From Richard Henry Dana's "The Seaman's Friend: A Treatise on Practical Seamanship" (1879)
TAIL-TACKLE. A watch-tackle.
TAIL ON or TALLY ON. An order given to take hold of a rope and pull.
TANK An iron vessel placed in the hold to contain the vessel's water.
TAR. A liquid gum, taken from pine and fir trees, and used for caulking, and to put upon yarns in rope-making, and upon standing rigging, to protect it from the weather.
TARPAULIN. A piece of canvass, covered with tar, used for covering hatches, boats, &c. Also, the name commonly given tor a sailor's hat when made of tarred or painted cloth.
TAUT. Tight.
TAUNT. High or tall. Commonly applied to a vessel's masts. All-a-taunt-o. Said of a vessel when she has all her light and tall masts and spars aloft.
TELL TALE. A compass hanging from the beams of the cabin, by which the heading of a vessel may be known at any time. Also, an instrument connected with the barrel of the wheel, and traversing so that the officer may see the position of the tiller.
TEND. To watch a vessel at anchor at the turn of tides, and cast her by the helm, and some sail if necessary, so as to keep turns out of her cables.
TENON. The heel of a mast, made to fit into the step.
THICK-AND-THIN BLOCK. A block having one sheave larger than the other. Sometimes used for quarter-blocks.
THIMBLE. An iron ring, having its rim concave on the outside for a rope or strap to fit snugly round.
THOLE-PINS. Pins in the gunwale of a boat, between which an oar rests when pulling, instead of a rowlock.
THROAT. The inner end of a gaff, where it widens and hollows in to fit the mast. (See JAWS.) Also, the hollow part of a knee. The throat brails, halyards, &c., are those that hoist or haul up the gaff or sail near the throat. Also, the angle where the arm of an anchor is joined to the shank.
THRUM. To stick short strands of yarn through a mat or piece of canvass, to make a rough surface.
THWARTS. The seats going across a boat, upon which the oarsmen sit.
THWARTSHIPS. (See ATHWARTSHIPS.)
TIDE. To tide up or down a river or harbor, is to work up or down with a fair tide and head wind or calm, coming to anchor when the tide turns.
TIDE-RODE. The situation of a vessel, at anchor, when she swings by the force of the tide. In opposition to wind-rode.
TIER. A range of casks. Also, the range of the fakes of a cable or hawser. The cable tier is the place in a hold or between decks where the cables are stowed.
TILLER. A bar of wood or iron, put into the head of the rudder, by which the rudder is moved.
TILLER-ROPES. Ropes leading from the tiller-head round the barre of the wheel, by which a vessel is steered.
TIMBER. A general term for all large pieces of wood used in shipbuilding. Also, more particularly, long pieces of wood in a curved form, bending outward, and running from the keel up. on each side, forming the ribs of a vessel. The keel, stem, stern posts and timbers form a vessel's outer frame. (See PLATE 3.)
TIMBER-HEADS. (See PLATES.) The ends of the timbers that come above the decks. Used for belaying hawsers and large ropes.
TIMENOGUY. A rope carried taut between different parts of the vessel to prevent the sheet or tack of a course from getting foul, in working ship.
TOGGLE. A pin placed through the bight or eye of a rope, block-strap or bolt, to keep it in its place, or to put the bight or eye of another rope upon, and thus to secure them both together.
TOMPION. A bung or plug placed in the mouth of a cannon.
TOP. A platform, placed over the head of a lower mast, resting on the trestle-trees, to spread the rigging, and for the convenience of men aloft. (See PLATE 1.) To top up a yard or boom, is to raise up one end of it by hoisting on the lift.
TOP-BLOCK. A large iron-bound block,- hooked into a bolt under the lower cap, and used for the top-rope to reeve through in sending up and down topmasts.
TOP-LIGHT. A signal lantern carried in the top.
TOP-LINING. A lining on the after part of sails, to prevent them from chafing against the top-rim.
TOPMAST. (See PLATE 1.) The second mast above the deck. Next above the lower mast.
TOPGALLANT MAST. (See PLATE 1.) The third mast above the deck.
TOP-ROPE. The rope used for sending topmasts up and down.
TOPSAIL. (See PLATE 2.) The second sail above the deck.
TOPGALLANT SAIL. (See PLATE 2.) The third sail above the deck.
TOPPING-LIFT. (See PLATE 1.) A lift used for topping up the end of a boom.
TOP TIMBERS. The highest timbers on a vessel's side, being above the futtocks. (See PLATE 3.)
TOSS. To throw an oar out of the rowlock, and raise it perpendicularly on its end, and lay it down in the boat, with its blade forward.
TOUCH. A sail is said to touch., when the wind strikes the leech so as to shake it a little. Luff and touch her! The order to bring the vessel up and see how near she will go to the wind.
TOW. To draw a vessel along by means of a rope.
TRAIN-TACKLE. The tackle used for running guns in and out.
TRANSOMS. (See PLATE 3.) Pieces of timber going acros the stern-post, to which they are bolted.
TRANSOM-KNEES. Knees bolted to the transoms and after timbers.
TRAVELLER. An iron ring, fitted so as to slip up and down a rope.
TREENAILS, or TRUNNELS. Long wooden pins, used for nailing a plank to a timber.
TREND. The lower end of the shank of an anchor, being the same distance on the shank from the throat that the arm measures from the throat to the hill.
TRESTLE-TREES. Two strong pieces of timber, placed horizontally and fore-and-aft on opposite sides of a mast-head, to support the cross-trees and top, and for the fid of the mast above to rest upon.
TRIATIC STAY. A rope secured at each end to the heads of the fore and main masts, witli thimbles spliced into its bight, to hook the stay tackles to.
TRICE. To haul up by means of a rope.
TRICK. The time allotted to a man to stand at the helm.
TRIM, The condition of a vessel, with reference to her cargo and ballast. A vessel is trimmed by the head or by the stern. In ballast trim, is when she has only ballast on board. Also, to arrange the sails by the braces with reference to the wind.
TRIP. To raise an anchor clear of the bottom.
TRIPPING LINK. A line used for tripping a topgallant or royal yard in sending it down.
TRUCK. A circular piece of wood, placed at the head of the highest mast on a ship. It has small holes or sheaves in it for signal halyards to be rove through. Also, the wheel of a gun-carriage.
TRUNNIONS. The arms on each side of a cannon by which it rests upon the carriage, and on which, as an axis, it is elevated or depressed.
TRUSS. The rope by which the centre of a lower yard is kept in toward the mast.
TRYSAIL. A fore-and-aft sail, set with a boom and gaff, and hoisting on a small mast abaft the lower mast, called a trysail-mast. This name is generally confined to the sail so carried at the mainmast of a full-rigged brig; those carried at the foremast and at the mainmast of a ship or bark being called spencers, and those that are at the mizzenmast of a ship or bark, spankers.
TUMBLING HOME. Said of a ship's sides when they fall in above the bends. The opposite of wall-sided.
TURN. Passing a rope once or twice round a pin or kevel, to keep it fast. Also, two crosses in a cable. To turn in or turn out, nautical terms for going to rest in a berth or hammock, and getting up from them.
TURN UP. The order given to send the men up from between decks.
TYE. A rope connected with a yard, to the other end of which a tackle is attached for hoisting.
UNBEND. To cast off or untie. (See BEND.)
UNION The upper inner corner of an ensign. The rest of the flag is called the fly. The union of the U. S. ensign is a blue field with white stars, and the fly is composed of alternate white and red stripes. Union-down. The situation of a flag when it is hoisted upside down, bringing the union down instead of up. Used as a signal of distress. Union-jack. A small flag, containing only the union, without the fly, usually hoisted at the bowsprit-cap.
UNMOOR. To heave up one anchor so that the vessel may ride at a single anchor. (See MOOR.)
UNSHIP. (See SHIP.)
UVROU (See EUVROU.)
VANE. A fly worn at the mast-head, made of feathers or buntine, traversing on a spindle, to show the direction of the wind. (See DOG VANE.)
VANG. (See PLATE 1.) A rope leading from the peak of the gaff of a fore-and-aft sail to the rail on each side, and used for steadying the gaff.
VAST. (See AVAST.)
VEER SAID of the wind when it changes. Also, to slack a cable and let it run out. (See PAY.) To veer and haul, is to haul and slack alternately on a rope, as in warping, until the vessel or boat gets headway.
VIOT, or VOVAL. A larger messenger sometimes used in weighing an anchor by a capstan. Also, the block through which the messenger passes.
WAIST. That part of the upper deck between the quarter-deck and forecastle.
WAISTERS. Green hands, or broken-down seamen, placed in the waist of a man-of-war.
WAKE. The track or path a ship leaves behind her in the water.
WALES. Strong planks in a vessel's sides, running her whole length fore and aft.
WALL. A knot put on the end of a rope. (See PLATE 5)
WALL-SIDED. A vessel is wall-sided when her sides run up perpendicularly from the bends. In opposition to tumbling- home or flaring out.
WARD-ROOM. The room in a vessel of war in which the commissioned officers live.
WARE, or WEAR. To turn a vessel round, so that, from having the wind on one side, you bring it upon the other, carrying her stern round by the wind. In tacking, the same result is produced by carrying a vessel's head round by the wind.
WARP. To move a vessel from one place to another by means of a rope made fast to some fixed object, or to a kedge. A warp is a rope used for warping. If the warp is bent to a kedge which is let go, and the vessel is hove ahead by the capstan or windlass, it would be called hedging.
WASH-BOARDS. Light pieces of board placed above the gunwale of a boat.
WATCH. A division of time on board ship. There are seven watches in a day, reckoning from 12 M. round through the 24 hours, five of them being of four hours each, and the two others, called dog watches, of two hours each, viz., from 4 to 6, and from 6 to 8, P. M. (See DOG WATCH.) Also, a certain portion of a ship's company, appointed to stand a given length of time. In the merchant service all hands are divided into two watches, larboard and starboard, with a mate to command each. A buoy is said to watch when it floats on the surface.
WATCH-AND-WATCH. The arrangement by which the watches are alternated every other four hours. In distinction from keeping all hands during one or more watches. Anchor watch, a small watch of one or two men, kept while in port.
WATCH HO or WATCH. The cry of the man that heaves the deep-sea-lead.
WATCH-TACKLE. A small luff purchase with a short fall, the double block having a tail to it, and the single one a hook. Used for various purposes about decks.
WATER SAIL. A save-all, set under the swinging-boom.
WATER-WAYS. Long pieces of timber, running fore and aft on both sides, connecting the deck with the vessel's sides. The scuppers are made through them to let the water off. (See PLATE 3.)
WEAR. (See WARE.)
WEATHER. In the direction from which the wind blows. (See WINDWARD, LEE.) A ship carries a weather helm when she tends to come up into the wind requiring you to put the helm up.
WEATHER GAGE. A vessel has the weather gage of another when she is to windward of her. A weatherly ship, is one that works well to windward, making but little leeway.
WEATHER-BITT. To take an additional turn with a cable round the windlass-end.
WEATHER ROLL. The roll which a ship makes to windward.
WEIGH. To lift up ; as, to weigh an anchor or a mast.
WHEEL. The instrument by which a ship is steered; being a barrel,
(round which the tiller-ropes go,) and a wheel with spokes.
WHIP. A purchase formed by a rope rove through a single block. To whip, is to hoist by a whip. Also, to secure the end of a rope from fagging by a seizing of twine. Whip-upon-whip. One whip applied to the fall of another.
WINCH. A purchase formed by a horizontal spindle or shaft with a wheel or crank at the end. A small one with a wheel is used for making ropes or spunyarn.
WINDLASS. The machine used in merchant vessels to weigh the anchor by.
WIND-RODE. The situation of a vessel at anchor when she swings and rides by the force of the wind, instead of the tide or current. (See TIDE-RODE.)
WING. That part of the hold or between-decks which is next the side.
WINGERS. Casks stowed in the wings of a vessel.
WING-AND-WING. The situation of a fore and-aft vessel when she is going dead before the wind, with her foresail hauled over on one side and her mainsail on the other.
WITHE, or WYTHE. An iron instrument fitted on the end of a boom or mast, with a ring to it, through which another boom or mast is rigged out and secured.
WOOLD. To wind a piece of rope round a spar, or other thing.
WORK UP. To draw the yarns from old rigging and make them into spunyarn, foxes, sennit, &c. Also, a phrase for keeping a crew constantly at work upon needless matters, and in all weathers, and beyond their usual hours, for punishment.
WORM. To fill up between the lays of a rope with small stuff' wound round spirally. Stuff so wound round is
called worming.
WRING. To bend or strain a mast by setting the rigging up too taut.
WRING-BOLTS. Bolts that secure the planks to the timbers.
WRING-STAVES. Strong pieces of plank used with the wring-bolts.
YACHT. (Pronounced yot.) A vessel of pleasure or state.
YARD. (See PLATE 1.) A long piece of timber, tapering slightly toward the ends, and hung by the centre to a mast, to spread the square sails upon.
YARD-ARM. The extremities of a yard.
YARD-ARM AND YARD-ARM. The situation of two vessels, lying alongside one another, so near that their yard-arms cross or touch.
YARN. (See ROPE-YARN.)
YAW. The motion of a vessel when she goes off from her course.
YEOMAN. A man employed in a vesse of war to take charge of a storeroom ; as, boatswain's yeoman the man that has charge of the stores, of rigging, &c.
YOKE. A piece of wood placed across the head of a boat's rudder, with a rope attached to each end, by which the boat is steered.
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