Sydney Heritage Fleet
Wharf 7, Pirrama Road
PYRMONT NSW 2009
Australia
Phone: 02 9298 3888
Int: 61 2 9298 3888
Fax: 02 9298 3839
Int: 61 2 9298 3839

info@shf.org.au

Glossary of General Ship Terms

Some terms can be clicked on for more information

Term	Description
Anchors	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
Bulwark	The plating (or woodwork or planking) above the upper deck to prevent water washing over the gunwales* and to prevent persons being washed overboard
Capstan	A cylindrical barrel fitted in larger vessels on the focs'le deck and used for heavy lifting work, particularly when working anchors* and cables*
Cathead	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
Chain Wales, Channels, or chains	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
Coach	See round house*
Contline	The spiral grooves between the strands of a rope*
Crans Iron	Iron bands surrounding bowsprit and jibboom to hold the two together
Cross trees	see Top*
Drumhead	The top part of the barrel of a capstan in which are the square pigeonholes into which fit the capstan bars
Forecastle Pron. Fo'c'sle.	The space beneath the short raised deck forward also known as the t'gallant foc'sle
Garboard Strake	The strake* nearest the keel
General information on sailing/Steam vessels	Suez Canal - Opened 1869 Panama Canal - Opened 1914 First steam driven paddlewheel 1788 (between twin hulls)
Gunwale (Pron Gunnel)	A piece of timber going around the upper sheer strake to bind the topwork
Gypsy	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
Hawse	Strictly that part of the bow where the hawseholes* and hawsepipes* are situated through which the anchor cables pass
Hawsehole	The hole in the focs'le deck through which the anchor cable passes
Hawsepipe	The inclined pipe or tube which leads from the hawsehole*, on the deck, close to the bows, to the outside of the vessel
Hounds	See "Cheeks"*
Iron Ships	First Iron ship was Aaron Manby which, in 1820 steamed from London to Paris
Knighthead	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
Lignum vitae	The hard, smooth, wood of the guaiacum tree grown in the West Indies
Paddle Wheel	First steam driven paddlewheel 1788 (between twin hulls)
Pawl	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
Point (to)	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
Poop	The name given to the short aftermost deck raised above the quarterdeck
Quarterdeck	That part of the upper deck which is abaft the mainmast
Rubbing Strake	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
Scope	The amount of cable run out when a ship lies to a single anchor
Screw Propeller	First screw propeller first tried out in 1838 in 237ton steamship Archimedes
Sheer Strake	The top strake* or plank next below the gunwale*
Steam	First Steamship was Charlotte Dundas on Forth and Clyde Canal in 1802
Steeve	The angle of the bowsprit* in relation to the horizontal
Stem	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
Stringer	The modern name for the older "shelf pieces" which were the for and aft members of the structure of the ship's hull
Sweating up	The means of getting the last bit of hoist in relation to halyards
Throat Halyard	The halyard(s) used to hoist the throat* of a sail or the jaws of a gaff
Top	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
Topsides	That part of a ship which is above the main wales*
Trestle trees	see Top*
Veer (to)	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
Waist	That part of the upper deck between the focs'le and the quarter deck
Wale	An extra thickness of wood bolted to the sides of a ship to add protection
Warp	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
Warp (to)	The operation of moving a ship, by means of warps, from one position to another
Wear	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)
Weigh	To raise the anchor
Whelps	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"
Windlass	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

Editor: Peter Kemp
Title: The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea
First Published 1976.

"by permission of Oxford University Press"

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Last modified on Tuesday, 10-Aug-2010 19:51:50 EST

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Sydney Heritage Fleet is a museum that preserves maritime history. The Fleet's 600 volunteers work not only on restoration, but crew the unique operational heritage vessels. On offer are Sydney Harbour Tall Ship day sails, charters on Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour Secret Tours, Fish 'n' Ship Tours, scout sleepovers, Private and Corporate Events, Charters, cruises and Weddings aboard Tall Ship James Craig (1874), Lady Hopetoun (1902), Waratah (1902), Boomerang (1903), Protex (1908) and Harman (1947). Our current major restoration project is the steamer John Oxley (1927).
Sydney Heritage Fleet is the trading name of Sydney Maritime Museum Ltd. ABN 70 000 519 246. Registered office: Wharf 7, Pirrama Rd., Pyrmont, NSW 2009, Australia. Email info@shf.org.au. Phone (02) 9298 3888.