Engineering:Glossary of nautical terms (S)

Short description: List of definitions of terms and concepts used in maritime disciplines beginning with the letter s

Glossary

safe harbour

A harbour that provides safety from bad weather or attack.

safe haven

A safe harbour, including natural harbours, which provide safety from bad weather or attack.

safety briefing

See muster drill.

saddle chock

A transverse beam placed over the transom with fairleads for mooring warps.

sagging

A condition in which the hull of a vessel deflects downward so the ends of the keel are higher than the middle. The opposite of hogging. Sagging can occur when the trough of a wave is amidships or during loading or unloading of a vessel and can damage her or even break her in half.

sail

1.  A piece of fabric attached to a vessel and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the vessel along. Sails are typically attached to the vessel via a combination of mast, spars, and ropes.

2.  The power harnessed by a sail or sails to propel a vessel.

3.  To use sail power to propel a vessel.

4.  A trip in a boat or ship, especially a sailboat or sailing ship.

5.  In American usage, a sail is a tower-like structure on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines constructed since the mid-20th century—similar in appearance to a fabric sail or fin, and originally containing instruments and controls for the periscopes to direct the submarine and launch torpedo attacks. Modern sails or fins do not perform these functions.

sail loft

A large open space used by sailmakers to spread out sails.

sail-plan

A set of drawings showing various sail combinations recommended for use in various situations.

sailing skiff

See skiff.

sailmaker

A craftsman who makes and repairs sails, working either on shore in a sail loft or aboard a large, oceangoing sailing ship.

sailorman

London term for a sailing barge, or a bargeman.

sally ship

A method of freeing a vessel grounded on mud, in which the crew forms a line and runs back and forth athwartships to cause her to rock back and forth, breaking the mud's suction and freeing her with little or no damage to the hull. When this is required, the crew is given the order "Sally ship!"

saloon

A social lounge on a passenger ship.

saltie

Great Lakes term for a vessel that sails the oceans.

salty dog

Slang for a sailor, especially for a seaman in the navy.

salvage tug

Sometimes called a wrecking tug.

A specialized tugboat used to assist ships in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships which have already sunk or run aground.

salvor

A person engaged in the salvage of a ship or items lost at sea.

sampan

A relatively flat-bottomed Chinese wooden boat from 3.5 to 4.5 metres (11 to 15 ft) long, generally used in coastal areas or rivers and as traditional fishing boats. Some have a small shelter, and they may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. It is unusual for sampans to sail far from land as they are not designed to survive rough weather.

sampson post

A strong vertical post used to support a ship's windlass and the heel of a ship's bowsprit.

sandsucker

A barge that collects sand from the bottom of lakes.

S.B. (or SB)

Prefix for "Sailing Barge", used before a ship's name.

scandalize

To reduce the area and efficiency of a sail by expedient means (slacking the peak and tricing up the tack) without properly reefing, thus slowing boat speed. Also used in the past as a sign of mourning.

scantlings

Dimensions of a ship's structural members, e.g. frame, beam, girder, etc.

schooner

A type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts. First used by the Dutch in the 16th or 17th century. A topsail schooner has a square topsail (and may also have a topgallant) on the foremast.

schooner barge

A type of barge either converted from a schooner or purpose-built as a barge with a schooner rig, primarily in use from the 1860s to the 1940s, initially on the Great Lakes and later in salt-water environments as well. A schooner barge required a smaller crew than a schooner and needed to be towed, but under favorable conditions could hoist sails to reduce fuel consumption by the vessel towing her.

schuyt

Another name for a Dutch barge.

scow

1.  A method of preparing an anchor for tripping by attaching an anchor cable to the crown and fixing to the ring by a light seizing (also known as becue). The seizing can be broken if the anchor becomes fouled.

2.  A type of clinker dinghy, characteristically beamy and slow.

3.  An inland racing boat with no keel, a large sail plan, and a planing hull.

scow schooner

A vessel with a scow-like (def. 2) hull and a schooner rig. Scow schooners appeared on the Great Lakes during the 1820s and served there into the 20th century, and also were common on San Francisco Bay and in New Zealand.

scow sloop

A vessel with a scow-like (def. 2) hull and a sloop rig. Scow sloops were common in North America by 1725.

Screaming Sixties

Also called the Shrieking Sixties.

Strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, south of 60 degrees. They are stronger than the similar "Roaring Forties" to their north.

screecher

A specialty sail which can be used as an upwind genoa sail, reaching sail, or downwind sail. The name comes from combining "spinnaker" and "reaching".

screw

1.  A propeller.

2.  Propeller-driven (e.g. a screw frigate or screw sloop).

scud

A name given by sailors to the lowest clouds, which are mostly observed in squally weather.

scudding

A term applied to a vessel when carried furiously along by a tempest.

scull

1.  An oar used for sculling.

2.  A boat propelled by sculling, generally for recreation or racing.

sculling

A method of using oars to propel watercraft in which the oar or oars touch the water on both the port and starboard sides of the craft, or over the stern. On sailboats with transom-mounted rudders, forward propulsion can be made by a balanced side-to-side movement of the tiller, a form of sculling.

scuppers

Originally a series of pipes fitted through a ship's side from inside the thicker deck waterway to the topside planking in order to drain water overboard, with larger quantities drained through freeing ports, which were openings in the bulwarks.

scuttle

1.  A small opening, or lid thereof, in a ship's deck or hull.

2.  To sink a vessel deliberately.

scuttlebutt

1.  A barrel with a hole in it, used to hold water that sailors would drink from. By extension (in modern naval usage), a shipboard drinking fountain or water cooler.

2.  Slang for gossip.

scuttling

Making a hole in the hull of a vessel or opening seacocks, especially in order to sink a vessel deliberately.

sea anchor

A stabilizer deployed in the water for heaving to in heavy weather. It acts as a brake and keeps the hull in line with the wind and perpendicular to the waves. Often in the form of a large bag made of heavy canvas. See also drogue.

sea chest

A watertight box built against the hull of the ship communicating with the sea through a grillage, to which valves and piping are attached to allow water in for ballast, engine cooling, and firefighting purposes. Also, a wooden box used to store a sailor's effects.

sea state

The general condition of the free surface on a large body of water with respect to wind waves and swell at a certain location and moment, characterized by statistics, including the wave height, period, and power spectrum. The sea state varies with time, as the wind conditions or swell conditions change.

sea trial

The testing phase of a boat, ship, or submarine, usually the final step in her construction, conducted to measure a vessel's performance and general seaworthiness before her owners take delivery of her.

seaboat

1.  A ship's boat kept ready for immediate use at sea, and used, for example, for retrieving a man overboard, or taking a boarding party to another vessel. Usually rigged with patent disengaging gear that allows both falls to be released simultaneously and quickly, so enabling the boat to be launched from a ship with way on.

2.  A term used for any vessel when assessing her physical behavior at sea. A vessel that performs well in challenging weather or sea conditions such as heavy seas is a good seaboat, while one which does not is a bad seaboat.

seaboots

High waterproof boots for use at sea. In leisure sailing, known as sailing wellies.

seacock

A valve in the hull of a vessel used to allow seawater into or out of the vessel. Seacocks are used to admit seawater for purposes such as cooling an engine, feeding a saltwater faucet, or scuttling a vessel, or to drain a sink or toilet into the sea. On warships, seacocks may be used to flood ammunition magazines with seawater to prevent them from exploding during a fire.

seakeeping

The ability of a watercraft to remain seaworthy in the conditions she encounters while underway. A vessel with a good seakeeping ability is very seaworthy even in rough weather.

sealer

A vessel designed for or engaged in seal hunting.

sealing

1.  The hunting of seals.

2.  The caulked floor of the hold. Also ceiling.

seaman

A generic term for a sailor, or (part of) a low naval rank.

seaworthy

Certified for and capable of safely sailing at sea.

second mate

Also called a second officer.

A licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship, third – or, on some ocean liners, fourth – in command; a watchkeeping officer, customarily the ship's navigator. Other duties vary, but the second mate is often the medical officer and in charge of maintaining distress-signaling equipment. On oil tankers, the second mate usually assists the chief mate with tank-cleaning operations.

seekers

London term for sailing barges that sought cargo, carrying cargo for other merchants at a fee, rather than for the owner.

seiner

A fishing vessel rigged to fish by seining.

seize

To bind two ropes together with small line.

self-sustaining

A merchant ship that can unload herself with no assistance from harbor facilities is self-sustaining, while a ship that needs harbor facilities to unload is non-self-sustaining. Self-sustaining ships are more expensive to build, maintain, and operate than non-self-sustaining ships, but have the advantage of being able to operate in less-developed ports that lack infrastructure.

self-unloader

Great Lakes slang term for a vessel with a conveyor or some other method of unloading the cargo without shoreside equipment.

sennet

A chord formed by plaiting rope-yarn by hand. There are many types of plait and many uses.

sennet whip

A summary punitive implement.

serve

Covering a rope with thin line to protect it.

set

The direction toward which the current flows.

settle

(of a ship or boat): sink lower in the water, often prior to sinking altogether.

sextant

A navigational instrument used to measure a ship's latitude.

shackle

U-shaped iron, with a screw pin at the open end used for securing stays to sails, allowing easy removal.

shaft

1.  A propeller shaft. The term shaft can be used instead of "propeller" to describe the number of propellers a ship has, e.g., The ship has two shafts or The ship's engines drive three shafts.

2.  To push or propel (a boat) with a pole.

shaft alley

The section of a ship that houses the propulsion shaft, running from the engine room to the stuffing box.

shaft log

A shaped piece of timber or metal fitted to a vessel's deadwood, keel, or keelson at the point where the stern tube passes through the hull.

shakedown cruise

Also simply called a shakedown.

A cruise performed before a ship enters service or after major changes such as a crew change, repair, or overhaul during which the performance of the ship and her crew are tested under working conditions.

shakes

Pieces of barrels or casks broken down to save space. They are worth very little, leading to the phrase "no great shakes".

shallop

1.  A term used for a variety of boats and small ships used for coastal navigation beginning in the 17th century.

2.  A large boat armed with cannon used by the Danes as gunboats during the Gunboat War (1807–1814).

shanghaied

The condition of a crewman involuntarily impressed into service on a ship.

sheave

(traditionally pronounced "shiv")

The wheel in a block, which rotates as the rope runs.

sheave-hole

A hole or slot in a spar, fitted with a sheave to allow a rope to run.

sheer

The upward curve of a vessel's longitudinal lines as viewed from the side.

sheer line

The intersection of the external hull surface and the main deck surface, shown by a line on the sheer plan.

sheer plan

In shipbuilding, a diagram showing an elevation of the ship's sheer viewed from the broadside.

sheet

A rope attached to the clew and used to control the setting of a sail in relation to the direction of the wind. The sheet is often passed through a tackle before being attach to fixed points on the deck, or in the case of a barge, to a traveller on the main horse.

sheet anchor

Historically, the heaviest anchor aboard a sailing ship, to be used only in case of emergency, and located amidships. In more general usage, the term has come to mean a person or thing that is very reliable in times of emergency. For example, during the first inauguration of Thomas Jefferson, he advocated, "the preservation of the General [Federal] Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad."

sheet bend

A bend to attach a rope to a small eye or clew, e.g. to attach a hammock to a clew or a painter to the Jacobs Ladder.

shell

Also called a fine boat in the United Kingdom.

An extremely narrow, and often disproportionately long, rowing boat outfitted with long oars, outriggers to hold the oarlocks away from the boat, and sliding seats, specifically designed for racing or exercise.

shelter deck

An upper deck having no overhead protection from the weather itself, but sheltering the deck below it.

shift colors

1.  Changing the flag and pennant display when a moored vessel becomes underway, and vice versa. A highly coordinated display that ships take pride in; the desired effect is that of one set of flags vanishing while another set flashes out at precisely the same time.

2.  Slang for changing out of one's Navy uniform into civilian clothes to go ashore. (The US Navy's newsletter for retired personnel is nicknamed Shift Colors for this reason.)

shift tides

Sighting the positions of the Sun and Moon using a sextant, using a nautical almanac to determine the location and phase of the Moon, and calculating the relative effect of the tides on the navigation of the ship.

ship

1.  (n.) Strictly, a sailing vessel of three-masts or more and square-rigged on all masts.

2.  (n.) More generally, any medium or larger seagoing vessel. Smaller vessels or those used in sheltered waters are generally called boats. Exceptions include submarines which are always referred to as boats.

3.  (v.) To send (an item or cargo) via waterborne transport, or in the derived meaning, by any means of transport (such as rail).

4.  (v.) To bring something aboard a vessel.

5.  (v.) To put something in its place aboard a vessel, ready for use.

6.  (v.) To take employment to serve aboard a vessel.

7.  (v.) To embark or travel on a vessel.

8.  (v.) To take water over the bow or sides of a vessel, e.g., "The freighter shipped a great deal of water during the storm."

ship a sea

(Of a ship or boat): be flooded by a wave.

ship breaking

Also called ship cracking, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship recycling.

The demolition of ships for spare parts and scrap metal. A ship on her way to be scrapped is said to be going to the breakers.

ship cemetery

Another name for a ship graveyard.

ship-of-the-line

A type of sailing warship constructed from the 1600s through the mid-1800s to serve as part of the line of battle; one of the largest and most powerful warships of the era.

ship graveyard

Also called a ship cemetery.

1.  A location where the hulls of discarded ships are left to decay and disintegrate.

2.  An area where shipwrecks accumulate due to hazardous navigation conditions, deliberate scuttling, or losses in combat.

3.  An anchorage for ships of a reserve fleet.

ship over

To reenlist. When a sailor extends his or her service another term.

ship-polacca

A three-masted polacca.

ship rig

See full-rigged ship.

ship sloop

A type of sloop-of-war introduced in the 1740s that had three square-rigged masts (in contrast to the brig sloop introduced in the 1770s, which had two masts).

ship stores

The materials, supplies and equipment required for the navigation, maintenance, operation and upkeep of a ship.

Ship Taken Up From Trade

See STUFT.

ship's bell

Striking the ship's bell is the traditional method of marking time and regulating the crew's watches. Each bell (from one to eight) represents a 30-minute period since the beginning of a four-hour watch. For example, in the classical system, "Three bells in the morning watch" represents 90 minutes since the beginning of the morning watch, or 5:30 AM. "Eight bells" indicates the end of a watch.

ship's biscuit

See hard tack.

ship's company

The crew of a ship.

ship's complement

The number of persons in a ship's crew, including officers.

ship's husband

A legal term for an agent based on land, who has authority to make repairs and attend to the management, equipment, and general management of a ship in the home port.

ships husbandry

All aspects of maintenance, cleaning, and general upkeep of the hull, rigging, and equipment of a ship. It may also be used to refer to aspects of maintenance which are not specifically covered by the technical departments.

shipbreach

Another name for a shipwreck.

shipping

1.  Passage or transport on a ship; maritime transport.

2.  The body of ships belonging to one country, port, or industry.

shipwreck

1.  The remains of a ship that has sunk.

2.  The remains of a ship that has run aground such that she is no longer seaworthy.

3.  An event in which a ship sinks or otherwise becomes a wreck.

shipwrecking

To wreck a ship through a mishap.

shipwrecked

A person marooned due to the loss of a ship he or she was aboard is said to be shipwrecked.

shipwright

A person who designs, builds, and repairs ships, especially wooden ones.

shipyard

A facility where ships or boats are built and repaired. Routinely used as a synonym for dockyard, although dockyard is sometimes associated more closely with a facility used for maintenance and basing activities, while shipyard sometimes is associated more closely with a facility used in construction.

shoal

Shallow water that is a hazard to navigation.

shoal draught

An especially shallow draught on a vessel, making the vessel capable of sailing in unusually shallow water.

shore leave

Free time given to officers and crew of a naval vessel when they are off duty and allowed to disembark and spend time on land. See also liberty.

short stay

The relative slackness of an anchor chain; "short stay" means the chain is somewhat slack, and neither vertical nor fully extended.

shorten

1.  To take in the slack of (a rope).

2.  To reduce (sail) by taking it in, e.g. "shorten sail".

shot across the bow

A shot fired close to and in front of a moving vessel to warn her to stop, often for boarding.

Shrieking Sixties

See screaming Sixties.

shrimper

A fishing vessel rigged for shrimp fishing.

shroud

A rope or cable serving to support a mast from either side.

shrouds

Standing rigging running from a mast to the sides of a ship to support the mast sideways. The shrouds work with the stays, which run forward and aft, to support the mast's weight.

sick bay

A compartment reserved for medical purposes.

sideboy

One of an even-numbered group of seamen posted in two rows on the quarterdeck when a visiting dignitary boards or leaves the ship, historically to help (or even hoist) him aboard.

sidewheel

1.  A side-mounted paddle wheel used for propulsion by a paddle steamer.

2.  Propelled by sidewheels (e.g. "sidewheel steamer").

sidewheeler

A paddle steamer propelled by a pair of paddle wheels, one mounted on each side.

siren

A sound signal that uses electricity or compressed air to actuate either a disc or a cup-shaped rotor.

sister ship

A ship of the same class as, and therefore virtually identical in design and appearance to, another ship. Sister ships share an identical or nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment. Often, sister ships become more differentiated during their service lives as their equipment (and, in the case of military ships, their armament) are separately altered.

skaffie

A type of small sailing vessel used for fishing, primarily during the 19th century and mostly in the Moray Firth region of Scotland.

skeg

A downward or sternward projection from the keel in front of the rudder. Protects the rudder from damage, and in bilge keelers may provide one "leg" of a tripod on which the boat stands when the tide is out.

skeleton crew

A minimal crew, usually employed during an emergency or when a vessel is inactive, generally consisting of the minimum number of personnel required to maintain or operate the vessel.

skiff

A small boat, traditionally a coastal or river craft, for leisure or fishing, with a single person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have developed into high-performance competitive classes.

skipjack

A type of sailboat used as a traditional fishing boat on the Chesapeake Bay for oyster dredging. It arose around the end of the 19th century as the successor to the bugeye as the chief oystering boat on the bay.

skipper

The captain of a ship.

skysail

A square sail set above the royals, typically only carried by large barques and ships, such as the Primrose Hill (1885), Oweenee (1819), and Mushkosa (1819).

skyscraper

slack tide

The period between rising tide and falling tide, or the period between falling tide and rising tide when there is no tidal-induced current.

slave ship

A large cargo ship specially converted for the transportation of slaves in the slave trade. Also known as a slaver or Guineaman, the latter term deriving from the Guinea coast of West Africa.

slaver

Another name for a slave ship.

slide

The cabin hatch on a barge.

sling

1.  To pass a rope around something in preparation for attaching a hoisting or lowering tackle to it.

2.  A band of rope or iron for securing a yard to a mast; chiefly used in the plural, slings.

slip

1.  To let go a rope at a precise moment, such as when releasing the last attachment to a buoy, when getting under way.

2.  To slip an anchor: to let go the anchor cable, abandoning the anchor so as to get under way in an emergency, rather than spend time hauling in the cable to raise the anchor in the normal way. The released anchor cable is usually buoyed to aid recovery later.

3.  The difference between the theoretical distance traveled per revolution of a vessel's propeller and the actual advance of the vessel.

4.  In marine engineering, the motion of the center of resistance of the float of a paddle wheel or the blade of an oar through the water horizontally.

5.  In marine engineering, the difference between a vessel's actual speed and the speed it would have if the propelling instrument acted upon a solid.

6.  In marine engineering, the velocity of the backward current of water produced by the propeller relative to still water.

7.  In marine insurance, a memorandum of the particulars of a risk for which a policy is to be executed, usually bearing the broker's name and initialled by the underwriters.

slip rope

A mooring rope that is intended to be the last to be released when getting under way and is arranged so that it can be released from on-board. An example of this would be a rope that is led from the ship (or boat), through a ring on a mooring buoy, and then back to the ship.

slipway

A ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. Slipways are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers towed by automobiles and flying boats on their undercarriage.

sloop

In modern usage (from circa 1850s), a single-masted fore and aft sailing rig with one headsail set on the forestay, and a mainsail abaft the mast. The sloop rig is very common in modern leisure sailing vessels. In older usage, a sloop may have more than one headsail, but with the jib (the outer headsail) also set on a stay. This differentiates from a cutter of the same era, where the jib would be set flying and a running bowsprit was used. Any bowsprit that might be fitted on a sloop was part of the standing rigging and remained in place at all times.

sloop-of-war

1.  In the 18th and 19th centuries, a small sailing warship carrying 18 or fewer guns with a single continuous gundeck.

2.  In the 18th and 19th centuries, any sailing warship bearing fewer than 20 guns.

3.  In the 19th-century US Navy, the term used for the type of sailing warship known in other navies as a corvette.

4.  In the early and mid-20th century, a small oceangoing warship not intended for fleet deployments, and used instead for convoy escort, gunboat duties, etc.

slop chest

A ship's store of merchandise, such as clothing, tobacco, etc., maintained aboard merchant ships for sale to the crew.

slush

Greasy substance obtained by boiling or scraping the fat from empty salted meat storage barrels, or the floating fat residue after boiling the crew's meal. In the Royal Navy, it was a perquisite of the ship's cook, who could sell it or exchange it (usually for alcohol) with other members of the crew. Used for greasing parts of the running rigging of the ship and therefore valuable to the master and bosun.

slush fund

The money obtained by the cook selling slush ashore. Used for the benefit of the crew (or the cook).

smack

A traditional fishing boat used off the coast of England and the Atlantic coast of America for most of the 19th century and in small numbers up to the mid-20th century. Originally a cutter-rigged sailing boat, after about 1865 lengthened and given a ketch rig. Some had a topsail on the mizzen mast, others a bowsprit carrying a jib.

small bower

The smaller of two anchors carried in the bow.

snag

1.  Snag, also deadhead: A tree or tree branch fixed in the bottom of a navigable body of water and partially submerged or rising nearly to the surface that can pierce and sink vessels. Snags were a particularly severe hazard in the 19th and early 20th centuries; to be snagged is to suffer damage from or to be sunk by such a hazard.

2.  An underwater obstruction on which equipment trailed from a vessel, such as fishing lines and nets, becomes caught, sometimes resulting in loss of the equipment.

snatch block

A block with one cheek that is hinged, so that the bight of a rope can be inserted in the block (as opposed to threading the end of the rope into an ordinary block).

snotter

A short rope, spliced together at the ends and covered with hide, that is seized to the mast to hold the lower end of a sprit.

snotty

Royal Navy slang for a midshipman.

snow

A form of brig where the gaff spanker or driver is rigged on a "snow mast", a lighter spar supported in chocks close behind the mainmast.

snub

To quickly stop a line that is running out - usually by taking or tightening a turn on a bollard, cleat or winch drum.

snug loaded

When all the cargo on a barge is stowed below in the hold and there is nothing on deck. In contrast to carrying a stack.

soft eye

An eye splice without a thimble fitted.

SOG

An abbreviation of "speed over ground", the speed of the vessel relative to the Earth (and as shown by a GPS). Referenced on many fishing forums.

Sonar

1.  An acronym for SOund Navigation And Ranging, a method of using sound pulses to detect, range, and sometimes image underwater targets and obstacles or the bed of the sea. See also echo sounding and ASDIC.

2.  The equipment used to conduct such searches, ranging, and imaging.

soul, souls

With a quantifier, can apply to the number of people on board ship; hence, sOS, “Save Our Souls”.

sounding

Measuring the depth of the water. Traditionally done by "swinging the lead", now more commonly by echo sounding.

Sounding

sou'wester

1.  A storm originating from the southwest.

2.  A type of waterproof hat with a wide brim over the neck, worn in storms.

spanker

A fore-and-aft or gaff-rigged sail on the aftmost mast of a square-rigged vessel and the main fore-and-aft sail (spanker sail) on the aftmost mast of a (partially) fore-and-aft rigged vessel such as a schooner, barque, or barquentine.

spanker-mast

The aftmost mast of a fore-and-aft or gaff-rigged five-masted vessel such as a schooner or barquentine. A full-rigged ship has a spanker sail but not a spanker-mast (see jigger-mast).

spar

A wooden (in later years also iron or steel) pole used to support various pieces of rigging and sails. The big five-masted full-rigged tall ship Preussen (German spelling: Preußen) had crossed 30 steel yards, but only one wooden spar – the little gaff of its spanker sail.

spar torpedo

A weapon consisting of a bomb placed at the end of a long spar and attached to a boat.

speaking tube

See communication tube.

spencer

A trysail.

spider band

Also spider hoop.

An iron band around the base of a mast that holds a set of iron belaying pins.

spindrift

Finely divided water swept from the crests of waves by strong winds. The presence of spindrift may be used to approximately estimate wind speed.

spinnaker

1.  A large sail flown in front of the vessel while heading downwind.

2.  A headsail set windward when running before the wind. The bargeman's spinnaker is his topmast staysail, tacked to the mast, and sheeted round the weather crosstree.

spinnaker pole

A spar used to help control a spinnaker or other headsail.

spirketting

The thicker planks of the ceiling, found at the bottom of the hold and continuing up the inside of the hull to the start of the quickwork (or lining).

splice

To join lines (ropes, cables, etc.) by unravelling their ends and intertwining them to form a continuous line; to form an eye or a knot by splicing.

splice the mainbrace

An order given aboard naval vessels to issue the crew with a drink, traditionally grog. The phrase "splice the mainbrace" is used idiomatically meaning to go ashore on liberty, intending to go out for an evening of drinking.

split lugsail

Two sails, foresail and mainsail on a lugsail yard, removing the need to dip the yard around the mast every time the vessel tacked.

sponson

A projection from the side of a vessel for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or lifeboats. A sponson that extends a hull dimension at or below the waterline serves to increase flotation or add lift when underway. In salvage of a damaged or disabled vessel, a sponson may be a flotation tank attached to provide stability or buoyancy.

spoke

Spoke (to) another ship, as in "Spoke a brig from Rio" in Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe.

sponsor

The person, traditionally a woman, who christens a ship at its launching ceremony.

spotting top

A platform on a mast used to aid in gun laying.

spreader

A spar on a sailboat used to deflect the shrouds to allow them to better support the mast.

spring

A mooring warp that goes from the bow to a position on the quayside level with the stern (backspring) or led forward from the stern to a point level with the bow (forespring). A spring may be used in conjunction with the engine to swing the bow or stern away from a quayside to enable safe departure.

springs

Big tides caused by the alignment of the Moon and Sun.

sprit

A spar that supports a spritsail. It is attached to the mast near the deck and extends diagonally up to the peak of the sail. It is steadied by vangs.

spritsail

1.  A fore-and-aft sail, where the peak is supported by a sprit. It may be free-footed or use a boom.

2.  A rig that uses a spritsail.

3.  A square-sail flown beneath the bowsprit.

sprittie

A spritsail-rigged barge.

spurling pipe

A pipe that connects to the chain locker, from which the anchor chain emerges onto the deck at the bow of a ship.

squadron

1.  In general, any significant group of warships considered too small to be a fleet, but otherwise not strictly defined by size. In some navies, the term flotilla may be used instead of or in addition to squadron.

2.  Such a group of warships assigned to and named after a particular ocean, sea, or geographical region, commanded by an admiral who may be the naval commander-in-chief in that theatre, e.g. the Asiatic Squadron, the North Atlantic Squadron, etc.; generally synonymous with similar naval formations known as stations.

3.  During the Age of Sail, a temporary subdivision of a fleet.

4.  A temporary detachment of ships from a fleet.

5.  Especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a permanent battle formation of a fleet, equipped and trained to operate as a tactical unit under the overall command of the fleet or when detached from the fleet.

6.  Especially in modern usage, an administrative naval command responsible for the manning, training, supply, and maintenance of a group of ships or submarines but not for directing their operations at sea.

square

To place at right angles with the mast or keel and parallel to the horizon, e.g. "to square the yards".

square meal

A sufficient quantity of food. Meals on board ship were served to the crew on a square wooden plate in harbor or at sea in good weather. Food in the Royal Navy was invariably better or at least in greater quantity than that available to the average landsman. However, while square wooden plates were indeed used on board ships, there is no established link between them and this particular term. The OED gives the earliest reference from the US in the mid-19th century.

square rig

A generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on yards that are perpendicular, or "square", to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. A ship mainly so rigged is said to be square-rigged.

square rigger

A square-rigged ship.

squared away

Yards held rigidly perpendicular to their masts and parallel to the deck. This was rarely the best trim of the yards for efficiency but made a pretty sight for inspections and in harbor. The term is applied to situations and to people figuratively to mean that all difficulties have been resolved or that the person is performing well and is mentally and physically prepared.

squat effect

The phenomenon by which a vessel moving quickly through shallow water creates an area of lowered pressure under its keel that reduces the ship's buoyancy, particularly at the bow. The reduced buoyancy causes the ship to "squat" lower in the water than would ordinarily be expected, and thus its effective draught is increased.

S.S. (or SS)

To the purist, a prefix for Screw Steamer (i.e. with screw propulsion, meaning propellors). It is used before the name of a ship. Compare with "PS", which stands for "Paddle Steamer". Widely used as an abbreviation for "Steam Ship".

stack

Also funnel.

1.  Another name for a funnel.

2.  Deck cargo.

stack marking

A logo or other type of livery on a ship′s stack indicating which private entity, such as a shipping line, or government agency owns or operates her. Generally, all the ships belonging to the fleet of a single company or agency will have the same stack marking.

stackie

A barge designed to take a large deck cargo, usually of hay or straw needed to feed working horses.

stanchion

A vertical post near the edge of a deck that supports life-lines; a timber fitted in between the frame heads on a wooden hull or a bracket on a steel vessel, approx one meter high, to support the bulwark plank or plating and the rail.

stand

(of a ship or its captain) To steer, sail, or steam, usually used in conjunction with a specified direction or destination, e.g. "The ship stood out of the harbor" or "The ship stood toward the east" or "The ship stood toward the missing vessel's last known position".

stand-on (vessel)

A vessel directed to keep her course and speed where two vessels are approaching one another so as to involve a risk of collision.

standing part

The section of a rope at a cleat or a block that is under tension, as opposed to the loose end.

standing rigging

Rigging that supports masts and spars and is not manipulated during normal operations. Contrast running rigging.

stanliff

A heavy wire cable attached to the mast at the hounds to support the weight of a spritsail at the heel.

starboard

The right side of a ship or boat; towards the right-hand side of a vessel facing forward (toward the bow). Denoted with a green light at night. Derived from the old steering oar or "steerboard", which preceded the invention of the rudder.

starboard tack

When sailing with the wind coming from the starboard side of the vessel. Vessels on starboard tack generally have right-of-way over vessels on port tack.

starter

A rope used as a punitive device. See teazer and togey.

stateroom

1.  A superior cabin for a vessel's officer.

2.  In American usage, a private passenger cabin on a transport or cruise ship.

station

1.  In chiefly 19th- and early 20th-century usage, a naval formation under a commander-in-chief who controls all naval operations, and sometimes all naval shore facilities, within a specified geographic area (e.g. the China Station, the East Indies Station, etc.); sometimes synonymous with squadron.

2.  In Newfoundland, a harbour or cove with a foreshore suitable for a facility to support nearby fishing.

3.  Naval station: a naval base (a naval air station is a base for naval aircraft).

4.  Coaling station: a facility that supplies ships with coal.

station ship

A ship assigned to a particular station, such as a port or a geographic area, usually to support naval vessels and operations. A station ship may patrol the local area, or provide personnel to other ships, or provide fuel or services such as repairs.

stay

1.  A strong rope supporting a mast and leading from the head of one mast down to some other mast or other part of the vessel; any rigging running fore (forestay) and aft (backstay) from a mast to the hull. The stays support a mast's weight forward and aft, while the shrouds support its weight from side to side.

2.  To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays, e.g. to "stay a mast".

3.  To tack; put on the other tack, e.g. to "stay ship".

4.  To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship.

5.  A station or fixed anchorage for vessels.

6.  In stays or hove in stays: in the act of going about while tacking.

7.  Miss stays: an unsuccessful attempt to tack.

stayfall

A flexible wire cable rove through blocks, one on the stemhead and one on the end of the forestay. This is the means by which the mainmast is lowered.

staysail

A sail whose luff is attached to a forestay.

steamer

Also steamboat or steamship.

A vessel equipped with steam propulsion.

steerage

1.  The effect of the helm on a vessel; the act of steering a vessel.

2.  A 19th- and early 20th-century term for the section of a passenger ship that provided inexpensive accommodation with no individual cabins.

steerageway

The minimum speed at which a vessel answers the helm, below which she cannot be steered. Speed sufficient for the rudder to "bite".

steering flat

The compartment on a vessel that contains the steering gear.

steering oar

Also steering board.

A long, flat board or oar that went from the stern to well underwater, used to steer vessels before the invention of the rudder. Traditionally on the starboard side of a ship (the "steering board" side).

steersman

Another name for a helmsman.

steeve

1.  A spar or derrick with a block at one end, used for stowing cargo.

2.  To incline upwards at an angle (used especially of a bowsprit) rather than lie horizontally; to set at a particular upwards incline.

stem

1.  An extension of the keel at the forward end of a ship.

2.  On a barge, the foremost timber set vertically to the keel, forming the head of the stem; it carries the forestay and other rigging.

stern

The rear part of a ship, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. Contrast bow.

stern chaser

See chase gun.

stern tube

1.  The tube under the hull bearing the tailshaft for propulsion (usually at the stern).

2.  A torpedo tube mounted in the stern of a submarine.

sterncastle

Another name for an aftercastle.

sterndrive

A propeller drive system similar to the lower part of an outboard motor extending below the hull of a larger power boat or yacht, but driven by an engine mounted within the hull. Unlike a fixed propeller (but like an outboard), the boat may be steered by twisting the drive. See also inboard motor.

sternpicker

A gillnetter that fishes by deploying a gillnet from the stern.

sternpost

The upright structural member (or post) at the stern of a (usually wooden) ship or boat, to which are attached the transoms and the rearmost corner part of the stern. It rests on ("fays to") the ship's keel, and may be vertical or tilted ("raked") slightly aft.

sternwalk

An external walkway or gallery for the use of officers installed on the stern, chiefly of British warships until the early 20th century.

sternway

The reverse movement of a boat or watercraft through the water.

sternwheel

1.  A stern-mounted paddle wheel used for propulsion by a paddle steamer.

2.  Propelled by a sternwheel (e.g. a "sternwheel steamer").

sternwheeler

A paddle steamer propelled by a sternwheel.

steward

A member of a vessel's crew involved in commissary duties or in personal services to passengers or other crew members.

stood

See stand.

stocks

The frame that supports a ship or boat when it is being built.

stopper knot

A knot tied in the end of a rope, usually to stop it passing through a hole; most commonly a figure-eight knot.

stoppers

A short rope to check a cable in a fixed position. Anchor stoppers hold the anchor when catted, bitt stoppers and deck stoppers are used to retain the cable when at anchor, shroud stoppers contain a damaged shroud, and foretack and sheet stoppers secure the tacks until they are belayed.

storeship

Also store ship or stores ship.

1.  During the Age of Sail and immediately afterwards, a captured ship used to stow supplies and other goods for naval purposes.

2.  Since the mid-20th century, a type of naval ship that provides supplies, such as frozen, chilled, and dry provisions, and propulsion and aviation fuel to warships at sea for an extended period. In some navies, synonymous with replenishment oiler, fleet replenisher, or fleet tanker.

stove

Also stove in.

(past tense of stave, often applied as present tense) To smash inward; to force a hole or break in, as in a cask, door, ship's hull, or other (wooden) barrier.

stow

To store or put away, e.g. personal effects, tackle, or cargo.

stowage

The amount of room for storing materials on board a ship.

stowaway

A trespasser on a ship; a person aboard a ship without permission and/or without payment, who usually boards undetected, remains hidden aboard, and jumps ship just before making port or reaching a port's dock; sometimes found aboard and imprisoned in the brig until the ship makes port and the prisoner can be transferred to the custody of police or military.

straggler

In a convoy, a ship that is unable to maintain speed and falls behind.

strake

A continuous line of planking on a wooden hull going from bow to stern. Successive strakes, one above the other, form the outer skin of a hull. In a steel hull the same term can be applied to a continuous line of steel plates all fastened at the same level.

stretcher

An inclined foot rest attached to the boat, to which a rower may place and in some instances (usually in competition) attach his feet.

strike

1.  To haul down or lower (a flag, mast, etc.).

2.  To surrender the vessel to the enemy, from "strike the colors".

3.  To remove a naval vessel's name from a country's naval register (after which the vessel is considered stricken).

strike the colors

To surrender the vessel to an enemy, from the custom during the Age of Sail of lowering the vessel's ensign to indicate that she is surrendering.

studding sails

(pronounced /ˈstʌnsəl/) Long and narrow sails, used in lighter winds, on the outside of the large square sails.

STUFT

British and Commonwealth acronym for Ship Taken Up From Trade, which refers to a civilian ship requisitioned for naval or other government service.

stumpy

1.  A spritsail barge without a topmast. Normal form before 1850, the stumpies sprit was longer than those used in topsail barges, as the mainsail was cut with a higher peak.

2.  A tops'l barge underway without her topsails set.

STW

An abbrevation of "speed through (the) water"; the speed of the vessel relative to the surrounding water (and as shown by a Log). Used in navigation.

submarine

1.  Generally, a watercraft capable of independent operations underwater, able to renew its own power and breathing air. A submarine differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capabilities. By naval tradition, any submarine is referred to informally as a "boat" regardless of its size.

2.  Most commonly, a large, crewed vessel capable of independent underwater operations.

3.  Historically and colloquially, a broad category of vessels capable of submerged operations, including large, crewed submarines but also medium-sized and smaller vessels such as midget submarines and wet subs and vessels technically considered submersibles because they require external support, such as remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles.

submarine tender

A naval auxiliary ship designed to supply submarines and support their operations. Known in British English as a submarine depot ship.

submersible

A small watercraft capable of operating underwater but which requires the support of a surface vessel, a surface platform, a shore team, or a larger undersea vessel such as a submarine. A submersible contrasts with a submarine in that a submarine is capable of fully autonomous operations, including generation of its own power and breathing air. However, colloquially, the term "submarine" often indiscriminately refers to any vessel capable of underwater operations, including those that technically are submersibles.

sunfish

A personal-sized, beach-launched sailing dinghy with a pontoon-type hull, daggerboard, and lateen sail mounted to an un-stayed mast.

supercargo

A person aboard a vessel who is employed by the cargo owner. Duties include selling merchandise in ports, as well as buying and receiving goods for the return voyage.

superstructure

The parts of a ship or boat, including a sailboat, fishing boat, passenger ship, or submarine, that project above her main deck. This does not usually include its masts or any armament turrets.

surfboat

Also surf boat.

An oar-driven boat designed to enter the ocean from a beach in heavy surf or large waves. Surfboats often play a lifesaving or rescue role when rescuers need to reach victims of a mishap directly from a beach.

surge

1.  A vessel's transient motion in a fore and aft direction.

2.  To gently slacken a rope so that it slides up the capstan.

survey vessel

Any type of ship or boat that is used for mapping a body of water's bottom, benthic zone, full water column, and surface for purposes of hydrography, general oceanography, marine salvage, dredging, marine archaeology, or the study of marine habitats.

S/V

An abbreviation of "Sailing Vessel", used before the ship's name.

swatchway

A twisting channel navigable by shallow vessels at high water, generally found between sandbanks (e.g. in the Thames Estuary) or between a sandbank and the shore.

sway

1.  A vessel's lateral motion from side to side.

2.  (v.) To hoist, e.g. "sway up my dunnage".

sweep

A long oar used to steer an unpowered lighter.

swigging

To take up the last bit of slack on a line such as a halyard, anchor line, or dockline by taking a single turn round a cleat and alternately heaving on the rope above and below the cleat while keeping the tension on the tail.

swimmie

Also muffie.

A barge with a square overhanging bow, such as a swimhead lighter.

sweat

A technique to finally tension a halyard, by pulling alternatively on the tail from the cleat and at right angles on the taut standing line.

swinging the compass

Measuring the accuracy in a ship's magnetic compass so its readings can be adjusted, often accomplished by turning the ship and taking bearings on reference points. Essentially synonymous with swinging the ship (q.v.).

swinging the lamp

Telling sea stories. Refers to lamps slung from the deckhead that swing while at sea, and often used to describe a storyteller who is exaggerating.

swinging the lead

1.  Measuring the depth of water beneath a ship using a lead-weighted sounding line. Regarded as a relatively easy job.

2.  Feigning illness, etc., in order to avoid a difficult job.

swinging the ship

Turning the ship and steadying her on various headings while taking bearings on reference points to measure the accuracy of her magnetic compass. Essentially synonymous with swinging the compass (q.v.).

References

Sources

• Admiralty Manual of Seamanship BR 67(1). 1 (Consolidated Edition 1972 ed.). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1972. ISBN 0117709735. 
• Manual of Seamanship: Volume 1. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1937. 
• Benham, Hervey; Finch, Roger; Kershaw, Philip (1986). Down tops'l: the story of the East Coast sailing-barges (3rd ed.). London: Harrap. ISBN 0245544879. 
• Bennett, Jenny (2005). Sailing Rigs, an Illustrated Guide. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-243-7. 
• Biddlecombe, George (1990). The art of rigging: containing an explanation of terms and phrases and the progressive method of rigging expressly adapted for sailing ships. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0486263436.  (1848 edition)
• Carr, Frank (1951). Sailing Barges (Revised ed.). London: Peter Davies. 
• Kammen, Michael G. (2017). A Machine That Would Go of Itself: The Constitution in American Culture. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-4128-0583-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=_x4uDwAAQBAJ. 
• Karamanski, Theodore J. (2000). Schooner Passage: Sailing Ships and the Lake Michigan Frontier. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 081432911X. 
• Mayne, Richard (2000). The Language of Sailing. Chicago, Ill: Fitzroy Dearborn; Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1-57958-278-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=Fp63wWByImQC. 
• Palmer, Joseph (1975). Jane's Dictionary of Naval Terms. London: Macdonald and Janes. ISBN 0-356-08258-X. 
• Steffy, J. Richard (2013). "Illustrated Glossary of Ship and Boat Terms". in Catsambis, Alexis. The Oxford Handbook of Maritime Archaeology (Oxford Handbooks). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-537517-6. https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199336005.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199336005-e-48. 
• Underhill, Harold (1952). Deep-water sail. Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson, Nautical publishers. 
• Underhill, Harold (1955). Sailing Ships Rigs and Rigging (2nd ed.). Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson, Nautical publishers.