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GLOSSARY abaft Toward stern. aft At, in, or toward the stern. amidships In or toward the middle of a ship, or the part midway between stem and stern. barge An unpowered vessel used for transporting freight. bateau (pl. bateaux) A light boat, especially one having a flat bottom and tapering ends. beam The side of a vessel, or the direction at right angles to the keel. “On her beam ends” So far inclined on one side that the deck beams are practically vertical. bilge In general, the bottom of a ship. Specifically, the “corner” where the bottom meets the side. boiler Steam generator. Large iron drum to create steam to drive machinery. boom (n.) A long pole or spar used to extend the foot of certain sails; a spar or beam projecting from the mast of a derrick, supporting or guiding the weights to be lifted; (v.) to confine floating timber. booming tug Tugboat used to pull rafts of logs in booms. bow Front of a ship. bowsprit A large spar projecting forward from the bow of a ship. breeches buoy A lifesaving device using a harness suspended from overhead lines to lift survivors from shipwrecks. The lines are fired out to the wreck with a Lyle Gun. bridge A raised platform from side to side of a ship above the rail, for the officer in charge. brig A two-masted vessel square-rigged on both masts. cableshackle Used to join lengths of cable, “U” shaped with a pin to close the open end. car ferry A ship built specifically to transport railroad cars or automobiles in the hold. catwalk Narrow walkways on piers or on a vessel. centerboard Relatively thin board that can be lowered through the keel, used to counteract the tendency of a sailing ship to move sideways. clipper schooner Type of schooner with sharp lines and speed of a clipper ship with the flatbottom design and cargo-carrying capacity of a schooner. crosstree One of the horizontal transverse pieces of timber or metal fastened to the head of a lower mast or topmast to support the top, spread the shrouds, etc. davit Small fixed derrick used to raise and swing out lifeboats. dockwalloper (slang) A laborer about docks or wharves. downbound (on the Great Lakes) Heading out of the lakes’ system. On Lake Michigan, a ship traveling downbound would be headed north. 193 Glossary draft The depth a vessel sinks in water. drop keel See centerboard. fly A signal pennant. fore-and-aft Running in a back-to-front direction. Schooner rigged, as opposed to square-rigged sailing vessel. forecastle (or fo’c’sle) Raised portion of a ship’s bow, used mainly for crew quarters in nineteenthcentury vessels. foremast The mast nearest the bow of a ship. foresail The principal sail on the foremast of a schooner. foreyard The lower yard on the foremast. founder To fill and sink; to swamp. Fresnel lens A large lens with a surface composed of many small lenses arranged to focus light on a single point. The order of lenses range from first order (largest) to seventh order. Great Lakes lighthouses used second- to fifth-order lenses. hatch Deck opening, usually for loading cargo. hawser Anchor line or towing line; heavy rope, cable, or chain. heel (v.) To lean to one side; to cant; tilt. hold Portion of ship’s hull used for carrying and stowing cargo. hooker/lumber hooker A ship especially designed for transporting wood and wood products. hooks Anchors. hull The frame or body of a ship, exclusive of masts, yards, sails, and rigging. hurricane deck The highest deck. jibe To shift from one side to the other when running before the wind, as a fore-and-aft sail or its boom; to alter the course so that the sail shifts in this manner. jib sail Headsail. Small triangular sail carried forward of ship’s foremast. keel The backbone of a ship. A girder that runs down the centerline in a ship’s bottom. lee The side or part that is sheltered or turned away from the wind. lifeboat A boat, provisioned and equipped for abandoning ship, carried in davits so it may be lowered quickly. light (as in “sailing light”) Without cargo. lighter (v.) To remove cargo. log boom String of logs tied end-to-end for enclosure of a log raft. master A ship’s captain. mate A captain’s assistant. mizzenmast Third mast in a three-masted sailing vessel...

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