This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Glossary of nautical terms" A–L – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th to 19th centuries. The word nautical derives from the Latin nauticus, from Greek nautikos, from nautēs: "sailor", from naus: "ship".

Further information on nautical terminology may also be found at Nautical metaphors in English, and additional military terms are listed in the Multiservice tactical brevity code article. Terms used in other fields associated with bodies of water can be found at Glossary of fishery terms, Glossary of underwater diving terminology, Glossary of rowing terms, and Glossary of meteorology.

This glossary is split into two articles:

• terms starting with the letters A to L are at Glossary of nautical terms (A–L)
• terms starting with the letters M to Z are at Glossary of nautical terms (M–Z).

A

AAW

An acronym for anti-aircraft warfare.

aback

(of a sail) Filled by the wind on the opposite side to the one normally used to move the vessel forward. On a square-rigged ship, any of the square sails can be braced round to be aback, the purpose of which may be to reduce speed (such as when a ship-of-the-line is keeping station with others), to heave to, or to assist moving the ship's head through the eye of the wind when tacking. A sudden shift in the wind can also cause a square-rigged vessel to be unintentionally "caught aback" with all sails aback. This is a dangerous situation that risks serious damage. In a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel, a headsail is backed either by hauling it across with the weather sheet or by tacking without releasing the sheet. It is used to heave to or to assist with tacking.^[1][2] See also back and fill.

abaft

Toward the stern, relative to some object (e.g. "abaft the cockpit").^[3]

abaft the beam

Farther aft than the beam; a relative bearing of greater than 90 degrees from the bow; e.g. "two points abaft the beam, starboard side" would describe "an object lying 22.5 degrees toward the rear of the ship, as measured clockwise from a perpendicular line from the right side, center, of the ship, toward the horizon".^[4]

abandon ship

An imperative to leave the vessel immediately, usually in the face of some imminent overwhelming danger.^[5] It is an order issued by the master or a delegated person in command, and must be a verbal order. It is usually the last resort after all other mitigating actions have failed or become impossible, when destruction or loss of the ship is imminent, and is customarily followed by a command to "man the lifeboats" or life rafts.^[5][6]

abeam

On the beam; a relative bearing at right angles to the ship's keel; e.g. describing an object located at a bearing of 90 degrees (starboard) or 270 degrees (port) as measured clockwise from the ship's bow.^[7]

able seaman (AB)

Also able-bodied seaman.

A merchant seaman qualified to perform all routine duties on a vessel, or a junior rank in some navies.

aboard

On or in a vessel. Synonymous with "on board". See also close aboard.

about

To change the course of a ship by tacking. "Ready about" is the order to prepare for tacking.^[8]

above board

On or above the deck; in plain view; not hiding anything. Pirates would often hide their crews below decks, thereby creating the false impression that an encounter with another ship was a casual matter of chance rather than a planned assault.

above-water hull

The section of a vessel's hull above the waterline; the visible part of a ship. See also topsides.

absentee pennant

A special pennant flown to indicate the absence of a ship's commanding officer, admiral, chief-of-staff, or an officer whose flag is nonetheless flying (a division, squadron, or flotilla commander).

absolute bearing

The bearing of an object in relation to north: either true bearing, using the geographical or true north, or magnetic bearing, using magnetic north. See also bearing and relative bearing.

accommodation ladder

A portable flight of steps down a ship's side.

accommodation ship

Also accommodation hull.

A ship or hull used as housing, generally when there is a lack of quarters available ashore. An operational ship can be used, but more commonly a hull modified for accommodation is used.

Act of Grace

Act of Pardon

A letter from a state or power authorising action by a privateer. See also letter of marque.

action stations

See battle stations.

admiral

A senior naval officer of flag rank. In ascending order of seniority in the Royal Navy: rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral, (until about 2001, when all British five-star ranks were discontinued) admiral of the fleet, and the Lord High Admiral. In the US Navy: rear admiral (lower half), rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral, and (unused since the Second World War) fleet admiral.

admiralty

1.  A high naval authority in charge of a state's navy or a major territorial component. In the Royal Navy (UK), the Board of Admiralty, executing the office of the Lord High Admiral, promulgates naval law in the form of King's Regulations and admiralty instructions.

2.  Another name for admiralty law.

admiralty law

The body of law that deals with maritime cases. In the UK, it is administered by the Admiralty Court, a special court within the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice. The Admiralty Court is now in the Rolls Building.

adrift

1.  Afloat and unattached in any way to the shore or seabed, but not underway. When referring to a vessel, it implies that the vessel is not being or able to be controlled and therefore goes where the wind and current take her; a vessel in this condition may also be described as "loose from her moorings" or "out of place".^[3]

2.  Any gear not fastened down or stored properly.

3.  Any person or thing that is misplaced or missing. When applied to a member of the Navy or Marine Corps, such a person is said to be "absent without leave" (AWOL) or, in US Navy and US Marine Corps terminology, is guilty of an "unauthorized absence" (UA).^[9]

advance note

A note for one month's wages issued to a sailor on his signing a ship's articles.

adviso

See aviso.

afloat

1.  (of a vessel) Floating freely (not aground or sunk). The term may also be used more generally of any floating object or person.

2.  In service, even if not currently underway, but not stranded, crewless, in repair, or under construction (e.g. "the company has 10 ships afloat").

afore

1.  In, on, or toward the fore or front of a vessel.^[3]

2.  In front of a vessel.

aft

1.  Toward the stern or rear of a vessel.^[2] Contrast fore.

2.  The portion of a vessel behind the middle area of the vessel.

afterbrow

On larger ships, a secondary gangway rigged in the area aft of midship. On some military vessels, such as US naval vessels, enlisted personnel below E-7 board the ship at the afterbrow; officers and CPO/SCPO/MCPO board the ship at the brow.^[10]

aftercastle

Also sterncastle.

A stern structure behind the mizzenmast and above the transom on large sailing ships, much larger but less common than a forecastle. The aftercastle houses the captain's cabin and sometimes other cabins and is topped by the poop deck.

afterdeck

The portion of the deck that is aft of amidships.

afternoon watch

The 1200–1600 watch.^[3]

aground

Resting on or touching the ground or land, or the bottom of a body of water (either unintentionally or deliberately, such as in a drying harbour), as opposed to afloat.^[3]

ahead

Forward of the bow.

ahoo

An adjective indicating an un-seamanlike state of disarray. Used to describe something awry, askew, or even round but out of true.^[11] E.g. "What a sad lubberly display is that craft underway! They're still dragging their fenders in the surf, and their sails are all ahoo!".

ahoy

A cry to draw attention. Used to hail a boat or a ship, e.g. "boat ahoy".^[3]

ahull

1.  Lying broadside to the sea.

2.  To ride out a storm with no sails and helm held to leeward.

aid to navigation (ATON)

Also navigational aid.

1. Any device external to a vessel or aircraft specifically intended to assist navigators in determining their position or safe course, or to warn them of dangers or obstructions to navigation.

2.  Any sort of marker that aids a traveler in navigation, especially with regard to nautical or aviation travel. Such aids commonly include lighthouses, buoys, fog signals, and day beacons.

aircraft carrier

Also simply carrier.

A warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft while at sea, thereby acting as a seagoing airbase. Since 1918, the term generally has been limited to a warship with an extensive flight deck designed to operate conventional fixed-wing aircraft. In US Navy slang, also called a "flat top" or a "bird farm".

air draft

air draught

maximum vertical extent of any part of the vessel above the water surface. Clearance required for passing under a bridge.^[12]

aka

Structural section of a vessel that joins the hulls of a multihulled vessel together.

alee

1.  On the lee side of a ship.

2.  To leeward.

all hands

A ship's entire company, including both officers and enlisted personnel.^[3]

all night in

Having no night watches.

all standing

Bringing a person or thing up short; i.e. an unforeseen and sudden stop.^[9]

allision

The impact of a moving vessel with a stationary object (not submerged), such as a bridge abutment or dolphin, pier or wharf, or another vessel made fast to a pier or wharf. More than incidental contact is required. The vessel is said to "allide" with the fixed object and is considered at fault. Contrast collision.

aloft

1.  In the rigging of a sailing ship.^[3]

2.  Above the ship's uppermost solid structure.^[3]

3.  Overhead or high above.

alongside

By the side of a ship or pier.^[3]

ama

A secondary hull or float attached to the primary hull of a vessel for stability, or the hulls of a modern catamaran.

amidships

1.  A position half way along the length of a ship or boat.^[13]

2.  A position half way between the port and starboard sides of a ship or boat, as in "helm amidships", when the rudder is in line with the keel.^[13]

ammunition ship

A naval auxiliary ship specifically configured to carry ammunition, usually for combatant ships and aircraft.

amphibious warfare ship

A wide variety of warships designed to land and support marines and ground forces in an amphibious assault. Amphibious warfare ships range in size and capability from large oceangoing ships, some with full-length flight decks, to small vessels designed to land personnel and equipment directly onto a beach.

anchor

1.  Any object designed to prevent or slow the drift of a ship, attached to the ship by a line or chain; usually a metal, hook, or plough-like object designed to grip the solid seabed under the body of water. See also sea anchor.^[3]

2.  To deploy an anchor (e.g. "she anchored offshore").^[3]

anchor ball

A round, black shape hoisted in the forepart of a vessel to show that it is anchored.

anchor buoy

A small buoy secured to a line attached to the crown of an anchor. The line allows the anchor to be unhooked from an obstruction, such as a rock or another vessel's anchor cable, so preventing raising the anchor in the normal way.^[13]

anchor chain

Also anchor cable.

A chain connecting a ship to an anchor.

anchor detail

A group of men who handle ground tackle when the ship is anchoring or getting under way.

anchor home

When the anchor is secured aboard the ship for sea; i.e. when it is not deployed. Typically rests just outside the hawsepipe on the outer side of the hull, at the bow of a vessel.

anchor light

A white light displayed by a ship to indicate that it is at anchor. Two such lights are displayed by a ship over 150 feet (46 m) in length.^[3]

anchor rode

Also simply rode.

The anchor line, rope, or cable connecting the anchor chain to the vessel.

anchor sentinel

Also kellet.

A separate weight on a separate line that is loosely attached to the anchor rode so that it can slide down it easily. It is made fast at a distance slightly longer than the draft of the boat. It is used to prevent the anchor rode from becoming fouled on the keel or other underwater structures when the boat is resting at anchor and moving randomly during slack tide.

anchor watch

The crewmen assigned to take care of a ship while it is anchored or moored, and charged with such duties as making sure that the anchor is holding and the vessel is not drifting. Most marine GPS units have an anchor watch alarm capability.

anchor winch

A horizontal capstan in the bow used for weighing anchor.^[2]

anchorage

Any place suitable for a ship to anchor, often an area of a port or harbor.

anchor's aweigh

Said of an anchor to indicate that it is just clear of the bottom and that the ship is therefore no longer anchored.

Andrew

Traditional lower-deck slang term for the Royal Navy.

anemometer

An instrument used to measure wind speed.

aneroid barometer

An instrument used to measure air pressure, often with the aim of predicting changes in weather.

angle of attack

The angle between the apparent wind and the chord line of the sail.

angle on the bow

A naval submariner's term for the angle between a target's course and the line of sight to the submarine. It is expressed as port or starboard, so never exceeds 180 degrees. This is one of the figures entered into the Torpedo Data Computer that makes all the calculations necessary for a torpedo attack on the target. Not to be confused with doubling the angle on the bow.

answer

The expected response of a vessel to control mechanisms, such as a turn "answering" to the wheel and rudder. "She won't answer" might be the report from a helmsman when turning the wheel under a pilot's order fails to produce the expected change of direction.

anti-rolling tanks

A pair of fluid-filled tanks mounted on opposite sides of a ship below the waterline. The tanks are cross-linked by piping or ducts to allow water to flow between them and at the top by vents or air pipes. The piping is sized so that as the fluid flows from side to side it damps the amount of roll.

anti-submarine net

Also anti-submarine boom.

A heavy underwater net attached to a boom and placed so as to protect a harbor, anchorage, or strait from penetration by submerged submarines.

apeak

More or less vertical. Having the anchor rode or chain as nearly vertical as possible without freeing the anchor.^{[citation needed]}

aport

Toward the port side of a vessel.

apron

A piece of wood fitted to the after side of the stem post and the fore side of the sternpost of a clinker-built boat, where the planking is secured.^[14]

apparent wind

The combination of the true wind and the headwind caused by the boat's forward motion. For example, it causes a light side wind to appear to come from well ahead of the beam.

arc of visibility

The portion of the horizon over which a lighted aid to navigation is visible from seaward.

archboard

A plank along the stern where the name of a ship is commonly painted.^[15]

armament

A ship's complement of weapons.

armor belt

See belt armor.

armory

Area on a warship for storage of small arms and ammunition.

Articles of War

Regulations governing the military and naval forces of the UK and US; read to every ship's company on commissioning and at specified intervals during the commission.

as the crow flies

As measured by a straight line between two points (which might cross land), in the way that a crow or other bird would be capable of traveling rather than a ship, which must go around land. See also great circle.

ASDIC

Purportedly an acronym for Allied Submarine Devices Investigation Committee, and a type of SONAR used by the Allies for detecting submarines during the First and Second World Wars. The term has been generically applied to equipment for "under-water supersonic echo-ranging equipment" of submarines and other vessels.^[16]

ashore

1.  On the beach, shore, or land (as opposed to aboard or on board a vessel).

2.  Towards the shore.

3.  "To run ashore": to collide with the shore (as opposed to "to run aground", which is to strike a submerged feature such as a reef or sandbar).

assembly station

See muster station.

astarboard

Toward the starboard side of a vessel.

astern

1.  Toward the stern or rear of a vessel.

2.  Behind a vessel.

astern gear

The gear or gears that, when engaged with an engine or motor, result in backwards movement or force. Equivalent to reverse in a manual-transmission automobile.

asylum harbour

A harbour used to provide shelter from a storm. See harbor of refuge.

ASW

An acronym for anti-submarine warfare.

Atlantic bow

A raised bow with noticeable sheer and flare introduced in German warships in the late 1930s to improve seakeeping by keeping the forecastle drier and to allow easier operation of weapons.

athwart

athwartships

At right angles to the fore and aft or centerline of a ship.

auxiliary

1.  An engine installed on a sailing vessel to provide mechanical power when entering harbour or in light or contrary winds.

2.  A vessel in naval service but manned entirely or mostly by a civilian crew (as in Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service and Royal Naval Auxiliary Service)^[17]

auxiliary ship

Main article: auxiliary ship

A naval ship designed to operate in any number of roles supporting combatant ships and other naval operations, including a wide range of activities related to replenishment, transport, repair, harbor services and research.

avast

Stop, cease or desist from whatever is being done. From the Dutch hou' vast ("hold on"), the imperative form of vasthouden ("to hold on to") or the Italian word basta.^[9] Compare Ya basta.

aviso

Formerly also adviso.

A kind of dispatch boat or advice boat, surviving particularly in the French Navy. They are considered equivalent to modern sloops.

awash

So low in the water that the water is constantly washing across the surface.

aweigh

The position of an anchor that is just clear of making contact with the bottom.

axial fire

Fire oriented towards the ends of the ship; the opposite of broadside fire. In the Age of Sail, this was known as "raking fire".

aye, aye

(⫽ˌaɪ ˈaɪ⫽) A reply to an order or command to indicate that it, firstly, is heard; and, secondly, is understood and will be carried out (e.g. "Aye, aye, sir" to officers). Also the proper reply from a hailed boat, to indicate that an officer is on board.

azimuth circle

An instrument used to take the bearings of celestial objects.

azimuth compass

An instrument employed for ascertaining the position of the Sun with respect to magnetic north. The azimuth of an object is its bearing from the observer measured as an angle clockwise from true north.

azimuth thruster

A steerable drive leg fitted through the bottom of a hull, carrying a propeller. Compare stern drive and sail drive.

B

B & R rig

A style of standing rigging used on sailboats that lacks a backstay. The mast is said to be supported like a "tripod", with swept-back spreaders and a forestay. Used widely on Hunter brand sailboats, among others. Designed and named by Lars Bergstrom and Sven Ridder.^{[citation needed]}

back

1.  To make a sail fill with wind on the opposite side normally used for sailing forward. A fore and aft headsail is backed by either not moving the sail across when tacking, or by hauling it to windward with the weather sheet. A square sail is backed by hauling the yards round with the braces. The sail is then aback.^[3]

2.  (With oars) to push against the water with the oar in the opposite direction than normally used for moving the boat forward. This is used to slow the speed of the boat, or to move astern when manoeuvring.^[3]

back and fill

A method of keeping a square-rigged vessel under control while drifting with the tide along a narrow channel. The ship lies broadside to the current, with the main topsail backed and the fore and mizzen topsail full: essentially a hove-to position. Selective backing and filling of these sails moves the ship ahead or astern, so allowing it to be kept in the best part of the channel. A jib and the spanker are used to help balance the sail plan. This method cannot be used if the wind is going in the same direction and at the same speed as the tide.^[18]

backstay

A stay or cable, reaching from the mast heads, of the topmast, the topgallant-mast the royal-mast, the skysail-mast to the ship's side abaft the lower rigging; used to support the mast.^[19]

back wash

Water forced astern by the action of the propeller. Also, the receding of waves.

baggywrinkle

A soft covering for standing rigging (such as shrouds and stays) that reduces sail chafing.^[3]

bailer

Any device for removing water that has entered a vessel.

bail out

Tacking away from other boats to obtain clear air. Often used for starting situations.

baldie

A type of Scottish sailboat introduced in 1860, used for fishing. A baldie is carvel-built, with her mast far forward and rigged with a lug sail and sometimes a jib. Some historians believe "Baldie" is a contraction of "Garibaldi", a reference to the Italian general and nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose name was a household word at the time the baldie was introduced.

balance rudder

Not usually a single rudder, but a set of three or four rudders operating together to maneuver a sternwheel steamboat. Placed just forward of the paddlewheels, the effectiveness of the balance rudder is increased by the flow of water generated by the paddles, giving such steamboats a high degree of maneuverability.^[20]

balanced rudder

A rudder with a significant amount of area ahead of the rorational axis, which moves the hydrodynamic centre of the rudder nearer to the rotation axis and reduces the torque required to steer.^[21]

ballast

Heavy material that is placed in a position low in the hull to provide stability. It can be moveable material, such as gravel or stones, permanently or semi-permanently installed, or integral to the hull, such as the (typically) lead or cast-iron ballast keel of a sailing yacht. See also in ballast.^[3]

ballast tank

A compartment which can be filled or partly filled with water, used on ships, submarines and other submersibles to control buoyancy and stability.

Baltimore Clipper

A fast sailing ship – an early form of clipper – built on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard of the United States, especially at Baltimore, Maryland. Popular as merchant ships in both the United States and the United Kingdom by the late 18th century, Baltimore Clippers usually were two-masted schooners or brigantines.

balls to four watch

US Navy slang for the 0000–0400 watch.

bank

A large area of elevated sea floor, deep enough to allow navigation.^[3]

banyan

A traditional Royal Navy term for a day or less of rest and relaxation.

bar

Mass of sand or earth raised above the general seabed depth by the motion of water. Bars are often found at the mouth of rivers or entrances to harbours and can make navigation over them extremely dangerous at some states of tide and current flow, but can also confer tranquility in the inshore waters by acting as a barrier to large waves. See also touch and go and grounding.

bar pilot

A navigator who guides a ship over dangerous sandbars at the mouths of rivers and bays.

barber hauler

A technique of temporarily rigging a sailboat lazy sheet so as to allow the boat to sail closer to the wind; i.e. using the lazy jib sheet to pull the jib closer to the mid line, allowing a point of sail that would otherwise not be achievable.^{[citation needed]}

barbette

1.  A fixed armored enclosure protecting a ship's guns aboard warships without gun turrets, generally taking the form of a ring of armor over which guns mounted on an open-topped rotating turntable could fire, particularly on ships built during the second half of the 19th century.

2.  The inside fixed trunk of a warship's turreted gun-mounting, on which the turret revolves, containing the hoists for shells and cordite from the shell-room and magazine, particularly on ships built after the late 19th century.

barca-longa

A two- or three-masted lugger used for fishing on the coasts of Spain and Portugal and more widely in the Mediterranean Sea in the late 17th and 18th centuries. The British Royal Navy also used them for shore raids and as dispatch boats in the Mediterranean.

bareboat charter

An arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a vessel, whereby the vessel's owner provides no crew or provisions as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel are responsible for crewing and provisioning her.

bare poles

Sailing without any canvas raised, usually in a strong wind.

barge

1.  A towed or self-propelled flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river, canal or coastal transport of heavy goods.

2.  Admiral's barge: A boat at the disposal of an admiral for his or her use as transportation between a larger vessel and the shore, or within a harbor.

barge slip

A specialized docking facility designed to receive a barge or car float that is used to carry wheeled vehicles across a body of water.

bark

An alternate spelling of barque.

barkentine

An alternate spelling of barquentine.

barque

Also spelled bark.

A sailing vessel of three or more masts, with all masts square-rigged except the sternmost, which is fore-and-aft-rigged.

barquentine

Also spelled barkentine.

A sailing vessel with three or more masts, with all masts fore-and-aft-rigged except the foremast, which is square-rigged.

barrack ship

A ship or craft designed to function as a floating barracks for housing military personnel.

barratry

In admiralty law, an act of gross misconduct against a shipowner or a ship's demise charterer by a ship's master or crew that damages the ship or its cargo. Acts of barratry can include desertion, illegal scuttling, theft of the ship or cargo and committing any actions that may not be in the shipowner's or demise charterer's best interests.

barometer

An instrument for measuring air pressure. Used in weather forecasting.

barrelman

A sailor stationed in the crow's nest.

batten

1.  A stiff strip used to support the roach of a sail, increasing the sail area.

2.  Any thin strip of material (wood, plastic, etc.).

batten down the hatches

To prepare for inclement weather by securing the closed cargo hatch covers with wooden battens so as to prevent water from entering from any angle.

battle stations

Also general quarters or action stations.

1. An announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle, imminent damage, or any other emergency (such as a fire).

2.  Specific positions in a naval warship to which one or more crew members are assigned when battle stations is called.

battlecruiser

A type of large capital ship of the first half of the 20th century, similar in size, appearance, and cost to a battleship and typically armed with the same kind of heavy guns, but much more lightly armored (on the scale of a cruiser) and therefore faster than a battleship but more vulnerable to damage.

battleship

A type of large, heavily armored warship of the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, armed with heavy-caliber guns and designed to fight other battleships in a line of battle. It was the successor to the ship-of-the-line used during the Age of Sail.

beach

Or the beach

A term used broadly to refer to land or the shore, and not necessarily literally to a beach. For example, a ship which turns toward the shore can be said to have turned toward the beach, and a person or object on land can be said to be on the beach. See also on the beach.

beaching

Deliberately running a vessel aground so as to load or unload it (as with landing craft), or sometimes to prevent a damaged vessel from sinking or to facilitate repairs below the waterline.

beacon

A lighted or unlighted fixed aid to navigation attached directly to the Earth's surface. Examples include lighthouses and daybeacons.

beakhead

1.  The ram on the prow of a fighting galley of ancient and medieval times.

2.  The protruding part of the foremost section of a sailing ship of the 16th to the 18th centuries, usually ornate, which was used as a working platform by sailors handling the sails of the bowsprit. It also housed the crew's heads (toilets).

beam

The width of a vessel at its widest point, or a point alongside the ship at the midpoint of its length.

beam ends

The sides of a ship. To describe a ship as "on her beam ends" may mean the vessel is literally on her side and possibly about to capsize; more often, the phrase means the vessel is listing 45 degrees or more.

beam reach

Sailing with the wind coming across the vessel's beam. This is normally the fastest point of sail for a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel.

beam sea

A sea in which waves are moving perpendicular to a vessel's course.^[22]

beam wind

A wind blowing perpendicular to a vessel's course.

bear

A large, squared-off stone used with sand for scraping wooden decks clean.

bear down

Also bear away, bear off. See also fall off.

To turn or steer a vessel away from the wind, often with reference to a transit.^[2]

bear up

To turn or steer a vessel into the wind.^[2]

bearing

The horizontal direction of a line of sight between two objects on the surface of the Earth. See also absolute bearing and relative bearing.

beat to quarters

Prepare for battle (in reference to beating a drum to signal the need for battle preparation).

beat to

beting

Sailing as close as possible towards the wind (perhaps only about 60°) in a zig-zag course so as to attain an upwind direction into which it is otherwise impossible to sail directly. See also tacking.

Beaufort scale

A scale describing wind speed, devised by Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort in 1808, in which winds are graded by the effects of their force on the surface of the sea or on a vessel (originally, the amount of sail that a fully rigged frigate could carry).

becalm

To cut off the wind from a sailing vessel, either by the proximity of land or by another vessel.

becalmed

Unable to move due to a lack of wind, said of a sailing vessel; resigned merely to drift with the current rather to move by controlled management of sails.

becket

A short piece of line usually spliced into a circle or with an eye on either end.

before the mast

Literally, the area of a ship before the foremast (the forecastle). Most often used to refer to men whose living quarters are located here: officers were typically quartered in the sternmost areas of the ship (near the quarterdeck), while officer-trainees lived between the two ends of the ship and become known as "midshipmen". Crew members who started out as seamen and then became midshipmen, and later, officers, were said to have gone from "one end of the ship to the other". See also hawsepiper.

belay

1.  To make fast a line around a fitting, usually a cleat or belaying pin.

2.  To secure a climbing person in a similar manner.

3.  An order to halt a current activity or countermand an order prior to execution.

belaying pin

A short movable bar of iron or hard wood to which running rigging may be secured, or "belayed". Belaying pins are inserted in holes in a pin-rail.^[19]

bell

{{defn|

See ship's bell.

bell rope

A short length of line made fast to the clapper of the ship's bell.

bell buoy

A type of buoy with a large bell and hanging hammers that sound by wave action.^[23]

below

On or into a lower deck.

below decks

In or into any of the spaces below the main deck of a vessel.

belt armor

Also armor belt.

A layer of heavy metal armor plated onto or within the outer hull of a warship, typically on battleships, battlecruisers, cruisers and aircraft carriers, usually covering the warship from her main deck down to some distance below the waterline. If built within the hull, rather than forming the outer hull, the belt would be installed at an inclined angle to improve the warship's protection from shells striking the hull.

bend

1.  A knot used to join two ropes or lines. See also hitch.^[2]

2.  To attach a rope to an object.^[2]

3.  Fastening a sail to a yard.^[24]

Bermuda rig

Bermudan rig

A triangular mainsail, without any upper spar, which is hoisted up the mast by a single halyard attached to the head of the sail. This configuration, introduced to Europe about 1920, allows the use of a tall mast, enabling sails to be set higher where wind speed is greater.

Bermuda sloop

A fore-and-aft-rigged sailing vessel with a single mast setting a Bermuda rig mainsail and a single headsail. The Bermuda sloop is a very common type of modern sailing yacht.

berth

1.  A location in a port or harbor used specifically for mooring vessels while not at sea.

2.  A safe margin of distance to be kept by a vessel from another vessel or from an obstruction, hence the phrase "to give a wide berth".^[25]

3.  A bed or sleeping accommodation on a boat or ship.

4.  A job or position of employment on a boat or ship.

best bower

The larger of two anchors carried in the bow; so named as it was the last, "best" hope for anchoring a vessel.

between the devil and the deep blue sea

See devil seam.

between wind and water

The part of a ship's hull that is sometimes submerged and sometimes brought above water by the rolling of the vessel.

bight

1.  A loop in a rope or line – a hitch or knot tied "on the bight" is one tied in the middle of a rope, without access to the ends.^[2]

2.  An indentation in a coastline.

bilander

Also billander or be'landre.

A small European merchant sailing ship with two masts, the mainmast lateen-rigged with a trapezoidal mainsail, and the foremast carrying the conventional square course and square topsail. Used in the Netherlands for coast and canal traffic and occasionally in the North Sea, but more frequently used in the Mediterranean Sea.

bilge

1.  The part of the hull that the ship rests on if it takes the ground; the outer end of the floors. The "turn of the bilge" is the part of the hull that changes from the (approximately) vertical sides of the hull to the more horizontal bottom of the ship.^[26]

2.  (Usually in the plural: "bilges") The compartment at the bottom of the hull of a ship or boat where water collects and must be pumped out of the vessel; the space between the bottom hull planking and the ceiling of the hold.^[2]

3.  To damage the hull in the area of the bilge, usually by grounding or hitting an obstruction.

4.  To fail an academic course ("bilge") or curriculum ("bilge out").

bilge keel

One of a pair of keels on either side of the hull, usually slanted outwards. In yachts, they allow the use of a drying mooring, the boat standing upright on the keels (and often a skeg) when the tide is out.

bilged on her anchor

A ship that has run upon her own anchor such that the anchor cable runs under the hull.

bill

The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or beyond the fluke.

billethead

1.  On smaller vessels, a smaller, non-figural carving, most often a curl of foliage, might be substituted for a figurehead.

2.  A round piece of timber at the bow or stern of a whaleboat, around which the harpoon line is run out when the whale darts off.

Bimini top

An open-front canvas top for the cockpit of a boat, usually supported by a metal frame.

bimmy

A punitive instrument.

binnacle

The stand on which the ship's compass is mounted, usually near the helm, permitting ready reference by the helmsman.

binnacle list

A ship's sick list. The list of men unable to report for duty was given to the officer or mate of the watch by the ship's surgeon. The list was kept at the binnacle.

bird farm

United States Navy slang for an aircraft carrier.

bite

Verb used in reference to a rudder, as in "the rudder begins to bite". When a vessel has steerageway the rudder will act to steer the vessel, i.e. it has enough water flow past it to steer with. Physically this is noticeable with tiller or unassisted wheel steering by the rudder exhibiting resistance to being turned from the straight ahead – this resistance is the rudder "biting" and is how a helmsman first senses that a vessel has acquired steerageway.

bitt

1.  A post or pair of posts mounted on the ship's bow for fastening ropes or cables.

2.  A strong vertical timber or iron fastened through the deck beams that is used for securing ropes or hawsers.^[2]

bitt heads

The tops of two massive timbers that support the windlass on a sailing barge.^[2]

bitter end

The last part or loose end of a rope or cable. The anchor cable is tied to the bitts; when the cable is fully paid out, the bitter end has been reached.

black gang

The engineering crew of the vessel, i.e. crew members who work in the vessel's engine room, fire room and/or boiler room, so called because they would typically be covered in coal dust during the days of coal-fired steamships.

blinker

A search light, used for signaling by code. Usually fitted with a spring controlled shutter.

block

A pulley with one or more sheaves or grooves over which a line is roved. It can be used to change the direction of the line, or in pairs used to form a tackle.^[2]

block, fiddle

A block with two sheaves in the same plane, one being smaller than the other, giving the block a somewhat violin appearance.

block, snatch

A single sheave block with one end of the frame hinged and able to be opened, so as to admit a line other than by forcing an end through the opening.

blockship

A vessel sunk deliberately to block a waterway to prevent the waterway's use by an enemy.

Blue Ensign

A flag flown as an ensign by certain British ships. Prior to 1864, ships of the Royal Navy's Blue Squadron flew it; since the reorganisation of the Royal Navy in 1864 eliminated its naval use, it has been flown instead by British merchant vessels whose officers and crew include a certain prescribed number (which has varied over the years) of retired Royal Navy or Royal Naval Reserve personnel or are commanded by an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve in possession of a government warrant; Royal Research Ships by warrant, regardless of their manning by naval, naval reserve and Merchant Navy personnel; or British-registered yachts belonging to members of certain yacht clubs, although yachts were prohibited from flying the Blue Ensign during World War I and World War II.

Blue Peter

A blue and white flag (the flag for the letter P) hoisted at the foretrucks of ships about to sail. Formerly a white ship on a blue ground, but later a white square on a blue ground.

blue water

1.  That part of the ocean lying more than a few hundred nautical miles from shore, and thus beyond the outer boundary of green water.

2.  More generally, the open ocean or deep sea.

blue-water navy

1.  A navy capable of sustained operations in the open ocean, beyond a few hundred nautical miles from shore.

2.  That portion of a navy capable of sustained operations in the open ocean, beyond a few hundred nautical miles from shore.

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Glossary_of_nautical_terms
Text je dostupný za podmienok Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0 Unported; prípadne za ďalších podmienok. Podrobnejšie informácie nájdete na stránke Podmienky použitia.

---