Heave the Log to Hoist

To throw the log chip overboard so as to ascertain the velocity of the ship.

To bring the vessel's head to the wind, and manage the sails so as to keep her stationary. (See Lie-to.)

A wooden bar like a capstan bar, for use as a lever.

A small rope bent on to a hawser and thrown out to a dock, etc., to be caught, and by which one end of the hawser is to be pulled ashore to be secured.

(See Clove Hitch.)

The lowest end of a mast; the aftermost part of the keel; the lowest part of the stern-post; a vessel heels when she lies over on her side in sailing; a vessel goes round on her heel when she wears ship short round.

A lashing placed around the heel of a spar.

The term applied both to the lowest extremity of the stern-post and the rudder post.

A rope used in sending up and down spars.

A vessel is said to be heeled over when she is forced over side-ways in sailing by the action of the wind on the sails and rigging. (See List and Careen.)

A name applied sometimes to the square part of the lower end of a mast in which is the fid hole.

A misnomer, as the term wrongly includes all the machinery by which a vessel is steered, comprising the rudder, tiller, wheel and power applied. Properly the word helm should relate only to the tiller.

To put the helm towards the lee side, so as to bring the vessel's head up into the wind.

(See Rudder Port.)

To let the vessel go off from the wind by putting the helm towards the weather side.

Signifying that the helm has been put over to leeward; the verbal notice given to the men forward, and upon hearing which they lighten up the weather-head sheets so as to allow the vessel to come quickly to the wind, then while she is in stays they sheet down the head-sails on the opposite side.

The man at the helm or wheel; the man who is steering the vessel.

Hemp is a plant, from the fibres of which a rope is made, taking its name from the same.

A name applied to a ship in which the captain's wife interferes with the rules, regulations and customs.

A vessel that is square-rigged forward and schooner-rigged on the main. (See Brigantine.)

A name by which the Atlantic Ocean is sometimes referred to by seamen.

The position of a vessel when left entirely out of water by a receding tide.

The highest point of the flood tide.

A manner of fastening ropes around a spar or other object. See engravings.)

A rough broom for scrubbing the marine growth from a vessel's bottom.

Chains with one end attached to the hog frames and the other end to some particular part of the steamer in order to sustain it.

The two great flying fore-and-aft arches seen on shallow-draught inland steamers, which prevent them from hogging.

When the two ends of a ship droop from the midship part, causing an upward arching of the keel, she is said to be hogged. This may be caused from structural weakness, old age, or from pounding on a rock or on the shore. (See Sagged, Broken-backed.)

A title applied to the monitors during the Rebellion.

The length of the luff of a fore-and-aft sail--the distance in feet from the jaws of the boom to the jaws of the gaff when the sail is hoisted. Applies to the midship depth of those square sails the yards of which travel up and down masts. (See Drop.)