Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie Archive: Glossary: Nautical Terms

Nautical Terms

A select list of nautical and historical terms as applicable to late C18th and early C19th usage.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Aback: (of a sail) filled by the wind the wrong way, thereby propelling the ship astern rather than ahead.

Aft (or abaft): at, or towards, the stern or after part of a ship, the opposite of the bow.

Ahoy!: to hail from a boat or ship.

Aloft: above decks, in the rigging.

Astern: behind a ship, in the direction from which she is moving.

Athwart: across, at right angles to the ship's centreline.

B

Ballast: a weight (stones, gravel or metal) stowed low in a ship to improve her stability and maximise its sailing qualities.

Batten Down: to close or secure hatchways or other openings in the hull and deck to prevent water or air entering a ship.

Beakhead: the space .

Beam: the width of a ship.

Besiege: to cut off all access or egress from a town or fortress for the purpose of capturing it and of forcing its defenders to surrender; to lay siege to.

Beat (or beat up): (of a ship) to work to windward by successive tacks; to proceed obliquely tro windward with the wind first on one side and then on the other.

Beat to quarters: a drum beat relaying an order to all hands on a naval vessel to go to their battle stations.

Becalmed: to halt through lack of wind.

Berth: (1) a place for a ship to lie at anchor or alongside a quay; (2) a place for a man to sleep.

Bilge: the bottom of the ship's hold, where waste water generally collects.

Binnacle: the pedestal located just before the helm supporting the ship's compass.

Boatswain's Call: the silver pipe or whiste used by the boatswain to order the crew to and from their duties on deck.

Bombay Marine: the naval arm of the East India Company (HEIC). Originally referred to as the Grab Service.

Bow: the foremost end or part of a ship, the opposite of stern.

Bowlines: ropes attached to the vertical edge of a square sail, to help hold them forward when the ship is sailing close to the wind.

Bowsprit: a large mast or piece of timber which stands out from the bow of a ship.

Breakers: waves breaking over rocks or shoals, acting as a warning to ships.

Breakerwater: wall built (1) to break the force of the sea to form a harbour, or (2) to confine a river entrance to maximise scour effect and reduce sandbank formation in the entrance.

Bring-to: to manoeuvre a ship so that it is head to the wind. In this position a square-rigged ship is easy to control.

Broadside: the simultaneous firing of all guns on one side of a ship.

Bulkhead: a vertical partition between the decks of a ship; in the C18th they served largely to create cabins or compartments.

Bulwark: the timber 'wall' forming the side of the ship's hull above the weather deck.

Bunder: a quay or pier; Custom house; custom house pier.

Buntlines: ropes attached to the lower edge of a square sail and leading to the yard above, used to haul the sail up for furling.

Burthen: the older term used to express a ship's tonnage or carrying capacity. It was based on the number of tuns of wine that a ship could carry in her holds, the total number giving her burthen.

C

Cable: a measure of distance, 100 fathoms (200 yards); also, any large rope, usually 10 inches or more in circumference [compare: Hawser].

Cable's Length: a nautical measurement equalling 240 yards.

Capstan: a barrel mounted vertically on a spindle, around which the anchor and rigging cables were wound. Normally located in the centre of the main deck, and it was operated by men pushing capstan bars that fitted into pidgeon holes at the top.

Careening: the operation of heaving a ship over on one side to reveal the other side of her keel and permit it to be cleaned, repaired or caulked.

Cartel Ship: a vessel commissioned for the exchange or ransom of prisoners of war, or to carry proposals from one belligerent to the other, under a flag of truce. Cartels flew white flags as a sign of truce.

Chain Pumps: a common type of pump used on C18th vessels for clearing bilge water.

Caulking: the driving of a quantity of oakum (or strands of old rope) into the seams of the planks of the ship's decks or sides to prevent water seeping in.

Chase, to: to pursue a vessel in wartime with the aim of capturing, acquiring information from her, or destroying.

Chops: the area where a channel meets the sea or tides converge to create an irregular sea. The "Chops of the Channel" was the western entrance of the English Channel (when approaching from the Atlantic).

Close-hauled: steering as nearly towards the wind as possible.

Colours: the national flag of a vessel. False colours were often used by warships as a ruse de guerre prior to combat, but they were expected to substitute their proper colours before opening fire. Merchant ships, however, were not expected to show false colours.

Compasant: see St. Elmo's Fire.

Convoy: a ship or group of ships under naval protection.

Coppering: the sheathing or casing of a ship's keel with copper sheets. The practice was adopted to prevent ship's timbers being bored by the marine worm toredo navalis, and to reduce the rate of accummulation of weeds and mollusca on the hull.

Cordage: rope or rigging.

Corsair: see Privateer.

Cot: an officer's bed, made from canvas stretched over a wooden frame.

Cross Sea: a sea running contrary to the wind and making a confused and irregular wave pattern.

Crowd Sail, to: to carry the maximum, or exceed the maximum, sail for prevailing weather conditions.

Cruise (also Cruize): term generally applied to patrol or surveillance duty by a ship or ships. There was a strong underlying assumption that a ship 'on a cruise' would have the opportunity to capture prizes, whilst one on convoy duty would not.

Cut the Mast: under severe weather conditions, or when a ship heeled over, it was sometimes necessary to 'cut' the upper masts and let them go over the side. The prcocess normally involved cutting or disengaging the sahrouds and stays that held the upper masts in place rather than the masts themselves.

D

Davits: wooden or metal arms used to hoist and secure the small boats of a ship.

Dead Reckoning: an estimate of the ship's position without the use of any astronomical observation, by calculating course, speed, and drift from a known point of departure.

Deckhead: the underside of the deck above.

Draught: the depth of water required to float a ship.

Dry Dock: a dock with gates, capable of being drained of water to expose the underwater hulls of ships and permit inspection and repairs. (cf. wet dock).

E

Ensign: a flag indicating the nationality of a ship; usually hoisted on an ensign staff erected over the stern of a ship.

F

Fair wind: a wind favourable to the direction a ship is sailing.

Fathom: a measure of six feet, used to divide the lead (or sounding) lines in measuring the depth of water; and to calculate in the length of cables, rigging, etc.

Fish: to repair a broken mast or yard by lashing several lighter spars like splints on either side of the break.

Fore: the forward part.

Forecastle: the raised deck at the bow of a the ship and the living quarters below it which were inhabitated by the seamen, not the officers.

Foremast: the mast immediately forward of the mainmast; generally speaking, the mast nearest the bow.

Foresail: the lowest square-rigged sail on the foremast of a square-rigged vessel.

Founder: to sink.

G

Gasket: a rope or strip of canvas used to secure a furled sail to the yard or boom.

Go About, to: to put a ship onto the other tack, either by tacking or wearing.

Gratings: open hatch covers with latticelike openings to permit light and air to circulate below deck. In stormy weather they would be covered with tarpaulin.

Graving: the cleaning of a ship's bottom when she is deliberately laid aground for the recess of the tide.

Grog: a mixture of one part rum to three parts water, the standard daily drink of seamen in the late C18th and early C19th. Crewmen in the British Navy were issued with a half-pint of rum per day.

Gunport: a rectangular opening in the side of a ship through which a gun barrel could be trained or fired. Gunports were arranged in rows along the ship's decks with hinged gunport lids to keep out the sea water.

Gunroom: an apartment on the after-end of the ship, occupied by the gunner on a large ship and by the lieutenants as a dining room on a frigate.

Gunwale: the upper edge of a boat's side.

H

Hail, to: to call to another ship.

Halyard: a line used to haul heavy objects aloft; used for raising the and lowering the yards to which the square rails were set.

Hatchway: rectangular or square opening between decks. Smaller openings between decks, primarily for ventilation, were called scuttles.

Haul, to: to pull on a rope.

Hawser: heavy cable (usually 5 inches or more in circumference) used to secure an anchor or to secure the ship to a wharf.

Heads: open toilet accommodation for the crew in the bow of the ship, just aft of the figurehead.

Heavy Sea: a rough sea with high waves.

Helm: the instrument by which the ship is steered, and includes both the wheel and the tiller, as one general term.

Hove-to: a condition where a sailing ship is held stationary, with head close to the wind, by adjustment of the sails. See also: Bring-to.

Husband: an agent appointed by owners to attend to the business of a ship while in port, especially to her stores, equipment and repairs.

I

Inboard: into the ship.

Inshore: near, towards the shore.

J

Jack: a sailor ('Jack Tar').

Jib: a triangular sail set by sailing ships on the boom which runs out from the bowsprit.

Jury-mast: a temporary makeshift mast erected to replace a mast that has been disabled or carried away.

Jury-rigged: having one or more spars, sails, or pieces of rigging replaced with temporary substitutes, due to storm damage or battle.

Jury-rudder: a makeshift arrangement to give a ship the ability to to steer when she has lost her rudder.

K

Kedge: the smallest of the anchors, used as an auxiliary to keep the ship clear of its bower anchor with a change of tide or wind, or used to pull a ship out of a harbour or up a river.

Keel: the lowest and principal timber of a wooden ship - the single strongest member of the ship's frame; lying centrally along the length of the bottom of the ship, forming a spine upon which other parts of the frame are erected.

Kintledge: pig-iron used as permanent ballast, usually laid upon the keelson-plates, forming the internal keel.

Knot: the nautical measure of speed, one knot being a speed of one nautical mile (6,080 feet) per hour. As a measure of speed the term is always knots, and never knots an hour.

L

Landfall: the discovery of the land.

Land-locked: sheltered all round by the land, so that there is no view of the sea.

Larboard: relating to the port or left-hand side of the ship.

Lead: a weighted line; an instrument for discovering the depth of water, attached to a lead-line, which is marked at certain distances to measure the fathoms.

League: three (3) nautical miles.

Lee: the side of a ship, promontory, or other object away from the wind; that side sheltered from the wind. It is the opposite side to windward.

Lee shore: a coastline on to which the wind blows directly – consequently it can be dangerous as the wind tends to force the sailing ship down on it.

Leeward: with the wind; towards the point to which the wind blows.

Let Go, to: to cast off, to free, to drop anchor.

Letter of Marque: a commission issued in Britain by the Lord High Admiral or Commissioners of the Admiralty authorizing the commander of a privately owned ship to cruise in search of enemy merchant vessels. The letter of marque described the ship, her owners and officers, the amount of surety which had been deposited and stressed the necessity of having all prize vessels or goods seized condemned and valued at a Vice Admiralty Court for the payment of 'prize money'.

Lie-to: to prevent a vessel from making progress through the water – achieved by reducing sail in a gale. The objective is to keep the vessel in such a position, with the wind on the bow, as to ensure that heavy seas do not break aboard.

The Line (or Crossing the Line): Sailing across the Equator. Nautical tradition where seamen celebrate the crossing of the equator by dressing up and acting out a visit by King Neptune. Those who have not previously crossed the line are summoned to the court of Neptune for trial, followed by a ritual ducking (in a bathing tub of seawater) and sometimes lathered and roughly shaved.

Logbook: the daily record of a ship's voyage, containing all material information during the 24 hours from noon to noon.

Loose, to: to hoist or let drop sail, to make sail.

Lower Mast: the mast of a large vessel was too large to be made from one tree; in the C18th-C19th each mast was composed of three separate sections: the lower mast, the topmast, and the topgallant mast.

Luff: to turn into the wind.

M

Mainsail: the largest single sail on the ship, usually the lowest sail on the mainmast.

Mainmast: the tallest of a vessel's masts. A ship of the line, frigate or sloop of war had three masts: fore, main, and mizzen (in line from the bow).

Make Sail, to: to hoist, spread sail.

Mizzenmast (or mizen): the mast located immediately abaft of the mainmast of a square-rigged sailing ship or three-masted schooner; the aftermost of the usual three masts.

Mizzen Rigging: the rigging supporting the mast nearest the stern.

Mole: a breakwater or barrier protecting a harbour from ther force of the sea.

Muffled Oars: placing cloth or some other substance around the locks of the oars and the gunnels to enable a boat to move silently through the water.

Muster: to assemble the crew of a ship on deck and call through the list of names to establish who is present and accounted for.

Muster-book: the book kept on board a vessel in which was entered the names of all men serving in the ship, with the dates of their entry and final discharge from the crew. It was the basis on which victuals were issued and payment made for services performed on board.

N

Neap Tide: one of the tides of least range or variation (twice a month). Occurs during the first and third quarters of the moon - tides rise lowest and fall highest.

O

Oakum: the fibres of old ropes which have been untwisted and drawn apart; used for caulking deck seams and repairing leaks in the hull.

Onshore: towards or on the shore.

Ordnance: heavy guns.

Orlop Deck: the lowest deck in a ship, lying on or below the waterline.

P

Pendant (or pennant): a narrow flag or streamer, distinguishing a warship from a merchantman.

Pig: an ingot of iron or other metal (sometimes used as ballast).

Pintle: a vertical metal pin attached to the leading edge of the rudder; it is fitted into the metal ring or 'gudgeon' bolted to the sternpost of a vessel. This provides the means for hinging the rudder on the sternpost and allows a rudder to be swung or turned as desired (by use of the tiller); where necessary (ie. when the rudder needs to be removed or repaired) the pintles can be unshipped quickly and the rudder detached.

Poop: the highest and aftermost deck of a ship.

Port: the left-hand side of a vessel as seen from the stern; also a harbour or haven.

Ports: the square holes cut in the sides of ships through which the guns were fired.

Powder: gunpowder.

Privateer: a privately owned vessel armed with guns which operated in time of war against the trading vessels of an enemy nation. Each privateer was given a 'letter of marque' which was regarded as a commission to seize any enemy shipping as a 'prize'. The name 'privateer' has come to refer to both the ship and the men who sailed in her.

Prize: name used to describe an enemy vessel captured at sea by a ship of war or a privateer; also used to describe a contraband cargo taken from a merchant ship. A 'prize court' would then determine the validity of capture of ships and goods and authorize their disposal. 'Prize' in British naval history always acted as considerable incentive to recruitment with many men tempted to join the navy in anticipation of quick riches.

Prize Court: captured ships were to be brought before prize courts where it was decided whether the vessel was legal prize; if so, the whole value was divided among the owners and the crew of the ship.

Prize Money: the net proceeds of the sale of enemy shipping and property captured at sea – these proceeds were distributed to the captors on a sliding scale from highest rank to lowest seaman.

Q

Quadrant: a navigational instrument capable of taking sights or angles up to 90°. Used to ascertain the position of a fixed star, the sun, or planets to determine latitude of a ship relative to the equator.

Quarter: (1) the direction from which the wind was blowing, particularly if it looked like remaining there for some time; (2) the two after parts of the ship – strictly speaking a ship's port or starbord quarter was a bearing 45° from the stern.

Quarterdeck: the portion of the upper deck of the ship behind the mainmast; usually raised above the level of the main deck, but below the level of the poop deck. The quarterdeck was largely the preserve of the captain and the commissioned officers. It was from here that the captain commanded and the warrant officers received their orders. Sailors only went on the quartwerdeck to fulfil a specific duty.

R

Race: a channel through which the tide floods or ebbs at speed (also tide race.

Ratline: the horizontal ropes forming steps in the shouds.

Reckoning: a calculation of the ship's position (see also: dead reckoning.

Reef: (1) a line of submerged rocks; (2) a tuck taken in a sail to reduce its area.

Reef, to: to shorten sail by bundling part of the sail against a yard or boom.

Rigging: the ropes supporting and controlling the masts and spars of a ship.

Road (or Roadstead): an open anchorage; a stretch of sheltered water near land where ships may ride at anchor in all but very heavy weather; often rendered as 'roads', and does not refer to the streets of a particular port city but rather its anchorage, as in 'St Helens Roads', the designated anchorage for shipping located between St. Helens (Isle of Wight) and Portsmouth, or 'Funchal Roads' at the island of Madeira. (see: Elizabeth Macquarie's 1809 Journal).

Round-house: a name given in East Indiamen and other large merchant vessels to a square or rectangular cabin built in the after part of the quarter-deck. The roof of the Round-house formed the base of the Poop-deck.

Royal: a square sail set above the topgallant.

Run, to: to sail downwind, in the direction towards which the wind is blowing.

S

Sail: (1) a piece of cloth (or heavy canvas) spread aloft by masts and rigging to catch the wind and propel a ship; (2) a number of ships.

Sail, to: (of any ship) to move, to proceed.

St. Elmo's Fire [also Compasant: a ball of lightning occasionally seen on the decks and masts of ships during periods of dramatic atmospheric change.

Scuppers: lead-lined channels cut through the bulwarks to allow water to run off the deck.

Scuttle: the sea term for 'portholes'.

Sextant: a navigational instrument capable of taking sights or angles up to 120°.

Sheer (or sheer up): to alter course sharply.

Sheet Anchor: one of two spare anchors carried in case the bower anchors failed or were lost.

Ship: from the Old English scip, the generic name for sea-going vessels (as opposed to boats). Originally ships were personified as masculine but by the sixteenth century almost universally expressed as feminine.

Shoal: a bank or reef, an area of shallow water dangerous to navigation.

Shot: a non-explosive projectile fired from a great gun.

Shorten Sail, to: to reduce, take in sail.

Shrouds: heavy ropes extending from the tops of the masts to the sides of the ships; they supported the masts and provided the strength to carry the sails.

Sight: a navigational observation of some heavenly body.

Slip, to: to cast off a rope, especially to cast off the cable, in order to sail without waiting to weigh anchor.

Slops: clothing supplied from naval sources and sold to seamen by the purser of the ship.

Snug Sail: a vessel well prepared in its rigging and sails to weather a storm.

Sounding: the of operation of determining the depth of the sea, and the quality of the ground, by means of a lead and line, sunk from the ship to the bottom, where some of the sediment or sand adheres to the tallow in the hollow base of the lead.

Sound: (1) to try the depth of the water; (2) a deep bay. Sounding: ascertaining the depth of the sea by means of a lead and line, sunk from a ship to the bottom.

Soundings: those parts of the ocean not far from the shore where the depth is about 80 to 100 fathoms.

Spar: a general term for any wooden support used in the rigging of a ship – includes all masts, yards, booms, gaffs etc.

Speaking Trumpet: a megaphone.

Splice: to permanently join two ropes by unlayering and relayering the strands at the ends.

Spring Tide: one of the tides of greatest range (twice a month). Occurs during the second and fourth quarters of the moon - tides rise highest and fall lowest.

Squall: a sudden gust of wind of considerable strength.

Square Rig: a system of rigging in which rectangular sails are suspended from horizontal yards; viewed from above, when the ship is running before the wind, the yards are perpendicular (or square) to the ship's centreline.

Starboard: the right-hand side of a vessel as seen from the stern.

Staysail: a triangular sail, running fore and aft, that is attached to a stay.

Steerage: the open area below the quarterdeck and in front of the great cabin. It was only an entry way to the great cabin on a man-of-war, but on merchant vessels was used to house the crewmen and 'steerage passengers'.

Stem: the heavy circular wooden timber at the bow of a ship, which runs from the bowsprit to the keel, and into which the planking of both sides sides of the ship are secured.

Stern: after-part of a ship or boat.

Stern Sheets: the aft section of a boat, between the last of the seats for rowers and the stern, where the helmsman and commanding officer are usually positioned.

Stern-post: a long straight piece of timber erected on the end of the keel to form the rear end of a ship and to support the rudder.

Stow: to put away.

Stowage: a ship's capacity to stow stores.

Strike: (1)to signify surrender by lowering the national flag (i.e. to 'strike the colours'; to lower a mast, spar, sail etc; (3) to run aground.

Supracargo [also Supercargo]: officer on board a merchant ship with responsibility to superintend the cargo and the commercial transactions of the voyage. Also, formerly, an agent who superintended the business of a merchant in a foreign country.

Sweep: a large oar.

T

Tack: the nautical manouevre of bringing a sailing vessel on to another bearing by bringing the wind round the bow; during this manouevre the vessel is said to be 'coming about'.

Tackle: the combination of ropes and blocks making up pulleys, used to rig a ship.

Tarpaulin: a waterproof canvas cloth used for hatch-covers, coats etc.

Tender: a generic term for any vessel assigned the job of supplying or otherwise supporting another.

Tide of Flood: the flow of the tidal stream as it rises from the ending of the period of slack water at low tide to the start of the period of slack water at high tide; its period is approximately six hours.

Tiller: a bar inserted in the head of a rudder by which a ship is steered.

Topgallant: in the C18th the third and tallest sail on a square-rigged mast. The topgallant was suspended from the topgallant yard, which was secured to the topgallant mast.

Tops: broad, flat D-shaped platforms situated where masts were joined: maintops, foretops and mizzentops. Used by seamen working in the rigging or as positions for sharpshooters during battle.

Topsail: the sail above the lower sail (or course) on a square-rigged mast. The topsail was suspended from the topsail yard, which was secured to the topmast.

Tree Nails: long cyclindrical pins of oak (approx. 1 inch to 1.5 inches in diameter and from 1 foot to 3.5 feet in length) used to fasten the inner and outer planks of a ship to the frame timbers.

Trim: to adjust the the set of the sails, or the angle at which the ship floats.

Trade Winds: steady regular winds that blow in a belt approximately 30 ° N. and 30 ° S of the equator. In the North Atlantic the trades blow consistently all year round, from the north-east; in the South Atlantic they blow from the south-east, converging just north of the equator. The meeting of the trade winds just north of the equator created the infamous 'doldrums', where sailing ships could be becalmed for days or weeks waiting for a wind to carry them back into the trades.They were known as trade winds because of their regularity, thereby assisting sailing vessels in reaching their markets to carry out trade.

Trusses: reinforcing timbers used to strengthen the frames of old ships.

U

Under way (also under weigh): the description of a ship as soon as she begins to move under canvas power after her anchor has been raised from the bottom.

V

Van: the leading squadron or division of ships; the leading one of three divisions of a fleet.

Veer: (1) to alter course sharply; (2) (of wind) to change in a clockwise direction; (a cable) to let a cable out in a controlled manner.

Ventilator: hand-operated devices or fans (combined with the opening and closing of various passageways) to ensure that foul air in the hold, storerooms, and living quarters could be replaced with clean air.

Victual: to supply foodstuffs.

Voyage: a journey by sea. It usually includes the outward and homeward trips, which are called passages.

W

Waist: the deck in the centre of the ship, between the quarterdeck and forecastle.

Wake: the track of the ship's passage through the water astern.

Wardroom: a space in which the commissioned officers, and some warrant officers, berthed and messed.

Warp: to move a vessel by hauling on a line that is fastened to or around a piling, anchor, or pier.

Watch: (1) one of the seven divisions of the nautical day; (2) one of two divisions of the seamen forming the ship's company.

Wear [also ware]: the nautical manouevre of bringing a sailing vessel on to another tack by bringing the wind around the stern.

Weather: in a nautical sense (rather than a meteorological) this is the phrase used by seamen to describe anything that lies to windward. Consequently, a coastline that lies to windward of a ship is a weather shore; the side of a ship that faces the wind when it is under way is said to be the weather side of a ship, etc.

Weigh: to haul up.

Weigh anchor: the raising of the anchor so that the ship is no longer secured to the sea or river bottom.

Westing: the distance run or made good to the westward.

Wet Dock: a basin impounding the water so that ships may lie afloat at all states of the tide (cf. dry dock).

Windward: the weather side, or the direction from which the wind is blowing. It is the opposite side to leeward.