BY FREDERICK M. HOCKER
abaft (prep.): behind.
aft (adv.): toward the stern.
amidships (adv.): in the middle of the vessel, midway between bow and stern or at the widest part of the vessel.
aphlaston (n.): curving ornament at the head of the sternpost; such an ornament is typical of Classical warships.
apical rope groove (n.): groove found at the apex of a stone anchor, used to seat the anchor rope.
astern (adv. or prep.): behind the vessel.
athwartships (adv.): lying or running in a direction across the vessel, at a right angle to the centerline.
backstay (n.): a stay (q.v.) running aft from the head of the mast to provide longitudinal support to the mast. The stay can be belayed on the centerline, often by attachment to the sternpost, or it can lead to one side. If the latter, there are normally pairs of backstays to balance the lateral stress.
baldachin (n.): a simple canopy, normally consisting of a curved roof supported on four pillars, typically found on Egyptian craft, where they are often used to shelter important persons. The baldachin may be fixed or portable.
ballast (n.): dense material, typically stone, placed low in the hold of a vessel to lower the center of gravity and increase stability.
batten (n.): thin strip of wood or fiber placed against the inner surface of planking at a seam, either to cushion seam ligatures or to act as caulking.
beam (n.): (1) width of a vessel amidships or at the widest point. Extreme beam is the overall width to the outside of planking, wales, rubrails, and so on, while molded beam is the width to the inside surface of the planking. (2) A transverse timber, straight or crowned, fastened at its ends to the sides of the hull: beams can act as thwarts or support decks.
beam shelf (n.): a stringer (q.v.) that supports the ends of deck beams.
belaying pin (n.): wooden pin for the temporary attachment of the free end of an element of the running rigging.
bireme (n.): a rowed vessel with two banks of oars on each side. In ancient biremes, the two banks were set at different levels.
boom (n.): spar used to spread the foot of a sail.
boom-footed rig (n.): type of square rig, common on certain ships of the Bronze Age, in which the foot of the sail is attached to a boom.
bow (n.): the end of the vessel toward the normal direction of travel; the “front” end.
bow patch (n.): circular, spoked device seen on the upper hull at the bow of Geometric ship representations.
brace (n.): element of the running rigging (q.v.) attached to the yardarm (q.v.) to adjust the angle of a square sail to the wind. They are used in pairs, one on each yardarm.
brail (or brailing line) (n.): line used to gather up a sail. In ancient square rigs, a number of brails were used to control the shape of the sail and trim it to suit the point of sail and existing wind conditions.
brailing fairlead (n.): ring, grommet, eye, or loop attached to the yard or sail to guide a brailing line.
bulwarks (n.): the topsides above the deck: may consist of a planked continuation of the side or may be only lightly planked or open.
butt end (n.): squared, unscarfed end of a timber, such as a plank or beam.
butt joint (n.): joint between the ends of two members in which neither member is scarfed or notched to receive the other; the timbers meet at butt ends.
caprail (n.): a railing atop the sheerstrake or bulwarks, normally defining the upper edge of the side of the vessel.
carling (n.): a longitudinal timber fixed to the beams but not to the sides of the vessel. It may be continuous or consist of short pieces between adjacent beams.
ceiling (n.): planking over the inboard surface of the frames.
chine (n.): angular join of bottom to side instead of a rounded bilge.
clamp (n.): a heavy stringer (q.v.) normally set opposite a wale. A clamp often supports deck beams, in which case it may be called a deck clamp. See also beam shelf.
cleat (n.): (1) small block of wood, nailed to the surface of another timber either as a fastening or a stop. (2) A block of wood with horns or ears, used for the belaying of running rigging.
clew (n.): either corner at the foot of a square sail (q.v.) or the after corner of a fore-and-aft sail (q.v.).
coracle (n.): small boat of wicker frame covered with animal hide.
crow’s nest (n.): small platform attached to the mast near its head, used by lookouts, archers, or slingers as a vantage point.
crutch (n.): stanchion or prop that supports long spars, such as mast and yard, when they are not in use.
cutwater bow (n.): bow with a projecting forefoot somewhat resembling a waterline ram but not normally used as a weapon.
deck (n.): approximately horizontal platform across the interior of the hull, normally constructed of a layer of longitudinal planks fastened to or resting on a series of transverse beams.
deck beam (n.): a beam that supports a deck.
dieres (n., Greek): an oared vessel rowed by two groups of men: normally assumed to be synonymous with bireme (q.v.).
dovetail joint (n.): rigid joint, frequently used where two members join at a right angle, in which the end of one member is formed into a flared, shouldered face tenon that fits into a matching face mortise in the longitudinal edge of the second member.
dowel (n.): a wooden rod. In structural terms, it is used to align two timbers, normally edge-to-edge.
dugout (n.): a vessel carved from a solid log, normally in one piece. Extended dugouts have pieces, such as side planks, added to the dugout base; expanded dugouts are broadened by softening and spreading the sides of the hull.
edge-joined (adj.): joined edge-to-edge. Refers here to several methods of ancient Mediterranean hull construction in which adjacent planks were fastened to each other, either by lashing or wooden tenons, passing through their common edges.
floor (n.): the bottom of the vessel amidships.
floor timber (n., sometimes abbreviated to floor): the central component of a frame that crosses the keel (thus spanning the floor).
foot (of a sail, n.): the lower edge of a sail.
fore (adj.): pertaining to the bow or closer to the bow.
fore-and-aft rig (n.): a sailing rig in which the sail or sails are set with the plane of the sail parallel to the centerline of the ship instead of athwartships.
forecastle (n.): a raised structure built at the bow of a vessel.
forestay (n.): stay (q.v.) running forward from the head of the mast to provide longitudinal support to the mast. It is often attached at its lower end to the stem.
frame (n., also timber): a transverse reinforcing member, made up of one or more components, fastened to the interior surface of the exterior hull planking and sometimes to the keel.
furl (v.): to bundle up a sail when it is not is use. Square sails are often folded or rolled up and tied to the yard.
galley (n.): large seagoing vessel propelled primarily by oars.
gangway (n.): a narrow deck running either along the side of the vessel or down the centerline to connect small decks at the ends of the ship. It is often used on vessels with open holds or oared ships to allow the sailing crew to move around the ship.
garboard (n.): the strake nearest the keel, or the lowest side strake in some flat-bottomed vessels, such as the Cheops ship.
gripe (n.): a projecting fin, either part of or attached to the forward face of the stem below the waterline.
grommet (n.): loop made of rope or leather. It has many uses, such as for oarlocks or brailing rings.
halyard (n.): line for hoisting and lowering a sail: can be attached either directly to the sail or to a spar, such as a yard.
hawser (n.): heavy rope, normally used for mooring.
head (of a sail, n.): the upper edge of a sail.
helm (n.): the apparatus for steering the ship, as well as (more abstractly) the steering quality of the ship.
helmsman (n.): the crew member steering the vessel. This may be an official rank or position, or it may be just one of the many tasks performed by all members of a small crew in rotation.
hog (n. and v.): vertical distortion of the hull in which the ends droop and the middle rises.
hogging truss (n.): an arrangement of ropes (and sometimes props) connecting the ends of the ship and pulling them up, to counteract hogging.
hull (n.): the body of the vessel, consisting of the structural timbers that give the ship its shape and strength but excluding rigging, fittings such as windlasses, and the contents of the hold.
interscalmium (n. Latin, “between tholes”): the distance between thole pins or oarlocks in a rowed vessel.
joggle (v.): to cut a step, or a series of steps, in a timber to fit another; commonly used in ancient Egyptian ship construction.
kedge (v.): to pull a vessel through the water by carrying an anchor away from the vessel, dropping it, and hauling the vessel up to the anchor. This is most commonly done when the vessel is becalmed or in an attempt to free a grounded vessel. In later times, some vessels carried a special anchor, called a kedge anchor, designed specifically for this purpose.
keel (n.): central backbone timber, of sufficient cross-sectional area to offer significant longitudinal strength to the hull. In most cases, a portion of it projects below the bottom planking and offers lateral resistance.
keel plank (also plank keel, n.): centerline strake, often thicker than the adjoining garboards but not stiff enough to be considered a true keel.
keelson (n.): an internal centerline timber lying atop the frames, of sufficient length, cross-sectional area, and rigid fastening to add significantly to the longitudinal stiffness of the hull. The maststep may be cut into the keelson, or it may be a separate timber fastened to the upper surface of the timber.
L-shaped lashing mortise (n.): a lashing mortise (q.v.) in which one end of the mortise exits the interior plank surface and the other exits the plank edge.
lanyard (n.): (1) a length of light-to-medium line used for tightening stays. (2) A short length of light line attached to a small, portable object to prevent its being lost.
lashed construction (n.): the joining of structural components by wrapping them with several passes of rope or cord. This is also applied to a style of Egyptian shipbuilding in which planks are fastened to each other by several turns of heavy cord passing through a common mortise or series of common mortises. See sewn construction.
lashing mortise (n.): a mortise, open at both ends, through which lashing ropes or cords pass.
lateen rig (n.): a fore-and-aft rig (q.v.) in which a triangular sail is set on a diagonal yard raised on a mast.
launch (n.): a small boat, often used as a ship’s boat.
leech (n.): the leeward edge of a sail. On a fore-and-aft sail it is always the after edge, but it may be either edge of a square sail, depending on how the sail is trimmed.
leeward (adv.): the side of a vessel or object that is away from the wind.
lift (n.): a line supporting the weight of a yard or a boom, normally running from the masthead to the yardarm, but may run to another part of the yard. See running lift, standing lift.
line (n.): rope or cord, especially a piece of cordage set up to do a specific job on board ship.
loom (n.): the part of an oar, usually square or cylindrical in section, between the blade and the handle.
luff (n.): the leading or windward edge of a sail. On fore-and-aft sails it is always the forward edge, but it may be either edge of a square sail, depending on how the sail is trimmed. (v.): to sail too high into the wind, so that the leading edge (luff) of the sail ceases to work effectively and starts to tremble or flap.
mast (n.): vertical spar fixed to the hull to carry sails, either directly or attached to other, movable spars.
mast cap (n.): a fitting attached to the head of the mast and supporting a number of sheaves, slots, or rings for rigging, such as lifts (q.v.). Such fittings were used on some Bronze Age vessels to handle the large number of lifts and other lines associated with certain versions of the square rig. See truck.
masthead (n.): the uppermost portion of the mast, above the highest position of the uppermost sail or yard. This area is used for the attachment of stays and other rigging.
mast partner (n.): a structure at deck level (or above the step in undecked vessels) to support the mast. The partner is primarily a transverse support but can also be used as a longitudinal support. The partner, combined with the rigging, transmits most of the driving force of the sail to the hull.
maststep (n.): a mortise to house the heel of a mast and/or the timber into which it is cut.
midships (adj): located or pertaining to amidships, as in the midships section.
monoxylon (n.): a dugout (q.v.) carved from a single tree.
moor (v.): to secure a vessel, temporarily or semipermanently, either by anchoring or by tying to other structures, such as a pier or wharf.
mortise-and-tenon joint (n.): an edge-to-edge planking fastening commonly used in the ancient Mediterranean. Each joint consists of a free tenon housed in mortises in opposing edges of a seam: in its fully developed form, the tenon is locked into each plank by a wooden peg driven through plank and tenon.
nuggar (n.): a small to medium-sized Nile vessel of the historic period characterized by edge-fastened planking and the absence of internal framing.
oar (n.): a long, narrow piece of wood having a broad blade at one end and a handle at the other, supported in a fixed mounting, such as a thole (q.v.) or oarlock (q.v.), and used to propel a vessel by pulling or pushing the handle, causing the blade to push against the water.
oarlock (n.): a mounting for an oar characterized by a vertical member both before and abaft the oar. In modern vessels, the oarlock is a U-shaped casting that pivots with the oar, but in older watercraft an oarlock can be as simple as a pair of thole pins.
oculus (n.): device in the form of an eye, often used as a decorative or apotropaic element on watercraft.
outrigger (n.): any structure that extends off one or both sides of a vessel. Such structures may support pontoons for added stability, as on Polynesian canoes, or tholes, as on modern rowing shells.
papyriform (adj.): having the shape of a bundle of papyrus reeds: normally used to describe Egyptian wooden vessels built in the same general shape as Nilotic reed rafts.
penteconter (n.): an ancient Greek warship rowed by fifty men, arranged in twenty-five pairs on a single level.
port (adj. or adv.): left side when facing forward.
protokeel (n.): a longitudinal centerline timber having some of the characteristics of a true keel (such as substantially greater scantlings than the adjoining planking) but lacking others (such as firm attachment to the rest of the hull structure).
quarter (n.): the side of the vessel at the stern.
quarter rudder (n.): a rudder (q.v.) instead of a steering oar (q.v.) fixed to the side of the hull at the stern; i.e., on the quarter (q.v.).
refit (v.): to repair or overhaul a vessel in a thorough, systematic way, often incorporating modifications and improvements.
rigging (n.): the system of cordage fitted to spars and sails to support and control them.
rowlock (n.): see oarlock.
running lift (n.): a lift (q.v.) that can be adjusted to support the weight of a yard or boom at any position.
running rigging (n.): lines attached to spars and sails that can be easily hauled or slacked to adjust the height and attitude of sails and spars.
scarf (n.): a joint in which timbers with parallel axes overlap longitudinally.
sewn construction (n.): any of a number of construction methods in which adjacent planks are fastened together by fiber stitching. The stitching may be continuous along the seam (in the manner of garment sewing), or it may consist of individual ligatures (in the manner of medical sutures).
sheave (n.): a pulley, set either in a separate housing (a block) or in a slot in a spar or hull component.
sheer (n.): the upper edge of the uppermost continuous strake of exterior planking. In many smaller vessels, this is the upper edge of the side. In larger vessels, the sheer, sometimes called the planksheer, may be below the bulwarks and other upper works. See sheerstrake.
sheerstrake (n.): the uppermost continuous strake of structurally significant planking; on vessels with light bulwarks, the sheerstrake may actually be at deck level.
sheet (n.): line attached to the clew (q.v.) of a sail and used for trimming the sail.
shell-based construction (n.): hull construction methods in which the shell of planking plays the primary role in determining the shape of the hull and provides the greater share of structural strength. Most ancient methods of construction were shell-based.
shell-first construction (n.): hull construction methods in which the shell of planking is the first major component erected, generally after the keel. The finished hull may be shell- or skeleton-based.
shroud (n.): a stay (q.v.) that provides transverse support to a mast; it runs from the masthead to the vessel’s side.
sidereal compass (n.): a method of determining direction from the positions of rising and setting stars.
skeleton-based construction (n.): hull construction methods in which an internal framework, usually consisting of frames and stringers (q.v.), plays the primary role in determining the shape of the hull and provides the greater share of structural strength. Most ancient methods of construction evolved toward skeleton-based methods.
skeleton-first construction (n.): hull construction methods in which an internal framework is the first major component erected, generally after the keel. Such hulls are usually, but not always, skeleton-based.
Spanish windlass (n.): a device for exerting tension by twisting ropes strung between two fixed points.
spinnaker (n.): a large, baggy, triangular sail on modern yachts, set forward when sailing before the wind.
square sail (n.): a sail, normally set on a yard (q.v.) at right angles to the centerline of the vessel.
stanchion (n.): a vertical post supporting a load above.
standing lift (n.): a lift (q.v.) of fixed length that supports the weight of a yard or boom in only one position, generally when the yard is lowered.
standing rigging (n.): rigging of more or less fixed length, used to support a spar in a certain position. Although it may be adjusted slightly in use, it is not commonly hauled, slacked, or belayed with every change of sail.
starboard (adj. or adv): right side when facing forward.
stave (n.): one of the long, narrow pieces of wood used to build a cask or barrel. The term also applies to wooden members used in other forms of similar construction.
stay (n.): an element of the standing rigging (q.v.) that supports a mast. See forestay, backstay, shroud.
steering oar (n.): an oar used for steering. It pivots on a thole or oarlock and is used by sweeping it through the water to push one end of the vessel across the line of travel. It is less efficient than a rudder.
stem (n.): the upright backbone timber rising from the forward end of the keel or keel plank. It may denote either the specific timber into which the plank hooding ends are rabbeted in a complex assembly or the entire assembly.
stern (n.): the end of the vessel away from the normal direction of travel; the “back” end.
sternpost (n.): the upright backbone timber rising from the after end of the keel (keel plank). It may denote either the specific timber into which the plank hooding ends are rabbeted in a complex assembly or the entire assembly.
strake (n.): a continuous run of planking, made up of one or more planks joined or butted end-to-end.
stringer (n.): a heavy longitudinal timber, such as a clamp, on the interior of the vessel.
sweep (n.): a long, heavy oar, typically operated by two or more men.
tabernacle (n.): a mast partner (q.v.) designed to allow the mast to be stepped and struck by leaning it forward and backward, respectively.
tenon (n.): a tongue on the end of a member, or a separate element, designed to be housed in a mortise and used to join components.
thole (n.): a fixed pivot point for an oar, generally consisting of a pin or hook fixed to the side of the vessel. The oar may rest either before or abaft the thole.
thole bight (n.): a grommet of rope or leather to attach an oar to a thole. It can serve either to transmit the force of the oar to the hull (if the oar lies before the thole) or simply as a keeper, to prevent the oar from being lost if it is let go.
thole-board (n.): a strake or other longitudinal timber into which the tholes or oarlocks are fitted.
through-beam (n.): a beam (q.v.) that passes completely through the sides of the vessel so that the ends are visible from outboard. This is often done in an attempt to fasten the beam securely to the side by notching it over a wale.
thwart (n.): a simple seat, consisting of a board set athwart-ships. In some vessels, the thwart may also act as a beam (q.v.) if properly fastened to the sides.
tiller (n.): a straight or curved piece fixed at an angle to the head of the rudder to give the helmsman leverage or to allow him to steer when the rudder head is out of normal reach.
toggle (n.): a short wooden bar, often with swelled ends, seized or spliced into the end of a rope to allow another rope, with a loop in its end, to be rapidly attached.
transom (n.): (1) a transverse timber in the stern, crossing the inner face of the sternpost assembly and holding the sides together. Sometimes called a transom timber to distinguish it from the flat, transverse plane forming the sterns of some vessels. (2) A flat, transverse plane forming the stern of the vessel.
treenail (n.): a wooden peg of substantial size used to fasten together two members, such as a plank and a frame.
trieres (n.): Greek oared warship rowed by three groups of oarsmen, probably set at three levels.
truck (n.): a sheave (q.v.), slot, or ring in the head of the mast to take a line for raising and lowering something. See mast cap.
truss (n.): an element designed to exert tension in a structure and provide it with rigidity. In ancient ships, rope trusses were sometimes run between the ends of the hull, either to compress the entire hull and thus increase its strength and rigidity through preloading or to pull the ends up and reduce hogging. See hogging truss.
truss girdle (n.): a girdle of ropes around a hull to hold the hull together or to provide a point of attachment for a truss.
tumble-home (n.): hull shape in which the upper parts of the hull lean inward, toward the centerline.
V-shaped lashing mortise (n.): a lashing mortise (q.v.) in which both ends of the mortise exit the same surface of the plank.
wale (n.): an exceptionally heavy strake.
waterline (n.): the imaginary line on the hull that marks the level of the water surface when the vessel is afloat. Some vessels have a waterline painted on or inscribed in the hull.
webbing (n.): a woven or plaited strap used in place of several turns of lashing in some ancient Egyptian hulls, such as the one at Lisht.
wind rose (n.): a diagram of geographic directions in which a series of points corresponds to the origins of known, prevailing winds. Common wind roses in the West are derived from ancient wind systems that divided the compass into eight or twelve points.
windlass (n.): a mechanical device for multiplying human force in hauling in ropes. It consists of a horizontal barrel of circular or polygonal section set in a fixed mounting, which is turned by bars set in holes in the barrel.
woolding (n.): a binding used to hold together a mast of composite construction.
yard (n.): a spar set athwartships on a mast to support a square sail.
yardarm (n.): the end of the yard, outboard of the sail, where controlling lines such as braces (q.v.) are attached.