Descriptionary

powder room compartment where gunpowder was kept in bulk on a man-of-war.

ram bow on a man-of-war, a bow equipped with an iron or bronze projection used for ramming enemy vessels.

reefer a pea jacket worn by midshipmen. roundhouse a deckhouse aft of the main mast.

sailroom a compartment where sails were stored.

saloon on a merchant ship, the officers' mess. Also, a main passenger accommodation.

salt horse salt beef, a staple of seamen.

scrollhead ornamental scroll work at the stem of a ship instead of a figurehead.

scuppers channels cut through the sides of a ship to drain off deck water.

scuttle any small hatchway, usually fitted with a lid.

shanghai to kidnap a sailor from one vessel to enlist him to duty on another vessel, a practice in American ports in the 19 th century.

shanty song sung by crew to keep work in unison, especially when heaving ropes.

sick bay a medical compartment for persons with injuries or illnesses.

slop room compartment for storing extra clothes for crew.

slops extra clothes kept on board for new sailors too poor to have their own changes of clothes.

steerage accommodations forward of the main cabin.

tabernacle the three-sided square casing in which a mast is stepped and clamped.

ward-robe a fortified room where valuables taken from enemy vessels were stored.

whaleback slang for a vessel whose deck has a steep arching from middle to sides to drain off water.

Ships and Boats

(Also see submarines in military: navy and marines)

abeam at right angles to the keel. aft at, near, or toward the rear of the ship. air port porthole, for light and ventilation. aloft in the upper rigging above decks. amidships at or near the middle of a ship.

anchor, bower the main or largest anchor on a ship, carried in the bow.

anchor, kedge small anchor used for kedging or warping, freeing a vessel from shoals.

anchor, sea conical cloth bag dragged behind a ves­sel to reduce drift; also known as a drogue.

anchor, stream anchor about one-third the weight of a bower, used when mooring in narrow channels or in a harbor to prevent the vessel's stern from swinging.

argosy large merchant ship, or any fleet of mer­chant ships.

astern in the rear of a vessel.

auxiliaries collective term for the various motors, winches, pumps, and similar equipment on a vessel.

ballast any portable or fixed weight carried to make a vessel more stable or seaworthy. Types of ballast include sand, concrete, lead, scrap, pig iron, and sea- water.

ballast tanks water tanks that are filled or emptied to aid in a vessel's stability; also used in subs for sub­merging.

batten strip of wood or steel used in securing tar­paulins.

beam the extreme width of a vessel.

berth bed, bunk, or sleeping compartment. Also, any place where a ship is moored.

bilges the rounded portions of a ship's bottom or shell.

bilge pump pump that removes water from the bilges.

binnacle a stand that houses a compass for easy viewing.

block a pulley or system of pulleys. boiler steam generator.

booby hatch access hatch on the weather deck with a hood and sliding cover to keep water out.

bollard iron or wooden fixture on a vessel or dock to which mooring lines are attached.

boss the curved or swollen portion of the ship's underwater hull around the propellor shaft.

bosun boatswain—petty officer in charge of rigging, sail maintenance, anchors, and deck operations.

bosun's chair a seat for hoisting a person aloft for repairs.

bow front of a ship. Also known as a prow.

bowsprit spar that projects over the bow, used to hold the lower ends of head sails, or used for observation.

bridge an observation platform, often forming the top of a bridge house or pilot house, giving a clear view of the weather deck.

bulkhead any one of the partition walls that divide the interior of a ship into compartments or rooms.

cabin the living quarters for officers and passengers.

cabin boy one who waits on the passengers and officers of a ship.

cabin class ship accommodations above tourist class but below first class.

capstan drum- or barrel-shaped apparatus operated by hand or by motor for hauling in heavy anchor chains.

cargo hatch the large opening in the deck to permit loading of cargo below.

cargo net net used to haul cargo aboard.

cargo port an opening with a watertight door in the side of a ship to allow the loading and unloading of cargo.

chafing gear rubber hoses, sheaths, and other mate­rials used to protect ropes from wearing where they rub on sharp edges.

chart house small room adjacent to the bridge for charts and navigating instruments.