and officer crew as a friendly farewell (similar to the phrase "catch you later") or more properly used in vessel to vessel VHF (or when needed ship's whistle) communication, along with its companion phrase "see you on the two" to indicate which side a head-to-head vessel crossing is going to occur. The correct response to the challenge is to repeat it back to the apposing vessel in agreement, and if not in agreement to ask for an alternative arrangement. The "on the one" indicates a single whistle sound signal, or port to port crossing, whilst "on the two" is a dual (two) whistle sound signal, or starboard to starboard crossing. In the US, a "one whistle" or port to port crossing is the normal and preferred crossing side.

seekers: London term for sailing that sought cargo, carrying cargo for other merchants at a fee, rather than for the owner.

seiner: A fishing vessel rigged to fish by seining.

seize: To bind two together with small line.

self-sustaining: A that can unload herself with no assistance from harbor facilities is self-sustaining, while a ship that needs harbor facilities to unload is non-self-sustaining. Self-sustaining ships are more expensive to build, maintain, and operate than non-self-sustaining ships, but have the advantage of being able to operate in less-developed ports that lack infrastructure.

self-unloader: Great Lakes slang term for a vessel with a conveyor or some other method of unloading the cargo without shoreside equipment.

semi-dreadnought: An advanced type of of the very early 20th century with an "all-big-gun" armament of mixed calibers. A semi-dreadnought differed from a conventional predreadnought, which had only a few large guns for long-range fire and relied on an intermediate secondary battery used at shorter ranges for most of her offensive power, but also differed from a  battleship, which dispensed with an intermediate secondary battery in favor of an all-big-gun main battery of the same caliber for use at long range. A semi-dreadnought had greater firepower at longer ranges than a conventional predreadnought, but lacked the long-range firepower of a dreadnought.

sennet: Cord formed by plaiting rope-yarn by hand. There are many types of plait, which may be flat, round, or square in section, and many uses.

sennet whip: A summary punitive implement.

serve: Cover a rope or splice by wrapping with thin line to protect it. Compare with

set: The direction toward which the current flows.

settle: (of a ship or boat): sink lower in the water, often prior to sinking altogether.

sextant: A navigational instrument used to measure a ship's latitude.

shackle: U-shaped iron, with a screw pin at the open end used for securing to, allowing easy removal.

shaft: A propeller shaft. The term shaft can be used instead of "" to describe the number of propellers a ship has, e.g., The ship has two shafts or The ship's engines drive three shafts. To push or propel (a boat) with a pole.

shaft alley: The section of a ship that houses the propulsion shaft, running from the engine room to the stuffing box.

shaft log: A shaped piece of timber or metal fitted to a vessel's,, or at the point where the passes through the hull.

shakedown cruise: A cruise performed before a ship enters service or after major changes such as a crew change, repair, or overhaul during which the performance of the ship and her crew are tested under working conditions.

shakes: Pieces of barrels or casks broken down to save space. They are worth very little, leading to the phrase "no great shakes".

shallop: A term used for a variety of boats and small ships used for coastal navigation beginning in the 17th century. A large boat armed with cannon used by the Danes as during the Gunboat War (1807–1814).

shanghaied: The condition of a crewman involuntarily impressed into service on a ship.

sheave: (traditionally pronounced "shiv") The wheel in a, which rotates as the rope runs.

sheave-hole: A hole or slot in a, fitted with a to allow a rope to run.

sheer: The upward curve of a vessel's longitudinal lines as viewed from the side.

sheer line: The intersection of the external surface and the main surface, shown by a line on the.

sheer plan: In shipbuilding, a diagram showing an elevation of the ship's viewed from the.

sheet: A rope attached to the and used to control the setting of a in relation to the direction of the wind. The sheet is often passed through a before being attach to fixed points on the deck, or in the case of a, to a traveller on the main horse.

sheet anchor: Historically, the heaviest aboard a sailing ship, to be used only in case of emergency, and located. In more general usage, the term has come to mean a person or thing that is very reliable in times of emergency. For example, during the first inauguration of Thomas Jefferson, he advocated, "the preservation of the General [Federal] Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad."

sheet bend: A to attach a rope to a small or, e.g. to attach a hammock to a clew or a  to the.

shell: An extremely narrow, and often disproportionately long, rowing boat outfitted with long, to hold the away from the boat, and sliding seats, specifically designed for racing or exercise.

shelter deck: An upper having no overhead protection from the weather itself, but sheltering the deck below it.

shift colors: Changing the flag and pennant display when a moored vessel becomes underway, and vice versa. A highly coordinated display that ships take pride in; the desired effect is that of one set of flags vanishing while another set flashes out at precisely the same time. Slang for changing out of one's Navy uniform into civilian clothes to go ashore. (The US Navy's newsletter for retired personnel is nicknamed Shift Colors for this reason.)

shift tides: Sighting the positions of the Sun and Moon using a, using a nautical almanac to determine the location and phase of the Moon, and calculating the relative effect of the tides on the navigation of the ship.

ship: Strictly, a sailing vessel of three-masts or more and on all. More generally, any medium or larger seagoing vessel. Smaller vessels or those used in sheltered waters are generally called boats. Exceptions include submarines which are always referred to as boats. To send (an item or cargo) via waterborne transport, or in the derived meaning, by any means of transport (such as rail). To bring something aboard a vessel. To put something in its place aboard a vessel, ready for use. To take employment to serve aboard a vessel. To embark or travel on a vessel. To take water over the bow or sides of a vessel, e.g., "The freighter shipped a great deal of water during the storm."

ship a sea: (Of a ship or boat): be flooded by a wave.

ship breaking: The demolition of ships for spare parts and scrap metal. A ship on her way to be scrapped is said to be going to the breakers.

ship cemetery: Another name for a.

ship classification society: A non-governmental organization that establishes and maintains technical standards for the construction and operation of s and offshore structures.

ship-of-the-line: A type of sailing constructed from the 1600s through the mid-1800s to serve as part of the ; one of the largest and most powerful warships of the era.

ship graveyard: 1. A location where the of discarded ships are left to decay and disintegrate. An area where accumulate due to hazardous navigation conditions, deliberate, or losses in combat. An for ships of a reserve fleet.

ship over: To reenlist. When a sailor extends his or her service another term.

ship-polacca: A three-masted.

ship rig: See.

ship sloop: A type of introduced in the 1740s that had three  (in contrast to the  introduced in the 1770s, which had two masts).

ship stores: The materials, supplies and equipment required for the navigation, maintenance, operation and upkeep of a ship.

ship taken up from trade: See.

ship's bell: Striking the ship's bell is the traditional method of marking time and regulating the crew's watches. Each bell (from one to eight) represents a 30-minute period since the beginning of a four-hour watch. For example, in the classical system, "Three bells in the morning watch" represents 90 minutes since the beginning of the morning watch, or 5:30 AM. "Eight bells" indicates the end of a watch.

ship's biscuit: See.

ship's company: The of a ship.

ship's complement: The number of persons in a ship's, including officers.

ship's husband: A legal term for an agent based on land, who has authority to make repairs and attend to the management, equipment, and general management of a ship in the home port.

ships husbandry: All aspects of maintenance, cleaning, and general upkeep of the hull, rigging, and equipment of a ship. It may also be used to refer to aspects of maintenance which are not specifically covered by the technical departments.

shipbreach: Another name for a.

shipping: Passage or transport on a ship; maritime transport. The body of ships belonging to one country, port, or industry.

shipshape: Meticulously neat and tidy. A sailor is expected to keep his or her quarters shipshape, with all items arranged neatly and securely, both to save space aboard ship and because of the danger posed by loose objects if the ship encounters turbulent seas.

shipwreck: The remains of a ship that has sunk. The remains of a ship that has run such that she is no longer. An event in which a ship sinks or otherwise becomes a wreck.

shipwrecking: To wreck a ship through a mishap.

shipwrecked: A person marooned due to the loss of a ship he or she was aboard is said to be shipwrecked.

shipwright: A person who designs, builds, and repairs ships, especially wooden ones.

shipyard: A facility where or boats are built and repaired. Routinely used as a synonym for, although dockyard is sometimes associated more closely with a facility used for maintenance and basing activities, while shipyard sometimes is associated more closely with a facility used in construction.

shoal: Shallow water that is a hazard to navigation.

shoal draught: An especially shallow on a vessel, making the vessel capable of sailing in unusually shallow water.

shore leave: Free time given to officers and crew of a naval vessel when they are off duty and allowed to disembark and spend time on land. See also.

short stay: The relative slackness of an ; "short stay" means the chain is somewhat slack, and neither vertical nor fully extended.

shorten: To take in the slack of (a rope). To reduce (sail) by taking it in, e.g. "shorten sail".

shot across the bow: A shot fired close to and in front of a moving vessel to warn her to stop, often for boarding.

show your true colors: To display the correct flag ("colors") for your ship's sovereign allegiance after using a false or misleading flag, or flying no flag at all, to approach an unsuspecting enemy ship.

Shrieking Sixties: See.

shrimper: A fishing vessel rigged for shrimp fishing.

shroud: A rope or cable serving to support a from either side.

show your true colors: To display your correct flag after approaching an unsuspecting enemy by flying an misleading flag.

sick bay: A compartment reserved for medical purposes.

sideboy: One of an even-numbered group of seamen posted in two rows on the when a visiting dignitary boards or leaves the ship, historically to help (or even hoist) him aboard.

sided: (of a in a wooden hull) The identifier of a measurement of a timber in a wooden hull, used, together with, instead of width and thickness which could be ambiguous – length, the third dimension is not ambiguous. Sided identifies the measure across the surface of an individual timber which is at right angles to the moulded direction. Therefore this is the dimension across the top of a keel, the fore and aft face of a frame, or the athwartships face of stem or stern post.

sidewheel: A side-mounted paddle wheel used for propulsion by a. Propelled by sidewheels (e.g. "sidewheel steamer").

sidewheeler: A propelled by a pair of paddle wheels, one mounted on each side.

single-banked: (of the arrangement of oars on a boat) having only one oarsman seated on each, operating one oar on one side of the boat, with the oars alternating between port and starboard along the length of the boat. This contrasts with, where two oarsmen are seated on each thwart, each of whom operates one oar on their side of the boat. A third arrangement is to have one rower on each thwart working two oars, one on each side of the boat.

single up: to reduce the number of mooring lines to a minimum immediately prior to getting under way. In a small vessel this would usually be a reduction to a mooring line at just the bow and the stern. In a larger vessel this may be a reducton to headrope, sternrope and two springs.

siren: A sound signal that uses electricity or compressed air to actuate either a disc or a cup-shaped rotor.

sister ship: A of the same class as, and therefore virtually identical in design and appearance to, another ship. Sister ships share an identical or nearly identical and  layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment. Often, sister ships become more differentiated during their service lives as their equipment (and, in the case of military ships, their armament) are separately altered.

skaffie: A type of small sailing vessel used for fishing, primarily during the 19th century and mostly in the Moray Firth region of Scotland.

skeg: A downward or sternward projection from the in front of the. Protects the rudder from damage, and in bilge keelers may provide one "leg" of a tripod on which the boat stands when the tide is out.

skeleton crew: A minimal crew, usually employed during an emergency or when a vessel is inactive, generally consisting of the minimum number of personnel required to maintain or operate the vessel.

skiff: A small boat, traditionally a coastal or river craft, for leisure or fishing, with a single person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have developed into high-performance competitive classes.

skipjack: A type of sailboat used as a traditional fishing boat on the Chesapeake Bay for oyster dredging. It arose around the end of the 19th century as the successor to the as the chief oystering boat on the bay.

skipper: The of a ship.

skysail: A square set above the, typically only carried by large and ships, such as the Primrose Hill (1885), Oweenee (1819), and Mushkosa (1819).

skyscraper: A small triangular sail above the. Used in light winds on a few ships.

slack tide: The period between rising tide and falling tide, or the period between falling tide and rising tide when there is no tidal-induced current.

slamming: Slamming occurs when wave or wind action cause part of the vessel to rise out of the water and then slam back down onto the surface of the sea.

slave ship: A large cargo ship specially converted for the transportation of slaves in the slave trade. Also known as a slaver or Guineaman, the latter term deriving from the Guinea coast of West Africa.

slaver: Another name for a.

slide: The cabin on a.

sling: To pass a rope around something in preparation for attaching a hoisting or lowering to it. A band of rope or iron for securing a to a ; chiefly used in the plural, slings.

slip: To let go a rope at a precise moment, such as when releasing the last attachment to a buoy, when getting under way. To slip an : to let go the anchor cable, abandoning the anchor so as to get under way in an emergency, rather than spend time hauling in the cable to raise the anchor in the normal way. The released anchor cable is usually buoyed to aid recovery later. The difference between the theoretical distance traveled per revolution of a vessel's propeller and the actual advance of the vessel. In marine engineering, the motion of the center of resistance of the float of a paddle wheel or the blade of an through the water horizontally. In marine engineering, the difference between a vessel's actual speed and the speed it would have if the propelling instrument acted upon a solid. In marine engineering, the velocity of the backward current of water produced by the propeller relative to still water. In marine insurance, a memorandum of the particulars of a risk for which a policy is to be executed, usually bearing the broker's name and initialled by the underwriters.

slip rope: A mooring rope that is intended to be the last to be released when getting under way and is arranged so that it can be released from on-board. An example of this would be a rope that is led from the ship (or boat), through a ring on a mooring buoy, and then back to the ship.

slipway: A ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. Slipways are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers towed by automobiles and flying boats on their undercarriage.

sloop: In modern usage (from circa 1850s), a single-masted fore and aft sailing rig with one headsail set on the forestay, and a mainsail the mast. The sloop rig is very common in modern leisure sailing vessels. In older usage, a sloop may have more than one headsail, but with the jib (the outer headsail) also set on a stay. This differentiates from a of the same era, where the jib would be set flying and a running bowsprit was used. Any bowsprit that might be fitted on a sloop was part of the standing rigging and remained in place at all times.

sloop-of-war: In the 18th and 19th centuries, a small sailing carrying 18 or fewer guns with a single continuous gundeck. In the 18th and 19th centuries, any sailing warship bearing fewer than 20 guns. In the 19th-century US Navy, the term used for the type of sailing warship known in other navies as a corvette. In the early and mid-20th century, a small oceangoing warship not intended for fleet deployments, and used instead for convoy escort, gunboat duties, etc.

slop chest: A ship's store of merchandise, such as clothing, tobacco, etc., maintained aboard merchant ships for sale to the.

slush: Greasy substance obtained by boiling or scraping the fat from empty salted meat storage barrels, or the floating fat residue after boiling the crew's meal. In the Royal Navy, it was a perquisite of the ship's cook, who could sell it or exchange it (usually for alcohol) with other members of the crew. Used for greasing parts of the running rigging of the ship and therefore valuable to the and.

slush fund: The money obtained by the cook selling ashore. Used for the benefit of the crew (or the cook).

smack: A traditional fishing boat used off the coast of England and the Atlantic coast of America for most of the 19th century and in small numbers up to the mid-20th century. Originally a -rigged sailing boat, after about 1865 lengthened and given a rig. Some had a on the, others a  carrying a.

small bower: The smaller of two carried in the.

smoking lamp: Restricted flame source lighted only during authorized smoking hours.

snag: Snag, also deadhead: A tree or tree branch fixed in the bottom of a navigable body of water and partially submerged or rising nearly to the surface that can pierce and sink vessels. Snags were a particularly severe hazard in the 19th and early 20th centuries; to be snagged is to suffer damage from or to be sunk by such a hazard. An underwater obstruction on which equipment trailed from a vessel, such as fishing lines and nets, becomes caught, sometimes resulting in loss of the equipment.

snagboat: A river boat resembling a with a for crew accommodations, equipped with -mounted cranes and hoists for removing s and other obstructions from rivers and other shallow waterways.

snatch block: A with one cheek that is hinged, so that the bight of a rope can be inserted in the block (as opposed to threading the end of the rope into an ordinary block).

snipe: Member of a ship's engineering department. Mythical object of a "snipe hunt" for inexperienced crewmembers.

snotter: A short rope, spliced together at the ends and covered with hide, that is seized to the to hold the lower end of a.

snotty: Royal Navy slang for a.

snow: A form of where the  or driver is rigged on a "snow mast", a lighter  supported in chocks close behind the.

snub: To quickly stop a line that is running out - usually by taking or tightening a turn on a bollard, cleat or winch drum.

snug loaded: When all the cargo on a is stowed below in the and there is nothing on. In contrast to carrying a stack.

soft eye: An eye splice without a thimble fitted.

SOG: An abbreviation of "speed over ground", the speed of the vessel relative to the Earth (and as shown by a GPS). Referenced on many fishing forums.

soogee: To wash down (as the deck and paintwork of a ship.)

SONAR: An acronym for "sound navigation and ranging", a method of using sound pulses to detect, range, and sometimes image underwater targets and obstacles or the bed of the sea. See also ' and '. The equipment used to conduct such searches, ranging, and imaging.

SOS: International distress signal.

sou'wester: A storm originating from the southwest. A type of waterproof hat with a wide brim over the neck, worn in storms.

soul, souls: With a quantifier, can apply to the number of people on board ship; hence,, "Save Our Souls".

sounding: Heaving the lead.jpg Measuring the depth of the water. Traditionally done by "", now more commonly by. Measuring the depth of liquid stored in a tank onboard a vessel, typically used to determine its volume. See also.

spanker: A or  on the aftmost mast of a  vessel and the main fore-and-aft sail (spanker sail) on the aftmost mast of a (partially) fore-and-aft rigged vessel such as a,, or.

spanker-mast: The aftmost of a or  five-masted vessel such as a  or. A ship has a  but not a spanker-mast (see ).

spar: A wooden (in later years also iron or steel) pole used to support various pieces of and. The big five-masted  Preussen (German spelling: Preußen) had crossed 30 steel yards, but only one wooden spar – the little  of its  sail.

spar torpedo: A weapon consisting of a bomb placed at the end of a long and attached to a boat.

speaking tube: See.

spencer: A.

spider band: An iron band around the base of a that holds a set of iron.

spindrift: Finely divided water swept from the crests of waves by strong winds. The presence of spindrift may be used to approximately estimate wind speed.

spinnaker: A large flown in front of the vessel while heading downwind. A set when running before the wind. The bargeman's spinnaker is his, tacked to the mast, and sheeted round the weather crosstree.

spinnaker pole: A used to help control a or other.

spirketting: The thicker planks of the, found at the bottom of the and continuing up the inside of the hull to the start of the (or lining).

splice: To join lines (ropes, cables, etc.) by unravelling their ends and intertwining them to form a continuous line; to form an eye or a knot by splicing.

splice the mainbrace: An order given aboard naval vessels to issue the with a drink, traditionally. The phrase "splice the mainbrace" is used idiomatically meaning to go ashore on, intending to go out for an evening of drinking.

splinter fleet: Informal term for wooden boats of various types the United States armed forces used during World War II. Some of the boats were civilian vessels brought into service for the war, while others were built during the war specifically for wartime service. Some were transferred to Allied countries.

split lugsail: Two sails, and on a, removing the need to dip the yard around the mast every time the vessel.

sponson: A projection from the side of a vessel for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or. A sponson that extends a hull dimension at or below the serves to increase flotation or add lift when underway. In salvage of a damaged or disabled vessel, a sponson may be a flotation tank attached to provide stability or buoyancy.

spoke: Spoke (to) another ship, as in "Spoke a brig from Rio" in Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe.

sponsor: The person, traditionally a woman, who christens a ship at its launching ceremony.

spotting top: A platform on a used to aid in gun laying.

spreader: A on a sailboat used to deflect the to allow them to better support the.

spring: A mooring warp that goes from the to a position on the level with the  (backspring) or led forward from the stern to a point level with the bow (forespring). A spring may be used in conjunction with the engine to swing the bow or stern away from a quayside to enable safe departure.

springs: Big tides caused by the alignment of the Moon and Sun.

sprit: A that supports a. It is attached to the near the  and extends diagonally up to the peak of the sail. It is steadied by.

spritsail: A, where the peak is supported by a. It may be free-footed or use a. A rig that uses a spritsail. A square-sail flown beneath the.

sprittie: A -rigged.

spurling pipe: A pipe that connects to the chain locker, from which the emerges onto the at the  of a ship.

squadron: In general, any significant group of considered too small to be a, but otherwise not strictly defined by size. In some navies, the term may be used instead of or in addition to squadron. Such a group of warships assigned to and named after a particular ocean, sea, or geographical region, commanded by an who may be the naval commander-in-chief in that theatre, e.g. the Asiatic Squadron, the North Atlantic Squadron, etc.; generally synonymous with similar naval formations known as. During the Age of Sail, a temporary subdivision of a fleet. A temporary detachment of ships from a fleet. Especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a permanent battle formation of a fleet, equipped and trained to operate as a tactical unit under the overall command of the fleet or when detached from the fleet. Especially in modern usage, an administrative naval command responsible for the manning, training, supply, and maintenance of a group of ships or submarines but not for directing their operations at sea.

square: To place at right angles with the or and parallel to the horizon, e.g. "to square the yards".

square meal: A sufficient quantity of food. Meals on board ship were served to the crew on a square wooden plate in harbor or at sea in good weather. Food in the Royal Navy was invariably better or at least in greater quantity than that available to the average landsman. However, while square wooden plates were indeed used on board ships, there is no established link between them and this particular term. The OED gives the earliest reference from the US in the mid-19th century.

square rig: A generic type of and arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on  that are perpendicular, or "", to the  of the vessel and to the. A ship mainly so rigged is said to be square-rigged.

square rigger: A ship.

squared away: held rigidly perpendicular to their and parallel to the. This was rarely the best trim of the yards for efficiency but made a pretty sight for inspections and in harbor. The term is applied to situations and to people figuratively to mean that all difficulties have been resolved or that the person is performing well and is mentally and physically prepared.

squat effect: The phenomenon by which a vessel moving quickly through shallow water creates an area of lowered pressure under its that reduces the ship's buoyancy, particularly at the bow. The reduced buoyancy causes the ship to "squat" lower in the water than would ordinarily be expected, and thus its effective is increased.

squid: A derogatory term for a US Navy sailor.

SS: S.S.: To the purist, a prefix for Screw Steamer (i.e. with screw propulsion, meaning propellers). It is used before the name of a ship. Compare with "PS", which stands for "Paddle Steamer". Widely used as an abbreviation for "Steam Ship".

stack: 1. Another name for a. Deck cargo.

stack marking: A logo or other type of livery on a ship's indicating which private entity, such as a shipping line, or government agency owns or operates her. Generally, all the ships belonging to the fleet of a single company or agency will have the same stack marking.

stackie: A designed to take a large deck cargo, usually of hay or straw needed to feed working horses.

stanchion: A vertical post near the edge of a that supports life-lines; a fitted in between the frame heads on a wooden hull or a bracket on a steel vessel, approx one meter high, to support the  plank or plating and the rail.

stand: (of a ship or its captain) To steer, sail, or steam, usually used in conjunction with a specified direction or destination, e.g. "The ship stood out of the harbor" or "The ship stood toward the east" or "The ship stood toward the missing vessel's last known position".

stand-on (vessel): A vessel directed to keep her course and speed where two vessels are approaching one another so as to involve a risk of collision.

standing part: The section of a rope at a or a that is under tension, as opposed to the loose end.

standing rigging: that supports and and is not manipulated during normal operations. Contrast.

stanliff: A heavy wire cable attached to the at the to support the weight of a  at the.

starboard: The right side of a ship or boat; towards the right-hand side of a vessel facing forward (toward the ). Denoted with a green light at night. Derived from the old steering oar or "steerboard", which preceded the invention of the.

starboard tack: When sailing with the wind coming from the side of the vessel. Vessels on starboard tack generally have right-of-way over vessels on.

starter: A rope used as a punitive device. See ' and '.

stateroom: A superior cabin for a vessel's officer. In American usage, a private passenger cabin on a transport or cruise ship.

station: In chiefly 19th- and early 20th-century usage, a naval formation under a commander-in-chief who controls all naval operations, and sometimes all naval shore facilities, within a specified geographic area (e.g. the China Station, the East Indies Station, etc.); sometimes synonymous with. In Newfoundland, a or cove with a foreshore suitable for a facility to support nearby fishing. Naval station: a naval base (a naval air station is a base for naval aircraft). Coaling station: a facility that supplies ships with coal.

station ship: A ship assigned to a particular station, such as a port or a geographic area, usually to support naval vessels and operations. A station ship may patrol the local area, or provide personnel to other ships, or provide fuel or services such as repairs.

stay: A strong supporting a and leading from the head of one mast down to some other mast or other part of the vessel; any  running fore  and aft  from a mast to the. The stays support a mast's weight forward and aft, while the support its weight from side to side. To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays, e.g. to "stay a mast". To ; put on the other tack, e.g. to "stay ship". To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship. A or fixed for vessels. In stays or hove in stays: in the act of going about while tacking. Miss stays: an unsuccessful attempt to tack.

stayfall: A flexible wire cable rove through, one on the and one on the end of the. This is the means by which the is lowered.

staysail: A whose is attached to a. If set on the most forward (or only), a staysail is a. Where more than one headsail is set, the staysail is generally the one closest to the mast.

steamer: A vessel equipped with steam propulsion.

steerage: The effect of the on a vessel; the act of steering a vessel. A 19th- and early 20th-century term for the section of a passenger ship that provided inexpensive accommodation with no individual cabins.

steerageway: The minimum speed at which a vessel answers the, below which she cannot be steered. Speed sufficient for the to "bite".

steering flat: The compartment on a vessel that contains the steering gear.

steering oar: A long, flat board or that went from the to well underwater, used to steer vessels before the invention of the. Traditionally on the side of a ship (the "steering board" side).

steersman: Another name for a.

steeve: A or derrick with a at one end, used for stowing cargo. To incline upwards at an angle (used especially of a ) rather than lie horizontally; to set at a particular upwards incline.

stem: An extension of the at the forward end of a ship. On a, the foremost set vertically to the keel, forming the head of the stem; it carries the and other.

stern: The rear part of a ship, technically defined as the area built up over the, extending upwards from the counter rail to the. Contrast.

stern chaser: See.

stern tube: The tube under the bearing the tailshaft for propulsion (usually at the ). A torpedo tube mounted in the stern of a submarine.

sterncastle: Another name for an.

sterndrive: stern drive: A propeller drive system similar to the lower part of an extending below the hull of a larger power boat or yacht, but driven by an engine mounted within the hull. Unlike a fixed propeller (but like an outboard), the boat may be steered by twisting the drive. See also.

sternender: Great Lakes slang for a vessel which has all of her s.

sternlight: A white displayed on the of a vessel.

sternpicker: A that fishes by deploying a gillnet from the.

sternpost: The upright structural member (or ) at the of a (usually wooden) ship or boat, to which are attached the and the rearmost corner part of the stern. It rests on ("fays to") the ship's, and may be vertical or tilted ("raked") slightly aft.

sternsheets: The area at the of an open boat. The benches at the of an open boat that forms the or seating in the stern.

sternwalk: An external walkway or gallery for the use of officers installed on the, chiefly of British warships until the early 20th century.

sternway: The reverse movement of a boat or watercraft through the water.

sternwheel: A -mounted paddle wheel used for propulsion by a. Propelled by a sternwheel (e.g. a "sternwheel ").

sternwheeler: A paddle steamer propelled by a.

steward: A member of a vessel's crew involved in commissary duties or in personal services to passengers or other crew members.

stiff: A stiff vessel is one with a high enough to make her more stable and less prone to rolling than other vessels. A stiff vessel contrasts with a vessel.

stood: See.

stocks: The frame that supports a ship or boat when it is being built.

stoker: See.

Stone Fleet: A of old ships loaded with stone, sand, or dirt and by the United States Navy during the American Civil War to block ports of the Confederate States of America in 1861 and 1862.

stone frigate: Informal Royal Navy term for a naval shore establishment.

stopper knot: A knot tied in the end of a, usually to stop it passing through a hole; most commonly a figure-eight knot.

stoppers: A short rope to check a cable in a fixed position. Anchor stoppers hold the when catted, bitt stoppers and deck stoppers are used to retain the cable when at anchor, shroud stoppers contain a damaged shroud, and foretack and sheet stoppers secure the until they are belayed.

storeship: 1. During the Age of Sail and immediately afterwards, a captured ship used to stow supplies and other goods for naval purposes. Since the mid-20th century, a type of naval ship that provides supplies, such as frozen, chilled, and dry provisions, and propulsion and aviation fuel to at sea for an extended period. In some navies, synonymous with replenishment oiler, fleet replenisher, or fleet tanker.

stove: (past tense of stave, often applied as present tense) To smash inward; to force a hole or break in, as in a cask, door, ship's, or other (wooden) barrier.

stow: To store or put away, e.g. personal effects, tackle, or cargo.

stowage: The amount of room for storing materials on board a ship.

stowaway: A trespasser on a ship; a person aboard a ship without permission and/or without payment, who usually boards undetected, remains hidden aboard, and jumps ship just before making or reaching a port's dock; sometimes found aboard and imprisoned in the until the ship makes port and the prisoner can be transferred to the custody of police or military.

straggler: In a convoy, a ship that is unable to maintain speed and falls behind.

straight decker: Originally, a built with her  and engines  to provide a continuous  in between, a design commonly associated with ships which operate on the Great Lakes in North America. In more recent usage, a Great Lakes which lacks self-unloading machinery.

strake: A continuous line of planking on a wooden going from bow to stern. In a small boat, this is usually a single plank, in a larger vessel a strake is several planks joined end to end. In a steel hull the same term can be applied to a continuous line of steel plates all fastened at the same level.

stretcher: An inclined foot rest attached to the boat, to which a rower may place and in some instances (usually in competition) attach his feet.

strike: To haul down or lower (a flag, mast, etc.). To surrender the vessel to the enemy, from "". To remove a naval vessel's name from a country's naval register (after which the vessel is considered stricken). An attack by a naval combat asset. To undergo training (as a "striker") to qualify for an enlisted.

strike the colors: To surrender the vessel to an enemy, from the custom during the Age of Sail of lowering the vessel's to indicate that she is surrendering.

stringer: a longitudinal structural element of a. In a wooden hull this is usually a fastened to the inner faces of the s, going the length of the hull. In a fibreglass hull, stringers are usually moulded in fibreglass against the inner skin of the hull over a lightweight timber or other core material, so having a "top hat" section – this moulded structure runs in a generally fore and aft direction.

studding sails: (pronounced ) Long and narrow, used in lighter winds, on the outside of the large

STUFT: British and Commonwealth acronym for Ship Taken Up From Trade, which refers to a civilian ship requisitioned for naval or other government service.

stumpy: A without a. Normal form before 1850, the stumpies sprit was longer than those used in barges, as the  was cut with a higher peak. A tops'l barge underway without her topsails set.

STW: An abbreviation of "speed through (the) water"; the speed of the vessel relative to the surrounding water (and as shown by a Log). Used in navigation.

subchaser: See.

submarine: Generally, a watercraft capable of independent operations underwater, able to renew its own power and breathing air. A submarine differs from a, which has more limited underwater capabilities. By naval tradition, any submarine is referred to informally as a "boat" regardless of its size. Most commonly, a large, crewed vessel capable of independent underwater operations. Historically and colloquially, a broad category of vessels capable of submerged operations, including large, crewed submarines but also medium-sized and smaller vessels such as midget submarines and wet subs and vessels technically considered submersibles because they require external support, such as remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles.

submarine chaser: A small naval vessel designed for antisubmarine warfare, introduced during World War I and obsolete by the late 20th century.

submarine tender: A naval auxiliary ship designed to supply and support their operations. Known in British English as a submarine depot ship.

submersible: A small watercraft capable of operating underwater but which requires the support of a surface vessel, a surface platform, a shore team, or a larger undersea vessel such as a. A submersible contrasts with a submarine in that a submarine is capable of fully autonomous operations, including generation of its own power and breathing air. However, colloquially, the term "submarine" often indiscriminately refers to any vessel capable of underwater operations, including those that technically are submersibles.

sunfish: A personal-sized, beach-launched sailing with a -type,, and mounted to an un-.

supercargo: A person aboard a vessel who is employed by the cargo owner. Duties include selling merchandise in ports, as well as buying and receiving goods for the return voyage.

superfiring: Superfiring armament is a naval military building technique in which two (or more) turrets are located in a line, one behind the other, with the second turret located above ("super") the one in front so that the second turret can fire over the first.

superstructure: The parts of a ship or boat, including a sailboat, fishing boat, passenger ship, or submarine, that project above her main. This does not usually include its or any armament turrets.

surface warfare officer/specialist: U.S. Navy qualification and insignia for surface warfare training.

surfboat: An -driven boat designed to enter the ocean from a beach in heavy surf or large waves. Surfboats often play a lifesaving or rescue role when rescuers need to reach victims of a mishap directly from a beach.

surge: A vessel's transient motion in a and direction. To let a small amount of on a bollard or winch drum pay out – a controlled slackening of a rope under tension.

survey vessel: Any type of ship or boat that is used for mapping a body of water's bottom, benthic zone, full water column, and surface for purposes of hydrography, general oceanography, marine salvage, dredging, marine archaeology, or the study of marine habitats.

S/V: An abbreviation of "Sailing Vessel", used before the ship's name.

swallow: The gap in the shell of a block through which a line passes over a sheave.

swatchway: A twisting channel navigable by shallow vessels at high water, generally found between sandbanks (e.g. in the Thames Estuary) or between a sandbank and the shore.

sway: A vessel's lateral motion from side to side. (verb) To hoist, e.g. "sway up my dunnage".

sweep: A long used to row, steer, or maneuver an unpowered or sailing vessel when there is no wind. Rowing: A who rows with a single and primarily on only one side of a boat. (verb) To search for an underwater object using a towed submerged line or device which will snag on the target. (verb) To clear a body of water of dangers such s naval mines and obstructions, e.g., minesweeping.

swept: Cleared of dangers such as naval mines and obstructions, e.g., "The swept channel was safe for vessels to use."

swig: swigging: To take up the last bit of slack on a line such as a, anchor line, or dockline by taking a single turn round a and alternately heaving on the rope above and below the cleat while keeping the tension on the tail.

swimhead: swim-head: Having a straight overhanging bow and stern.

swimmie: A with a square overhanging, such as a swimhead.

sweat: A technique to finally tension a, by pulling alternatively on the tail from the and at right angles on the taut standing line.

swinging the compass: Measuring the accuracy in a ship's magnetic compass so its readings can be adjusted, often accomplished by turning the ship and taking bearings on reference points. Essentially synonymous with "".

swinging the lamp: Telling sea stories. Refers to lamps slung from the that swing while at sea, and often used to describe a storyteller who is exaggerating.

swinging the lead: Measuring the depth of water beneath a ship using a lead-weighted sounding line. Regarded as a relatively easy job. Feigning illness, etc., in order to avoid a difficult job.

swinging the ship: Turning the ship and steadying her on various headings while taking bearings on reference points to measure the accuracy of her magnetic compass. Essentially synonymous with "".

switch tack: To change or.

T
tabernacle: A large bracket attached firmly to the, to which the foot of the is fixed. It has two sides or cheeks and a bolt forming the pivot around which the mast is raised and lowered.

tack: A leg of the route of a sailing vessel, particularly in relation to and to and. Another name for. The front bottom corner of a. A or purchase holding down the of a.

tacking: A sailing manoeuvre by which a sailing vessel whose desired course is into the wind (i.e. in the opposite direction from which the wind is blowing) turns its toward and through the wind, such that the direction from which the wind fills the sails changes from one side of the boat to the other, thereby allowing progress in the desired direction. A series of tacking moves, effectively "zig-zagging" back and forth across the wind, is called, and allows the vessel to sail directly upwind, which would otherwise be impossible. Another name for.

tacking duels: In sailboat racing, on an upwind leg of the race course, the complex manoeuvres of lead and overtaking boats to vie for the aerodynamic advantage of clear air. This results from the ongoing strategy of the lead boat's effort to keep the following boat(s) in the blanket of disturbed bad air he is creating.

tackle: A pair of through which is rove a to provide an advantageous. Used for lifting heavy loads and to raise and.

tactical diameter: The perpendicular distance between a ship's course when the is put and her course when she has turned through 180 degrees; the ratio of the tactical diameter divided by the ship's  gives a dimensionless parameter that can be used to compare the manoeuvrability of ships.

taffrail: A at the of a boat that covers the head of the counter timbers.

tail: The loose end of a rope that has been secured to a or a.

tailshaft: A kind of metallic shafting (a rod of metal) to hold the propeller and connected to the power engine. When the tailshaft is moved, the propeller may also be moved for propulsion.

taken aback: An inattentive might allow the dangerous situation to arise where the wind is blowing into the sails "backwards", causing a sudden (and possibly dangerous) shift in the position of the sails.

taking the wind out of his sails: To sail in a way that steals the wind from another ship. Compare.

taking on water: Said of a vessel, to fill with water slowly, either because of a leak or because of waves washing across the deck. The term can be used to describe water entering the vessel by waves washing over her or, e.g., "The freighter took water over her bow," or "The motorboat took water over her stern." A vessel which continues to take on water eventually will sink.

tall ship: A large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel.

tally: The operation of hauling the, or drawing them in the direction of the ship's.

tanker: A ship designed to transport liquids in bulk.

target ship: A vessel, typically an obsolete or captured, used for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing. The term includes both ships intended to be sunk and ships intended to survive and see repeated use as targets.

tartane: A small,, single- sailing ship used in the Mediterranean for fishing and coastal trade from the 16th century to the late 19th century.

Task Force: Any temporary naval organisation composed of particular ships, aircraft, submarines, military land forces, or shore service units, assigned to fulfill certain missions. Seemingly drawn originally from Royal Navy heritage, the emphasis is placed on the individual commander of the unit, and references to "CTF" are common for "Commander Task Force".

tattle tale: Light cord attached to a mooring line at two points a few inches apart with a slack section in between (resembling an inchworm) to indicate when the line is stretching from the ship's rising with the tide. Obviously only used when moored to a fixed dock or pier and only on watches with a flood tide.

tell-tale: A light piece of string, yarn, rope, or plastic (often magnetic audio tape) attached to a or a to indicate the local wind direction. They may also be attached to the surface and/or the of a  to indicate the state of the air flow over the surface of the sail. They are referenced when optimizing the of the sails to achieve the best boat speed in the prevailing wind conditions. See.

tender: n. A type of naval designed to provide advanced basing services in undeveloped harbors to seaplanes, flying boats, torpedo boats, destroyers, or submarines. n. Also ship's tender, a vessel used to provide transportation services for people and supplies to and from shore for a larger vessel. n. A vessel used to maintain navigational aids, such as buoys and lighthouses. adj. A tender vessel is one with a low enough to make her less stable and more prone to rolling than other vessels. A tender vessel contrasts with a vessel.

stiff: A stiff vessel is one with a high enough to make it more stable and less prone to rolling than other vessels. A stiff vessel contrasts with a vessel.

TEV: T.E.V.: A prefix for "turbo-electric vessel", used before a ship's name.

texas: A structure or section of a that includes the and the crew's quarters, located on the, in this case also called the.

texas deck: The of a on which its  is located.

thimble: A round or heart-shaped grooved ring of iron inserted into an.

third mate: A licensed member of the deck department of a, typically fourth, or on some ocean liners fifth, in command; a watchkeeping officer, customarily also the ship's safety officer, responsible for the ship's firefighting equipment,, and other emergency systems. Other duties of the third mate vary depending on the type of ship, its crewing, and other factors.

third officer: See.

thole pin: A vertical wooden peg or pin inserted through the to form a fulcrum for when rowing. Often used in pairs to create a gap in which the oar is placed, but used singly if the oar has a thickened section pierced with a hole which takes the thole pin. See also.

throat: The forward top corner of a square. The end of the, next to the.

three sheets to the wind: On a three-masted ship, having the of the three lower courses loose will result in the ship meandering aimlessly downwind. Also used to describe a sailor who has drunk strong spirits beyond his capacity.

thunderboat: Alternative term for a.

thwart: A bench seat across the width of an open boat.

tier: Vessels moored alongside each other offshore.

tiller: A lever used for steering, attached to the top of the. Used mainly on smaller vessels, such as and rowing boats.

tilt boat: A square sail operating out of Gravesend. Not less than 15 tons, carrying no more than 37 passengers, it had 5 oarsmen the mast.

timber: A general term for the individual pieces of the structural framework on which a wooden hull is built – for example a component of a

timber drogher: Another name for a.

timber ship: Another name for a.

timoneer: A name given, on particular occasions, to the of a ship. From the French timonnier.

tin can: United States Navy slang for a ; often shortened to can.

tinclad:

A lightly armored steam-powered river used by the United States Navy during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Also called a light draft. A tinclad had thin iron armor, or in some cases thick wooden bulwarks rather than armor, sufficient to protect her machinery spaces and pilothouse against rifle fire but not against artillery fire. A tinclad contrasted with an, which had armor thick enough for protection against artillery fire.

tingle: A thin temporary patch.

toe-rail: A low strip running around the edge of the like a low. It may be shortened or have gaps in it to allow water to flow off the deck.

toe the line: At parade, sailors and soldiers were required to stand in line, their toes in line with a seam of the.

tompion: A block of wood inserted into the barrel of a gun on a 19th-century to keep out the sea spray; also used for covers for the ends of the barrels of the guns on more modern ships, the larger of which are often adorned with the ship's crest or other decoration.

tonnage: Any of various measures of the size or cargo-carrying capacity of a ship in terms of weight or volume. Builder's Old Measurement, also tons burden: a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity used to calculate the cargo capacity of a ship, used in England and later the United Kingdom, from approximately 1650 to 1849 and in the United States from 1789 to 1864. It estimated the tonnage of a vessel based on her length and maximum. The British formula yielded a slightly higher value than the U.S. formula. Deadweight tonnage: the total weight a vessel can carry, exclusive of the mass of the vessel itself. Displacement tonnage: the total weight of a vessel. Gross register tonnage: the total internal volume of a vessel, with one gross register ton equal to 100 cubic feet (2.8316846592 cubic meters). Gross tonnage: a function of the volume of all of a ship's internal spaces. Lightship or lightweight tonnage: the weight of a ship without any fuel, cargo, supplies, water, passengers, etc. on board. Net register tonnage: the volume of cargo a vessel can carry. Net tonnage: the volume of all cargo spaces on a ship. Thames Measurement tonnage: the volume of a small vessel, calculated based on her length and beam.

top: The platform at the upper end of each (lower) of a ship, typically one-fourth to one-third of the way up the mast. The main purpose of a top is to anchor the of the  that extend above it. See also.

topgallant: The or above the. See ' and '.

tophamper: A collective term for the,, , and of a sailing ship, or for similarly insubstantial structures above the upper of any ship. Unnecessary and rigging kept aloft on a vessel's masts.

topman: A crewmember stationed in a.

topmast: The second section of the above the ; formerly the upper mast, later surmounted by the ; carrying the.

topmast pole: Part of the between the hounds and the truck.

topping lift: A line that is part of the on a sailing boat; it applies upward force on a or. The most common topping lift on a modern sailing boat is attached to the boom.

topsail: The second (counting from the bottom) up a. These may be either sails or  ones, in which case they often "fill in" between the mast and the  of the sail below.

topsail schooner: A that sets a square on yards carried on the foremast. A may also be set above the topsail. (The term does not apply to a schooner setting just fore and aft topsails above gaff sails.) There is some terminological variation, both over time and place, on what square sails a vessel may set and still be termed a schooner.

topsides: The part of the between the and the. See also.

torpedo: Prior to about 1900, the term for a variety of explosive devices designed for use in water, including,, and, after the mid-19th century, "automotive", "automobile", "locomotive", or "fish" torpedoes (self-propelled weapons which fit the modern definition of torpedo). Since about 1900, a term used exclusively for a self-propelled weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with its target or in proximity to it.

torpedo boat: A small, fast, cheap naval vessel of the latter part of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century designed to carry es into combat, thus threatening much larger s. Replaced during the second half of the 20th century by the.

torpedo net: A heavy net a ship could deploy around herself using booms or s while at anchor, moored, or otherwise stationary to protect herself from attack. A torpedo net hung at a distance from the sufficient to detonate a torpedo without significant damage to the ship. Torpedo nets first appeared in the late 1870s and were used through the World War I era, and they were used again during World War II.

touch and go: The bottom of the ship touching the bottom, but not. Stopping at a or for a very short time without tying up, to let off or take on crew or goods. The practice of aircraft on touching the carrier and taking off again without dropping hooks.

towing: The operation pulling a vessel or equipment through the water by means of lines.

traffic separation scheme: Shipping corridors marked by buoys that separate incoming from outgoing vessels. Sometimes improperly called sea lanes.

trailboard: A decorative board at the of a vessel, sometimes bearing the vessel's name.

training ship: A ship used to train students as, especially a ship employed by a navy or coast guard to train future officers. The term refers both to ships used for training at sea and to old, immobile used to house classrooms.

tramp freighter: A engaged in the.

tramp steamer: A engaged in the.

tramp trade: The shipping trade on the spot market in which the vessels involved do not have a fixed schedule or itinerary or published. This contrasts with freight liner service, in which vessels make regular, scheduled runs between published ports.

tramper: Any vessel engaged in the.

transmitting station: British term for a room located in the interior of a ship containing computers and other specialised equipment needed to calculate the range and bearing of a target from information gathered by the ship's spotters and range finders. These were designated "plotting rooms" by the United States Navy.

transom: A lateral member fastened inside the, to which the and deckplanks are fitted. The "wall" of the ; often the part to which an outboard unit or the drive portion of a is attached. A more or less flat surface across the stern of a vessel. tend to have almost vertical transoms, whereas ' transoms may be raked forward or aft.

Transom stern: A which ends in a vertical "wall," or, a flat area that extends from the or a point above the waterline up to the deck.

transport: See.

travellers: Small fittings that slide on a track, rod, or line. The most common use is for the inboard end of the. A more esoteric form of traveller consists of "slight iron rings, encircling the, which are used for hoisting the, and confining them to the backstays". An iron ring that moves on the main horse on a sailing barge. It is fitted with an eye onto which is hooked the main sheet, of the loose-footed.

trawler: Commercial trawler: a fishing boat that uses a trawl net or dragnet to catch fish. A fisherman who uses a trawl net. Naval trawler: a converted trawler, or a boat built in that style, used for naval purposes. Recreational trawler: a pleasure boat built in the style of a trawler.

treenail: A wooden peg, pin, or dowel used to fasten pieces of wood together, such as the,, , etc.

trial trip: A (usually short) voyage for a new ship to test its capabilities and ensure that everything is functioning correctly. A new ship will usually have one or more trial trips before embarking on its.

triangular trade: A historical term for a pattern of trade among three or regions in which each port or region imports goods from one of the other two ports or regions in which there is no market for its exports, thus rectifying trade imbalances between the three ports or regions as well as allowing vessels to take the best advantage of prevailing winds and currents along the three trade routes. The best known example is the Atlantic triangular trade pattern of the late 16th through the early 19th centuries, in which vessels carried finished goods from northeastern North America or Europe to Africa, slaves from Africa to the Americas, and cash crops and raw materials from the Americas to either northeastern North America or Europe.

trice: To lift up something by means of a running through a block set above it, to get it out of the way. Most commonly used in tricing up the tack of a loose-footed gaff sai to reduce sail area and (sometimes) to give better visibility to the helmsman.

trick: A period of time spent at the wheel, e.g. "my trick's over".

trim: The relationship of a ship's to the. Adjustments made to to maximize their efficiency.

trimaran: A vessel with three.

trimmer: A person responsible for ensuring that a vessel remains "in trim" (that the cargo and fuel are evenly balanced). An important task on a coal-fired vessel, as it could get "out of trim" as coal is consumed.

tripod mast: A type of introduced aboard in the first decade of the 20th century, consisting of three large cylindrical tubes or columns supporting a raised platform for  and fire control equipment and later for radar antennas and receivers. In succeeding decades, tripod masts replaced the earlier pole masts and. Tripod masts persisted in some navies until the 1960s, when plated-in structures began to replace them, and in other navies until the early 2000s, when designs began to move away from any type of open mast.

tripping line: A buoyed line attached to the crown of an anchor to facilitate breaking it out.

troller: A fishing vessel rigged to fish by trolling.

trooping: Operating as a.

troopship: Any ship used to carry soldiers. Troopships are not specially designed for military operations and, unlike, cannot land troops directly onto a shore; instead they unload troops at a or onto smaller vessels for transportation to shore.

truck: A circular disc or rectangle of wood or a wooden ball- or bun-shaped cap near or at the top of a wooden mast, usually with holes or sheaves in it through which signal can be passed. Trucks are also used on wooden flagpoles to keep them from splitting. The main truck is located on the, the mizzen truck on the, and so on. A temporary or emergency place for a.

true bearing: An using.

true north: The direction of the geographical North Pole.

truncated counter: A counter that has been truncated to provide a kind of. It may have windows, serving a large stateroom. Popular on larger cruising yachts.

truss: The rope or iron used to keep the center of a to the.

trysail: A small, strong, set  (behind) the  or other mast of a sailing vessel in heavy weather.

tugboat: A boat that manoeuvers other vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs are powerful for their size and strongly built, and some are ocean-going.

tumblehome: A shape, when viewed in a transverse section, in which the widest part of the hull is someway below level.

tuna clipper: A fishing boat based on the United States West Coast and used for commercial tuna fishing. A typical tuna clipper is diesel-powered, has her forward and her bait tanks aft, and is outfitted with iron racks around her from which her crew uses heavy bamboo poles to fish for tuna.

turn: A rope passing behind or around an object such as a cleat, bollard or winch drum, usually with the purpose of controlling the rope. See also

turn to: A term meaning "get to work", often hand-signed by two fingers and a hand motion in turning fashion.

turnbuckle: See.

turret: Originally (in the mid-to-late 19th century), a rotating, enclosed, armored, cylindrical box with guns that fired through gunports. Turret-equipped ships contrasted sharply with those equipped with, which in the second half of the 19th century were open-topped armored rings over which rotating gun(s) mounted on a turntable could fire. Since the late 19th century, an enclosed, armored, rotating gunhouse mounted above a barbette, with the gun(s) and their rotating turntable mounted in the barbette protected by the gunhouse; in 20th- and 21st-century usage, this generally is any armored, rotating gun installation on a.

turtleback deck: A weather deck that has a distinct convex rounded over shape, similar to the back of a turtle. Used on ships of the whaleback type and on the forward weather deck of torpedo boats."

turtling: In dinghy sailing especially (but also in other boats), a boat is said to be "turtling" or to "turn turtle" when the boat is fully inverted with the pointing near vertically downwards, but may remain floating.

tweendeck: A on a general located between the  (or ) and the  space. A general cargo ship may have one or two tweendecks (or none at all).

tweendeck space: The space on a available for carrying cargo or other uses.

tweendecker: A general equipped with one or more.

two six heave: A command used to co-ordinate a group of people pulling on a rope. Originally a sailing navy term referring to the two members of a gun crew (numbers two and six) who ran out the gun by pulling on the ropes that secured it in place.

two blocks: When the two in a have become so close that no further movement is possible as in chock-a-block.

tye: A chain or rope used for hoisting or lowering a. A tye runs from the horizontal center of a given yard to a corresponding and from there down to a. Sometimes more specifically called a chain tye or a rope tye.

U
ullage: A measurement of the empty space in large tanks or holds for bulk solids. Used to determine quantity of material in tank for volume and stability calculations. Often used in place of for tanks which may carry more viscous or aggressive liquids; or if the tank is extremely deep.

unassisted sailing: Any sailing voyage, usually single-handed, with no intermediate stops or physical assistance from external sources.

under the weather: Serving a on the of the ship, exposed to wind and spray.

under keel clearance: The available depth of water below the keel.

under way: underway: (of a vessel) At sea; i.e. not at, made to the shore, or. This definition has legal importance in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

underwater hull: The underwater section of a vessel beneath the, normally not visible except when in or, historically, when.

underway replenishment: A method employed by navies to transfer fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while. Sometimes abbreviated as UNREP.

U.N.P.O.C.: An abbreviation for "Unable to navigate, probably on course"; a 19th-century term used in log books of vessels left without accurate navigational guidance due to poor visibility and/or proximity to the North Pole (where magnetic compasses are difficult or impossible to use). Dropped out of common usage in the 1950s with improvements in maritime navigational aids.

unreeve: To pull a rope from a or.

unship: To remove from a vessel. To remove an or from its normal position.

up-and-down: The description given to the position of the, usually used when the anchor is being raised and indicating that the chain has been hauled in tightly such that the vessel is floating directly above the anchor, which is just about to be broken out of the ground. Used more rarely to refer to a situation where the anchor chain is slack and hangs vertically down from the.

up-behind: An order to off quickly and run slack to a belaying point. This order is given when a line or wire has been stopped off or falls have been and the hauling part is to be belayed.

upbound: Traveling upstream, against the current. In the Great Lakes region, traveling westward (terminology used by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation).

uppers: The above the.

upper-yardmen: Specially selected personnel destined for high office.

V
V-hull: The shape of a boat or ship in which the sections of the bottom slope downward in a straight line to the.

vang: A leading from the to either side of the, used to prevent the gaff from sagging. One of a pair of ropes leading from the deck to the head of a. It steadies the and can be used to control the sail's performance during a. The vang fall blocks are mounted slightly the main horse while rolling vangs are extra  which lead forward to keep the sail to  in heavy weather. An abbreviation of or.

vanishing angle: The maximum degree of after which a vessel becomes unable to return to an upright position.

vedette: A small naval patrol boat used for scouting enemy forces.

veer away: To let go a gently.

vertical replenishment: A method of supply of seaborne vessels by helicopter. Abbreviated VERTREP.

very good: very well: An affirmative response given by a senior to the report of a junior, e.g. if the reports, "Rudder is amidship, sir," an officer might respond, "Very good" or "very well."

vessel: Any craft designed for transportation on water, such as a or.

vessel of opportunity: A vessel not normally used for a specific function, but available and suitable for temporary application, often requiring temporary fitting or loading of necessary equipment.

viol: A large rope used to unmoor or heave up the.

voice pipe: voice tube: See.

voyage: A long journey by. To go on such a journey.

voyl: See.

W
waft: Another name for a.

waist: The central of a ship between the and the.

waist clothes: Colored cloths or sheets hung around the outside of a ship's upper works, both fore and aft, and before the heads, used as an adornment during ceremonious occasions and as a visual screen during times of action in order to protect the men aboard.

wake: Turbulence in the water behind a moving vessel. Not to be confused with.

wale: A thicker, consisting of a wooden plank or group of planks, in the outer skin of the, running in a fore-and-aft direction, to provide extra stiffening in selected regions.

wardroom: The living quarters of a naval ship that are designated for the use of commissioned officers other than the captain. A collective term for the commissioned officers of a naval ship excluding her captain; e.g. "The captain rarely referred to his wardroom for advice, and this led to their discontent".

warm the bell: Royal Navy slang from the Age of Sail for doing something unnecessarily or unjustifiably early. Holding a half-hour used until the early 19th century to time watches under one's coat or in one's hand to warm it allegedly expanded the glass's neck to allow the sand to flow more quickly, justifying ringing the bell rung every half-hour to announce the passage of time on watch earlier than if the glass was cold, hence warming the bell and shortening the length of the watch.

warp: To move a vessel by hauling on a or cable that is fastened to an or, especially so as to move a sailing ship through a confined or restricted space such as in a harbour. A line or cable used in warping a ship. The length of the from the to the.

warship: Also combatant ship, a ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare, typically belonging to the armed forces of a state, usually a. Unlike a, which carries cargo or passengers, a warship carries only weapons, ammunition, and supplies for its crew. An auxiliary warship is a merchant ship taken into naval service and armed for use as a warship. The term battleship sometimes is used as a synonym for warship, but this is incorrect, as has a far narrower meaning and refers only to a specific type of warship.

wash: The waves created by a moving vessel. Not to be confused with.

washstrake: An additional fastened above the level of the of an open boat to increase the.

watch: A period of time during which a part of the is on duty. Changes of watch are marked by strokes on the.

watchstanding: The allocation of crew or staff to specific roles on a ship in order to operate it continuously. These assignments, known as, are divided into regularly scheduled work periods of several hours or longer to ensure that some portion of the crew is always occupying the roles at all times. Those members of the crew who are on watch at a given time are called watchkeepers.

water bus: A watercraft used to provide transportation on a scheduled service with multiple stops, usually in an urban environment, analogous to the way a bus operates on land. It differs from a, which is a similar watercraft that provides transport service to various locations on demand rather than on a predetermined schedule, analogous to the way a taxicab operates on land, although in North America these terms are often used interchangeably. A water bus also differs from a, which usually refers to a watercraft that shuttles between only two points.

water kite: See (definition 2).

water taxi: A watercraft used to provide transportation on demand to various locations, usually in an urban environment, analogous to the way a taxicab operates on land. It differs from a, which is a similar watercraft that provides transportation on a scheduled service with multiple stops rather than at the rider's will, analogous to the way a bus operates on land, although in North America these terms are often used interchangeably. A water taxi also differs from a, which usually refers to a watercraft that shuttles between only two points.

watercraft: Any vessel intended for transportation on water, e.g.,, personal watercraft, etc.

waterline: The line where the of a ship meets the water's surface.

watersail: A hung below the on  boats for extra downwind performance when racing.

watertender: See (definition 1).

waterway: Any navigable body of water. A of timber laid against the or   at the margin of a laid wooden, usually about twice the thickness of the deck planking.

way: Speed, progress, or momentum, or more technically, the point at which there is sufficient water flow past a vessel's for it to be able to steer the vessel (i.e. when the rudder begins to "bite", sometimes also called "steerage way".) To "make way" is to move; to "have way on" or "to have steerage way" is to have enough speed to control the vessel with its rudder; to "lose way" is to slow down or to not have enough speed to use the rudder effectively. "Way enough" is a 's command that the oarsmen stop rowing and allow the boat to proceed by its existing momentum.

way-landing: An intermediate stop along the route of a.

way-lay: The verb's origin, from wegelage, means "lying in wait, with evil or hostile intent". So to be waylaid refers to a ship that has been taken off its course, route, or by surprise, typically by unfortunate or nefarious means. In Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick, the great white whale waylaid the Pequod and sank it, with only a few souls surviving in lifeboats.

waypoint: A location defined by navigational coordinates, especially as part of a planned route.

ways: The timbers of stocks that slope into the water and along which a ship or large boat is. A ship undergoing construction in a shipyard is said to be on the ways, while a ship scrapped there is said to be broken up in the ways. Also known as a slipway.

wearing ship: away from the wind in a vessel. See also.

weather deck: A that is continually exposed to the weather – usually either the or, in larger vessels, the upper deck.

weather gage: Favorable position over another sailing vessel with respect to the wind.

weather helm: The tendency of a sailboat to turn to in a strong wind when there is no change in the 's position. This is the opposite of and is the result of a dynamically unbalanced condition. See also.

weather ship: A ship stationed in the ocean as a platform from which to record surface and upper-air meteorological observations for use in weather forecasting.

weather side: The side of a ship exposed to the wind, i.e. the side facing upwind or the direction from which the wind is blowing. Contrast.

weatherly: A ship that is easily sailed and maneuvered, or which makes little when sailing to.

weigh anchor: To heave up an preparatory to sailing.

well: A place in the ship's for pumps.

well-found: Properly set up or provisioned.

West Indiaman: A British term used in the 18th and 19th centuries for any merchant sailing ship making voyages between the Old World and the West Indies or the east coast of the Americas, in contrast to an, which made voyages to the East Indies or South Asia. The term most frequently was applied to British, Danish, Dutch, and French ships.

wet: (of a ship) Prone to taking water over her at sea. For example, a ship that tends to take water over her can be said to be "wet forward."

wetted area: In sailboating, the portion of the immersed in water (i.e. below the ).

whaleback: A type of cargo steamship of unusual design formerly used on the Great Lakes of North America, notably for carrying grain or ore. The hull continuously curved above the from vertical to horizontal, and when the ship was fully loaded, only the rounded portion of her hull (the "whaleback" proper) was visible above the waterline. With sides curved in towards the ends, whalebacks had a and a very convex upper deck. A type of high-speed first designed for the Royal Air Force during World War II, or certain smaller rescue and research vessels most common in Europe that, like the Great Lakes vessels, have hulls that curve over to meet the deck, although the "whaleback" designation comes not from the curve along the as in the Great Lakes vessels, but from the fore-and-aft arch in the deck. A sheltered portion of the forward deck on certain British fishing boats designed, in part, so that water taken over the is more easily shed over the sides. The feature has been incorporated into some pleasure craft – aboard which it is known as a whaleback deck – based on the hull design of older whaling boats.

whaleboat: A type of open boat that is relatively narrow and pointed at both ends, enabling it to move either forwards or backwards equally well. On modern warships, a relatively light and seaworthy boat used for transport of the ship's crew. A type of vessel designed as a or "monomoy" used for recreational and competitive rowing in the San Francisco Bay area and coastal Massachusetts. Informally, any of any size. Informally, any vessel engaged in whale watching.

whaler: Also whaling ship. A specialized vessel designed for catching or processing whales. A person engaged in the catching or processing of whales. In the Royal Navy, a Montagu whaler, a often used as a.

wharf: A structure on the shore of a harbor or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more (i.e. mooring locations), and may also include, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships. The term "wharf" is generally synonymous with, although the solid foundations of a quay contrast with the closely spaced piles of a wharf. When "quay" and "wharf" are used as synonyms, the term "quay" is more common in everyday speech in the United Kingdom, many Commonwealth countries, and Ireland, while "wharf" is more commonly used in the United States.

wharfage: A collective term for,, , and. A collective term for all wharfs in a given port, area, country, region, etc. A fee charged for the use of a wharf.

wheel: The usual steering device on larger vessels: a wheel with a horizontal axis, connected by cables to the.

wheelhouse: The location on a ship where the is located.

whelkie: A small sailing.

wherry: A type of boat traditionally used for carrying cargo or passengers on rivers and canals in England, particularly on the River Thames and the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads.

whiff: A chiefly British term for a narrow having  and designed for one oarsman.

whip: A small single, used to raise light loads from a hold.

whip upon whip: Connecting two together. This runs more smoothly than using a double block with single block tackle, which would have the equivalent purchase. Can be used for and.

whipping: The binding with twine of the loose end of a to prevent it unravelling.

whipstaff: A vertical lever connected to a, used for steering on larger ships before the development of the.

whiskers: Spreaders from the to spread the.

whiskerstay: One of the pair of that stabilize the, horizontally affixed to the forward end of the bowsprit and just aft the.

white horses: Foam or spray on wave tops caused by stronger winds (usually above Force 4).

White Ensign: A British flag flown as an by certain British ships. Prior to 1864, ships of the Royal Navy's White Squadron flew it; since the reorganisation of the Royal Navy in 1864, it has been flown by all Royal Navy ships and shore establishments, yachts of members of the Royal Yacht Squadron, and ships of Trinity House escorting the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.

wide berth: To leave room between two ships moored (berthed) in order to allow space for manoeuvring.

Williamson turn: A type of man overboard rescue turn. Other variations include the Anderson turn, the quick turn, and the Scharnow turn.

winch: A mechanical device for pulling on a rope (such as a or ), usually equipped with a to assist in control. It may be hand-operated or powered.

wind-over-tide: Sea conditions in which a tidal current and a wind are moving in opposite directions, leading to short, heavy seas.

windage: The wind resistance of a boat.

windbound: A condition wherein a ship is detained in one particular station by contrary winds.

winding tackle: A formed of two triple or a triple and a double, used to raise heavy loads such as guns and anchors.

windjammer: A large iron- or steel-hulled sailing ship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries with three, four, or five, built mainly between the 1870s and 1900 to carry cargo on long voyages.

windlass: A mechanism, usually with a horizontal axis, designed to move very heavy loads. Used where mechanical advantage greater than that obtainable by was needed (such as raising the  on small ships).

windsail: A wide tube or funnel of canvas used to convey a stream of air into the lower compartments of a ship for ventilation.

windward: In the direction that the wind is coming from. Contrast.

wing: An extension on the side of a vessel, e.g. a bridge wing is an extension of the to both sides, intended to allow bridge personnel a full view to aid in the manoeuvring of the ship.

wiper: The most junior rate among personnel who work in the engine room of a ship, responsible for cleaning the engine spaces and machinery and assisting the engineers as directed. A wiper is often serving an apprenticeship to become an.

working up: Training on a warship to achieve the best possible effectiveness, usually after commissioning or a refit.

worm, parcel and serve: USCGC Eagle cable preservation sample2.JPG

To apply a multilayered protection against chafing and deterioration to a section of by laying to fill in the  (worming), wrapping marline or other small  around it (serving), and stitching a covering of canvas over all (parcelling). It can be applied to the entire length of a line, such as a, or selectively to specific parts of a line, such as over the spliced ends of a, where the chafe on the middle section of the stay precludes complete protection.

wrecking tug: Another name for a.

X
xebec: 1. A Mediterranean sailing ship, usually employed for trading, that is propelled by a combination of and oars and characterized by a distinctive hull with a pronounced overhanging and ; early xebecs had two  and later ones had three. A small, fast of the 16th to 19th centuries similar in design to a trading xebec and used almost exclusively in the Mediterranean Sea. This kind of xebec was slightly smaller than a contemporary and mounted slightly fewer guns.

xebec-frigate: A European warship that appeared late in the history of the. It was fully but otherwise designed like an ordinary xebec.

XO: X.O.: An abbreviation of.

Y
yacht: Any boat or ship designed specifically for recreational use. The term includes sailing yachts, motor yachts, and steam yachts.

yard: A horizontal from which a square is suspended. The spar on which a or is set. A or.

yard name: The name initially given to a ship during its construction. The yard name may or may not be the same as the officially registered name, which is provided after completion of the vessel.

yard number: The number assigned to a ship built by a particular. Each shipyard typically numbers the ships that it has built in consecutive order. One use is to identify the ship before a name has been chosen.

yard tackle: used to raise boats.

yardarm: The very end of a. Often mistaken for the yard itself, which refers to the entire. As in to hang "from the yardarm" and the sun being "over the yardarm" (late enough to have a drink).

yar: (of a vessel, especially a sailing vessel) Quick, agile, and easy to steer,, and.

yarr: Acknowledgement of an order, or agreement. Also.

yaw: A vessel's rotational motion about the vertical axis, causing the fore and aft ends to swing from side to side repetitively.

yawl: A sailing vessel with two masts, main and mizzen, the mizzen stepped abaft the rudder post. An un-decked boat, often beach-launched, worked under both oar and sail, and generally. Used for fishing, serving ships in anchorages, salvage work, etc. Those from the northern parts of Britain tended to be double-ended.

yawl boat: A rowboat on davits at the stern of the boat.

yeoman: A U.S. Navy enlisted rating (YN) responsible for administrative duties.

Z
zebec: An alternative spelling of.

zulu: A type of Scottish sailboat introduced in 1879, used for fishing. A zulu is, with the vertical stem of a and the steeply raked stern of a ; two masts rigged with three sails (fore, mizzen, and jib); and a longer deck and shorter than previous Scottish fishing boats, allowing greater maneuverability. The term "zulu" came from the Zulu War, which the United Kingdom fought in 1879 at the time the zulu was introduced.