HARNESS CASK

A large usually round tub lashed to a vessel's deck and containing dried and salted provisions for daily use.

harness_cask deck round

Related Terms

ORANGE-PEEL BUCKET

A type of grab bucket that is multileaved and generally round in configuration.

orange-peel_bucket round bucket grab grab_bucket

MAIN FIRING

The firing of a round of shots by means of current supplied by a transformer fed from a main power supply.

main_firing firing round current main power

A laser interferometer system that detects seismic strains in the earth by measuring changes in distance between two granite piers located at opposite ends of an evacuated pipe through which a helium-neon or other laser beam makes a round trip; movements as small as 80 nanometers (one-eighth the wavelength of the 632.8-nanometer helium-neon laser radiation).

laser_seismometer round pipe interferometer laser system distance two wavelength beam earth

ANCHOR BALL

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

anchor_ball vessel round shape

GUNWALE

The upper edge of the hull. The top timber on the rail round the outer edge of the deck.

gunwale hull deck round top edge rail

NIPPER

A Short rope used to bind a cable to the 'messenger' (a moving line propelled by the capstan) so that the cable is dragged along too (used where the cable is too large to be wrapped round the capstan itself). During the raising of an anchor the nippers were attached and detached from the (endless) messenger by the ship's boys. Hence the term for small boys: 'nippers'.

nipper messenger capstan rope anchor cable line round moving short

PORTHOLE OR PORT

An opening in a ship's side, esp. a round one for admitting light and air, fitted with thick glass and, often, a hinged metal cover, a window.

porthole_or_port opening light metal round

SWIGGING

Taking 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.

swigging rope anchor line round cleat slack anchor_line bit turn

CIRCUMFERENCE

1. The boundary line of a circle or other closed plane curve or the outer limits of a sphere or other round body. 2. The length of the boundary line of a circle or closed plane curve or of the outer limits of a sphere or other rounded body. The circumference of a sphere is the circumference of any great circle on the sphere.

circumference length line circle round boundary closed curve great_circle limits plane sphere

VEERING WIND

When a wind blows round clockwise; opposite of backing

veering_wind wind round backing