The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence Part 16

BOW AND QUARTER LINE. See pp. 84, 200.

BOWSPRIT. See "Spars."

BRACES. Ropes by which the yards are turned, so that the wind may strike the sails in the manner desired.

BRING-TO. To bring a vessel's head as near as possible to the direction from which the wind blows; usually with a view to heaving-to, that is, stopping. See heave-to and luff.

BROADSIDE. The whole number of guns carried on one side of a vessel; starboard or port broadside, weather or lee broadside.

CABLE. The heavy rope which was attached to the anchor, and held the s.h.i.+p to it. Cables are now chains, but in the period of this book were always hemp. To veer cable, to let more out, to let the s.h.i.+p go farther from the anchor. To slip the cable, to let it all go overboard, releasing the vessel. Cable's length: 120 fathoms.

CHASE, General. A chase by a fleet, in which, in order to more rapid advance, the places of the vessels in their usual order are not to be observed.

CLOSE-HAULED. See "Course."

COLUMN. See "Line Ahead."

COME UP. A s.h.i.+p comes up, when her bow comes more nearly to the direction of the wind. Used generally when the movement proceeds from some other cause than the movement of the helm. See "Luff."

CONVOY. A body of unarmed or weakly armed vessels, in company with s.h.i.+ps of war.

CONVOY, to. To accompany a number of unarmed vessels, for their protection.

COURSE. The direction of a vessel's movement, with regard to the compa.s.s or to the wind.

Compa.s.s course. The point of the compa.s.s towards which the vessel heads.

Wind courses:

Close-hauled. As nearly in the direction from which the wind blows as is compatible with keeping the sails full; for square-rigged vessels six points. (See "Bearings by Compa.s.s.") For a north wind, the close-hauled courses are east-northeast and west-northwest.

Free. Not close-hauled.

Large. Very free.

Off the wind. Free.

On (or by) the wind. Close-hauled.

COURSES. The lowest sails on the fore and main masts.

CRUISE, to. To cover a certain, portion of sea by movement back and forth over it.

CRUISER. A general term for armed s.h.i.+ps, but applied more specifically to those not "of the line," which therefore are more free and wider in their movements.

CURRENT.

Lee Current. One the movement of which is away from the wind.

Weather Current. One which sets towards the wind.

EBB, ebb-tide. See "Tide."

FAIR, wind. A wind which allows a vessel to head her desired compa.s.s course.

FALL OFF. A vessel falls off, when, without the action of the helm, her head moves away from the wind. See "Come up."

FILL. } Sails are said to fill, or to be full, when the wind FULL. } strikes the rear side, tending to move the vessel ahead.

FLOOD, flood tide. See "Tide."

FORE AND AFT. In cla.s.sification of vessels, indicates those whose sails, when set, stretch from forward aft; more nearly lengthwise than across. Opposite to square-rigged.

FOREMAST, fore-topmast, etc. See "Spars."

FORESAIL, fore-topsail, etc. See "Sails."

FOUL, to. To entangle, to collide. A foul anchor, when the cable gets round the anchor.

FOUL, wind. A wind which prevents the vessel heading the desired compa.s.s course, compelling her to beat.

FREE, wind. A wind which allows the vessel to head the course desired. The amount to spare from the close-hauled course is sometimes designated. E.g., the wind four points free; the wind would allow the vessel to come four points nearer the wind than her course requires.

FRIGATE. See "Vessel."

GAGE, weather and lee. A vessel, or fleet, is said to have the weather gage, when it is to windward of its opponent. Lee is opposite to weather.

HAUL, to. To haul (to) the wind is to change the course to that nearest the direction whence the wind comes.

To haul down the colors: to strike, to surrender.

HEAVE DOWN. To incline a vessel on one side, by purchases at the lower mastheads.

HEAVE-TO. (HOVE-TO.) To bring-to, (which see), and then to lay some sails aback, in order to keep the s.h.i.+p without movement ahead or astern.

HEEL, to. To incline a vessel on one side by s.h.i.+fting the weights on board, such as guns. "On the heel": to be thus inclined.

HELM. The tiller, or bar, which like a handle turns the rudder, and thus changes the course of the vessel.

Port the helm. To put the tiller to port, which turns the vessel's head to the right; to starboard the helm is the reverse.

Helm down. Tiller to leeward, vessel's head to windward; helm up, the reverse. See "Rudder."