BOOM—A spar used for hoisting loads; usually
movable.
BOOT TOPPING—Black paint applied to a ship’s
sides along the waterline.
BOW—The forward end of a ship or boat.
BOW HOOK—Member of a boat’s crew whose
station is forward.
BREAK OFF—To walk away with a line or run a line
in; let go, return to the point from which the line is
being hauled; take a new hold, and walk away
again.
BREAK OUT—To bring out supplies or equipment
from a storage space.
BREAST LINE—Mooring line leading from the ship
to the pier at right angles to the ship.
BRIDGE—Area in the superstructure from which a
ship is operated. See CONN.
BRIDLE—A span of rope, chain, or wire with both
ends secured and the strain taken on the midpart.
BRIG—Naval term for jail.
BROACH TO—To get crosswise (without power) to
the direction of wave travel; particularly
dangerous near a beach.
BROAD—Wide, as broad in the beam.
BROAD ON THE BOW—Halfway between dead
ahead and abeam.
BROAD ON THE QUARTER—Halfway between
abeam and astern.
BROADSIDE—(1) The act of firing all main battery
guns to one side at once. (2) Sidewise, as “The
current carried the ship broadside toward the
beach.” Broadside to is to have the side toward
something, as “The ship hit the pier broadside to.”
BROW—Navy term for gangplank. Used as a
crosswalk from one ship to another and from a ship
to a pier.
BULKHEAD—A vertical partition in a ship; never
called a wall.
BULKHEADING—Complaining or grumbling with
the intention of being overheard by seniors.
BULWARK—Solid barrier along the edges of the
weather deck that serves as a protection against the
weather.
BUOY—An anchored float used as an aid to
navigation or to mark the location of an object.
CABIN —Living compartment of a ship’s
commanding officer.
CABLE—A line, wire, or chain that connects a ship to
its anchor.
CAISSON—Gate at the end of a drydock that keeps
out the water.
CALL—(1) The boatswain’s pipe. (2) A signal
sounded on the boatswain’s pipe.
CAMEL—Large float or rectangular structure used as
a fender between a ship and the pier.
CAN BUOY—A navigational buoy, cylindrical in
shape, that marks the port side of a channel from
seaward; odd-numbered and painted green.
CANOPY—A cover fitted over part of a boat.
CAPSTAN—The part of a vertical shaft windlass
around which a working line is passed; used for
heaving in anchors and hawsers.
CARRICK BEND—A knot used for joining two
lines. The single carrick bend isn’t often used
because it jams tight; instead, a double carrick
bend is used, particularly for bending towing
hawsers together.
CARRY AWAY—To break loose, as “The rough seas
carried away the lifelines.”
CAULK—The act of stuffing the seams between
wooden planking with oakum for watertightness.
CHAFING GEAR—Material used to protect lines
from excessive wear.
CHAIN LOCKER—Spaces where anchor chain is
stowed.
CHAIN MARKINGS—A series of turns of wire and
stripes of paint on certain links of each anchor
chain. They show the scope or amount of chain that
has run out.
CHAINS—Area (a platform on large ships) where the
leadsman stands when taking soundings with the
hand lead.
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