November's Fury: The Deadly Great Lakes Hurricane of 1913

Glossary

glossary aft (or after deck). Back, or stern, section of a vessel. ballast. Added weight, usually lake water, to lower a boat in the water and add stability. ballast pumps. Pumps that remove water from a boat’s ballast tanks. ballast tanks. Large, watertight storage tanks below the cargo hold, on the starboard and port sides of the boat, in which ballast is stored. barge. A vessel, usually without power, that carries cargo and is towed by another vessel. beam. The width of a vessel at its broadest point. boat. Great Lakes vessels are usually referred to as “boats”; ocean-going vessels are referred to as “ships.” boatswain (or bos’n). The crewman in charge of a vessel’s anchors and rigging. bow. Front, or forward section, of a boat. breakwall. A stone, man-made wall designed to protect a harbor from heavy seas. bulkhead. Partition that divides sections of a vessel’s hull. buoy. A cautionary marker warning other boats of shallow water, objects in the water, and other problems or dangers. capsize. To roll onto a side or turn over. 178 GLoSSA rY captain (or master). Commander, or chief officer, of a boat. chadburn. A communications device (named after its inventor) that connects the pilothouse and the engine room. chief engineer. Crewman in charge of a boat’s engine. deck. The flat surface of a vessel. draft. Depth of a boat’s hull beneath the waterline. fantail. The overhang of a vessel’s stern. fathom. A measurement of depth equal to six feet. first mate. The second in command of a boat. flotsam. Floating debris or wreckage. fore (or foredeck). Forward, or bow, section of a boat. founder. To fill with water and sink. galley. A vessel’s kitchen. green water. Solidwater, ratherthan spray,washing overthe decks of a boat. grounding. Striking bottom, or running completely aground. hatch coamings. Raised rims around the hatch openings onwhich the hatch covers are fitted. hatch covers. Large, flat sheets of steel (or wood, in older boats) that cover the hatch coamings and prevent water from entering the cargo hold. hatches. Openings in a boat’s spar deck, through which cargo is loaded. hawse pipe. The anchor chain passage. hold. The large area of a boat in which cargo is stored. hull. Main body of a boat, on which the decks and superstructures are built. keel. Backbone of a boat (running the entire length of a boat), on which the framework of the vessel is built. keelson. Reinforced “ribs” of a boat, attached to the keel. lee. The protected side of a vessel, away from the direction of the wind. light. A vessel is traveling “light” if not carrying cargo. lightship. A small vessel, equipped with a warning light, anchored to the floor of the lake and designed to be a floating lighthouse. list. A boat’s leaning or tipping to one side. master (or skipper). The captain or commander of a vessel. pilothouse (or wheelhouse). Enclosed uppermost deck on a boat in which the wheel and map room are located. poop deck. Highest deck at the stern, where lifeboats are stored. port. Left side of a boat when one is facing the bow. screw. A boat’s propeller. shoal. Shallow area of water, usually marked by a sandbar, reef, or rising lake floor. GLoSSA rY 179 shoaling. Striking, or bottoming out, against the bottom of a shallow area of water. Soo. Common term for the locks at Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. spar deck (or weather deck). Deck where the hatches are located. starboard. Right side of a boat when one is facing the bow. stern. Back, or after section, of a boat. steward. Boat’s cook. superstructure. Structures and cabins built above the hull of a boat. texas. The deck, just beneath or behind the pilothouse, containing the captain ’s and mate’s quarters. wheelsman. Crew member who steers a boat. windlass. Machine to lift anchors. working. A boat’s twisting, springing, and flexing in heavy seas. ...