| Term
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Description
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Anchors
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Bower
Anchors - The 2 largest anchors on a ship carried permanently
attached to their cables, one on either bow, with their cables*
running through the hawseholes* so that the anchors are always ready
for letting go in an emergency
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Bulwark
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The plating (or woodwork or planking) above the
upper deck to prevent water washing over the gunwales* and to prevent
persons being washed overboard
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Capstan
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A cylindrical barrel fitted in larger vessels on
the focs'le deck and used for heavy lifting work, particularly when
working anchors* and cables*
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Cathead
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A heavy piece of curved timber projecting from each
bow of the ship for the purpose of holding anchors fitted with a
stock in position for letting go or for securing them on their beds
after weighing
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Chain Wales, Channels, or chains
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Broad, thick planks, bolted edgeways against the
ship's sides, abreast and abaft the masts, used to extend the shrouds
from each other and from the heads of the masts
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Coach
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See round house*
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Contline
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The spiral grooves between the strands of a rope*
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Crans Iron
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Iron bands surrounding bowsprit and jibboom to hold
the two together
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Cross trees
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see Top*
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Drumhead
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The top part of the barrel of a capstan in which
are the square pigeonholes into which fit the capstan bars
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Forecastle Pron. Fo'c'sle.
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The space beneath the short raised deck forward
also known as the t'gallant foc'sle
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Garboard Strake
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The strake* nearest the keel
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General information on sailing/Steam vessels
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Suez Canal - Opened 1869
Panama Canal - Opened 1914
First steam driven paddlewheel 1788 (between twin hulls)
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Gunwale (Pron Gunnel)
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A piece of timber going around the upper sheer strake to bind the topwork
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Gypsy
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An attachment to a ship's windlass* shaped to take
the links of a chain cable* for anchor work where no capstan* or
cable holders* are fitted
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Hawse
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Strictly that part of the bow where the hawseholes*
and hawsepipes* are situated through which the anchor cables pass
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Hawsehole
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The hole in the focs'le deck through which the anchor cable passes
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Hawsepipe
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The inclined pipe or tube which leads from the hawsehole*,
on the deck, close to the bows, to the outside of the vessel
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Hounds
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See "Cheeks"*
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Iron Ships
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First Iron ship was Aaron Manby which, in 1820 steamed
from London to Paris
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Knighthead
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The name given to two large timbers, one each side
of the stem, which rose above the deck and supported the heel of
the bowsprit* between them
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Lignum vitae
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The hard, smooth, wood of the guaiacum tree grown
in the West Indies
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Paddle Wheel
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First steam driven paddlewheel 1788 (between twin
hulls)
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Pawl
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A series of metal dogs hinged at one end at the
bottom of the barrel of a capstan which drop into scores on a pawl-ring
round the capstan at deck level to prevent it from taking charge
and overrunning when weighing an anchor or lifting a heavy load
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Point (to)
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The operation of tapering the end of a rope to prevent
it becoming fagged out and also to make it more handy for reeving
through a block
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Poop
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The name given to the short aftermost deck raised
above the quarterdeck
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Quarterdeck
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That part of the upper deck which is abaft the mainmast
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Rubbing Strake
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A piece of half rounded timber running the length
of a vessel on either side just below the gunwale to act as a permanent
fender
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Scope
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The amount of cable run out when a ship lies to
a single anchor
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Screw Propeller
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First screw propeller first tried out in 1838 in
237ton steamship Archimedes
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Sheer Strake
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The top strake* or plank next below the gunwale*
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Steam
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First Steamship was Charlotte Dundas on Forth and
Clyde Canal in 1802
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Steeve
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The angle of the bowsprit* in relation to the horizontal
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Stem
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The foremost timber or steel member forming the
bow of the vessel joined at the bottom to the keel either by scarfing
(wood) or riveting (steel) Strake The name given to each line of
plating (or planking) which runs the length of the ship's hull
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Stringer
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The modern name for the older "shelf pieces" which were the for and aft members of the structure of the ship's
hull
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Sweating up
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The means of getting the last bit of hoist in relation
to halyards
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Throat Halyard
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The halyard(s) used to hoist the throat* of a sail
or the jaws of a gaff
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Top
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A platform at the masthead of a square rigged ship
which rests on the trestle trees* (which run fore & aft) &
cross trees* (athwart ship) and whose main purpose is to extend
out the angle of the topmast shrouds to give additional support
to the topmast
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Topsides
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That part of a ship which is above the main wales*
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Trestle trees
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see Top*
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Veer (to)
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The operation of paying out a rope or cable on a
ship - most usually applied to anchor cable* as there are many occasions
when veering is necessary eg mooring and unmooring - one of the
2 cables being veered while the other is shortened
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Waist
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That part of the upper deck between the focs'le
and the quarter deck
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Wale
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An extra thickness of wood bolted to the sides of
a ship to add protection
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Warp
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The light hawser* used in the movement of a ship
from one place to another by means of a kedge anchor, a capstan,
or of men hauling on it
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Warp (to)
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The operation of moving a ship, by means of warps,
from one position to another
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Wear
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The operation of bringing a square rigged sailing
vessel onto the other tack by bringing the wind around the stern
(as opposed to tacking when the wind is brought around the bow)
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Weigh
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To raise the anchor
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Whelps
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The raised bars on the barrel of a capstan* or winch
to provide extra bite for a rope. They project for about 1" to 1.5"
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Windlass
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Originally a small capstan-like* fitting but on
a horizontal shaft in the fore part of the ship by which she rode
to her anchor
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