Nautical Terms

Watches

First watch		2000 – 0000 (midnight)
Middle watch		0000 – 0400
Morning watch		0400 – 0800
Forenoon watch		0800 – 1200
Afternoon watch		1200 – 1600
First dog watch		1600 – 1800
Second dog watch		1800 – 2000

Sounded at the end of a watch (but not the first dog watch)

Eight bells

Standard to Nautical

In this section you're given a standard English term and asked for the nautical equivalent, or (as in the first table) simply asked a question where the answer is a nautical term.

The Four Types of Shipwreck

Cargo on the bottom of the ocean, but which no one has any hope of reclaiming		Derelict
Floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo		Flotsam
Things that have been thrown off a ship and washed ashore		Jetsam
Goods or wreckage that is lying on the bottom of the ocean, sometimes marked by a buoy, and can be reclaimed		Lagan

Other

Secured in the cathead		Anchor
The widest point of a ship, or its width at that point		Beam
The lowest part of the hull, beneath the lowest deck, where water may collect and need to be pumped out		Bilges
Stand or housing for a ship's compass		Binnacle
Women and children first		Birkenhead Drill
Officer responsible for the maintenance of a ship and its equipment		Boatswain (bosun)
The spar that projects forwards from the bows of a sailing vessel		Bowsprit
Ship with two masts, the forward of which (only) is square–rigged		Brigantine
Dividing wall below deck		Bulkhead
Woodwork running around a ship above the level of the deck		Bulwark
Rotating machine with a drum equipped with ratchets, for hauling in ropes		Capstan
A beam that supports the deck – also a popular brand of lager!		Carling
Stairway leading between two decks		Companionway
Small single–masted vessel, "fore–and–aft" rigged, having the mast not as far forward as a sloop		Cutter
Crane used for raising and lowering equipment, especially lifeboats		Davit
Ceiling		Deckhead
Traditional Arab sailing ship (with one or more triangular sails)		Dhow
Name given by sailors to the belt of low pressure around the Equator – characterised by light winds and calms, but occasional sudden storms – caused by the meeting of trade winds		The Doldrums
Word that stems from a Frisian word meaning 'outstretched arms'		Fathom
Raised edges on tables to prevent things from falling off		Fiddles
Type of rig in which the sails are in the same line as the keel		Fore–and–aft
Kitchen		Galley
The part of a ship's side that projects above the deck		Gunwale
Rope used to hoist a sail, flag or yard		Halyard
Type of boat with wing–like structures beneath the hull, which lift the boat out of the water at speed, thus reducing drag		Hydrofoil
Temporary mast to replace one that has been lost or broken		Jury mast
Punishment in which the offender is dragged under a ship from one side to the other		Keelhauling
Washboard (on a boat)		Keeps water off the decks
Distress signal "Mayday" comes (allegedly) from the French term		M'aidez (help me)
Marine distress signal with a loud report		Maroon
Nearest the stern on a three–masted ship		Mizzenmast
Slang term for a boat being towed by a harpooned whale (US)		Nantucket sleigh ride
To rock from bow to stern; to nose up or down about a transverse axis		Pitch
Sailor who hasn't crossed the Equator (cf. Shellback)		Polliwog
Raised deck at the stern of a sailing vessel, from which it was steered		Poop deck
Quant: used for		Propelling a punt
Reducing the area of sail in a high wind		Reefing
To rock from side to side (see also Pitch, Yaw)		Roll
Flat–bottomed Chinese river boat, sometimes with a rudimentary shelter		Sampan
Holes in the sides of the deck that allow water to drain off		Scuppers
Sailor who has crossed the Equator (cf. Polliwog)		Shellback
Originally referred to a tall mast, or its main sail, on a sailing ship		Skyscraper
Small single–masted vessel, "fore–and–aft" rigged, having the mast further forward than a cutter		Sloop
Type of rig in which the sails are perpendicular to the keel, suspended from a spar		Square rig
Lowest deck of a passenger vessel, providing the cheapest and most basic passenger accommodation - so called because it's near the rudder controls		Steerage
Starboard is a corruption of		Steerboard
Receptacle into which the mast fits		Tabernacle
Naval equivalent of the Officer's Mess in the army		Wardroom
A thin, broad plank above the gunwale or side, to keep out the spray and sea		Washboard (or splashboard)
To move about a vertical axis (deviate temporarily from course)		Yaw

Nautical to Standard

In this section you're given a nautical term and asked for the standard English equivalent, or (as in the first question) simply asked a question where the answer is a standard English term used in a nautical context.

An Alldis lamp is used at sea for		Signalling
Avast		Stop
Caravel		Small sailing ship
Growler		Small iceberg
Hawser		Large rope or cable
Killick or killock		Small anchor
Sheets and painters		Ropes
Slack water: refers to the time around		High or low tide
Splicing the mainbrace		Distributing the rum ration
Tar (for a sailor) is an abbreviation for		Tarpaulin
Umiak		Eskimo canoe

© Haydn Thompson 2017–24