Types of vessel
Brig or brigantine – A two-masted, square-rigged, wide-decked sea-going vessel of various sizes. The ‘Aphrodite’ brig has a mixture of two rigs: square sails on the main and schooner rig on the mizzen (rearmost) mast.
Cutter – A single-masted vessel, fore and aft rigged, with ‘sharp’ hull and extended bowsprit flying one or two jibs.
East Indiaman – Any vessel hired or owned by the East India Company. The largest were those employed exclusively by the Company, known as a ‘regular berth’. These were well armed and carried large crews for their defence. They were often seconded by the government to support the navy in times of war.
Galleon – A old term that was used to describe a large vessel with a characteristic very high stern and low bow. This design was first developed by the Portuguese and Spanish as ocean-going ships. The names later became synonymous with treasure (plate) ships.
Galley – A sailing vessel pierced for sweeps (large oars) that could propel the vessel in light airs. These required large numbers of crewmen. This use of the term dies out by the mid-eighteenth century. In the Mediterranean, it also describes the very low freeboard vessels primarily driven by banks of oars manned by slaves or convicts.
Lugger – A small two-masted vessel with lug square sails that can be set to work high to windward. Much favoured by smugglers and inshore privateers.
Schooner – A ‘fore-and-aft’ rigged vessel, commonly deployed in American and West Indian waters.
Ship – A three-masted, all square sail, decked vessel.
Sloop – The general term for small single-decked vessels, usually singled-masted and without cutter bow or extended bowsprit.
Snow – A variation of the brig rig where the mizzen mast has a separate upright pole attached, from which the trysail is set without a lower boom yard.
Yacht – A decked hull with superior passenger accommodation, originally of Dutch design, which was dedicated to the conveyance of an important person or persons.
Yawl – A small two-masted vessel where the mizzen mast is stepped behind the tiller.
Sailing terms
Careening – Beaching a lightened vessel at high tide after which she is hauled over on one side for cleaning. A particularly important piece of maintenance in tropical waters, where the boring worm quickly destroys a hull if not burned off.
Flotta – The annual convoy of Spanish and Portuguese treasure ships crossing the Atlantic from the ‘New’ to the ‘Old’ World.
Forecastle (pronounced fo’c’sle) – The forward superstructure of a vessel where most of the ordinary crew have their bunks.
Jury-rigged – Temporary repairs made to a vessel after losing a mast or masts that allowed her to get under way again. This usually involved lashing spars to what was left of the mast so that a sail could be hoisted.
Kedging – Hauling a grounded vessel off by her own anchor. This involved rowing the anchor lashed to her long-boat out to deeper water. After it was dropped, the crew on board the vessel would haul her up by the cable, using the capstan.
Letter of Marque – A legal document granted to a master to act as a privateer in times of war. This allowed him the right to seize the merchant vessels of a specified enemy by force. These impressive documents were issued by the Admiralty after the master had given bond as to his good conduct during the cruise.
Prize – A vessel condemned in the Prize Court of the Admiralty as legally taken in times of war by a naval commander or a master of a commissioned privateer.
Privateer – A private vessel commissioned by a ‘Letter of Marque’ to take the merchant vessels of a named enemy state in wartime. When at war with more than one state, the master was required to carry a number of ‘letters’, each covering a specified nationality of combatant.
Purser – A person appointed by the owners of the vessel to oversee the financial aspects of her maintenance and seamen’s wages and victuals. He was also responsible for collecting passenger fees and allocating berths.
Supercargo – A person appointed by the owners of a cargo to trade on their behalf. He normally had experience in stocktaking and bookkeeping. While he had no say in the daily handling of the vessel, he usually decided which ports would-be visited in a trading venture. In extended voyages he normally took a ‘second supercargo’ (usually a trainee) and clerk with him.
Tacking – Working a sailing vessel upwind by a series of zig-zag manoeuvres.
Tons – At this time, a vessel’s size was always referred to by her ‘tons burthen’ (carrying capacity in the hold). There was no concept of displacement tonnage until the nineteenth century.
General terms & money
Bombo – A drink made with lime juice and raw sugar cane boiled together, into which a spirit was usually added.
Cutlass – A heavy curved cleaving blade with hand-guard, much favoured by pirates and ordinary seamen.
Guinea – A large English (British after 1707) gold coin named after the African source of gold dust.
Hanger – A short sword favoured by gentlemen.
Moidore – A large Portuguese gold coin.
Pagoda – A large Indian gold coin minted at Madras.
Pieces of eight – A large Spanish silver coin worth eight ‘reals’ produced in vast numbers at their South American mints.
Plate – A generic term for gold and silver bullion in all its forms, coins and bars.
Punch – A mixture of spirits (usually rum) and raw sugar cane boiled up and served in a bowl.
Swivel cannon – A small cannon that was mounted along the deck rail of a vessel which usually fired a pound weight of grapeshot.
Trade goods – Those items made specifically to meet the requirements of a local native market. Trade guns were particularly crude in their manufacture.