Hawse

hawz, a nautical term. Strictly speaking, the hawse is the part of the bow of a ship in which hawse-holes are cut for the passage of anchor chains. A hawser is a large rope running to an anchor and used in warping or drawing around to a new position. A seaman who has begun by shipping as a common sailor, not as an officer, is said to come aboard through the hawse-hole. The term hawse is applied also to the space between a ship and its anchors. To come athwart the hawse of another ship, that is, to cross directly in front of a ship at anchor, with the risk of catching her cable chains, is an unpardonable breach of seaman's etiquette. When two anchors are out and both chains run directly to their respective anchors, the hawse is said to be clear. If the chains are crossed or twisted together, the hawse is foul. See Anchor