Other thing:
Managed to correct all the great, starting mistakes in the reference book, posting the resulting edition here, for you to think about it.
The corrected/changed content is
red,
the absolutely new content is
green. (not too many yet as my first aim was to stop the headache it given me every time I opened it, ad fix a few things....)
Forgive me that it's currently without ANY order, (It -was- like this ingame...) I plan to put it in alphabetical, as soon as I call the last version of it.
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GRAPPLING - To settle the ship board to board. "To grapple":
to assault a ship, to land forces at the competing ship to settle the matter with swords, axes, and at gunpoint.
*
FREE WIND - A fair slanting wind, between the full (wind right astern) and half wind, and the course of the ship, its heading by this wind, that is why the heading during the free wind is either starboard or port side, either with a starboard or port tack, depending the side of the wind blow.
*
FOREDECK -
Or Forecastle(Fo'cas'le) the superstructure at the frontal part of the ship which reaches the stem post. Before the frontal part of the upper deck (in front of the foremast). It is used for protection of the upper deck to be flooded with the meeting wave, to enhance seaworthiness, to locate service premises, etc.
On several ship designs, especially after the late 16th century, the Forecastle was only a name of the fore part of the ship, but it was on the same level, the same deck as the middle part.
*
BARQUE - A three or four-masted sea vessel, featuring square rigging on the frontal masts and slant rigging on the rear (mizzen) mast.
*
WIND ON THE BOW - Sail ship heading when its diametrical plane and the wind direction builds up an angle less than 90 degrees. To move under the wind on the bow means movement almost against the wind which blows either a bit either to the right or to the left from the fore part.
*
MIZZENMAST - The after mast which follows the mainmast is defined as mizzenmast.
*
FIRE SHIP (BRANDER) - A vessel, in time of the sail navy, loaded with flammable and explosive materials was used to set a fire on a hostile ship.
*
BRIG - A two-masted, square-rigged vessel.
Smaller than a frigate, bigger than a sloop.
*
JACKASS BRIG (BRIGANTINE) - A two-masted vessel with square sails on the foremast and a fore-and-aft mainsail with square upper sails.
*
BUCCANEERS - Sea bandits of the 17th century,
based in the West Indies coastlines. Mainly british, and french people, who were seeking refugee from taxes, lawsuit pursues, and mainly religional hostilities from the catholic spain. They launched attacks on Spanish colonies in America, Spanish and other trade vessels.
"Buccaneers" is a term particular to the Caribbean, from the American Red Indian word "boucan" (alternatively, "barbecue") - a mesh used to sun-dry bison and bore meat - referring to a pirate's main foodstuff (along with salt junk) at sea. Literally, the French word "boucanier" means "a man who eats barbecue".
(See Brethren Of The Coast)
*
BOWSPRIT - a spar projecting from the upper end of the bow of a sailing vessel for holding the tacks of various jibs and stays and often supporting a jib boom.
*
BRETHREN OF THE COAST - A loose caribbean coalition of criminal sea raiders, and official privateers, all adhering to a same code of conduct, first written down by Henry Morgan (on a secret mission given to him by the Queen of Britain, to take land from the spanish without british military involvement) The Brethren is first formed from english and french buccaneers, against the spanish crown, but later joined by many. Was active from the early 17th until the end of the 18th century.
*
A
SHIPYARD - A ship building enterprise.
*
FULL LOAD WEIGHT - A water volume, displaced by a sea ship, one of properties of a ship. There is a "mass full load weight", equal to the ship total weight, i.e. total weight of water which could be hold in the volume of the ship's submerged volume, and "a volume full load weight" (the ship's volume below the draft-line).
*
GALLEON - A big, three-masted vessel featuring a specific solid build and carrying heavy artillery. These vessels were used to carry cargo from Spanish and Portuguese colonies.
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GALLIOT - A flat-bottomed Dutch vessel meant for a coastal navigation.
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GALLEY - At the age of sail these also carried masts, and sails, though were slow with the wind compared to other vessels, but carried slaves, and many long oars set along the side to naviagte fast, and effective against the wind. Had their guns mainly just fore, and aft, but those were really heavy artillery.
*
TACK - A ship's heading, in respect to the wind (for example the ship moves on the starboard tack when the wind is blowing upon the starboard of the vessel).
*
HALF WIND - A sail vessel heading, when its latitude axis is perpendicular to the wind direction.
*
GAFF - A tilted sailyard, the bottom end of which is fastened to the upper mast. It is used to lift the flag and signals. In case of the sail vessels the upper edge of the fore-and-aft sail is secured to the gaff.
*
MAIN MAST - the second mast from forward in any vessel having either two or more masts.
*
CABLE - A nautical length measurement (185.2 meters), one tenth of the nautical mile.
*
CABOTAGE - Navigation between ports of the same country. There is a great cabotage (between the ports of different seas, such as the Baltic an Black seas) and a smaller cabotage (between the ports either of the same or two adjacent seas, such as Black and Azov seas).
*
CABOTAGE NAVIGATION - A vessel's heading, along a sea coast.
*
PRIVATEERING -
Attacks launched by a privately owned, armed trade vessel of a country engaged in combat actions, with a written permission (so called "letters of marque"
given by a governor, issued by the King, or Queen of the country) upon to attack trade vessels of
either hostile or neutral countries involved in transportation of cargo for a hostile country. It was forbidden by Paris Declaration on sea warfare of 1856.
*
KEEL - A beam in the central part of the vessel bottom from the fore part up to the stern.
Actually the ship's spine.
*
KEELHAULING - A major, unofficial punishment, tossing someone into the water on one side of the ship, and pulling him under the keel of the ship with a rope. Most of the cases fatal, as it took a long time without air, the boards of the ship made heavy blows on the victim dragged under it, and all the barnacles, coral, and sea debris was really sharp on the bottom of the ship wich of he was dragged trough.
*
JIB TOPSAIL - A second triangular staysail, shaped like a jib but set well above the jib boom in the fore part of the ship.
*
CORVETTE -
A word used almost only in french language territories. Refer to a 6 or 7th class, or classless (sloop) small navy patrol vessel, ship rigged (means 3 masts with square sails, like a frigate) and armed with guns.
A corvette is basically a ship-rigged-sloop, but differs from the english ship-sloops from it's design, as it was narrow, small, had a reduced hold, and was very fast, but well armed. A same size as a brig, but more narrow, can only hold provisions for small voyages, and mutch faster.
*
STERN - A ship's rear end.
*
CORSAIR (PRIVATEER) - A
private person licensed to capture trade ships of hostile countries.
*
SHIP-OF-THE-LINE - A battleship meant to participate in a sea battle in a linear or dead-water formation. They are divided into classes depending upon the number of artillery pieces.
They formed the 1st, 2nd, and in some navies the 3rd class.
*
LUGGER - A small, fast, two
or three masted vessel with
special fore and aft
"lugger" sails.
*
NAUTICAL MILE - 1852 meters, or one minute of latitude along any meridian.
*
TO BRACE SAILYARDS - To turn the sail yards along a horizontal plane.
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WINDWARD - To turn a vessel with its stem to another tack against the meeting wind. Normally one sails windward when the ship bears steeply in respect to the wind direction. Sailing windward is easier for ships with a diagonal rig, and it is harder for a straight rig.
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SAIL - Either a piece of fabric or flexible plate to convert wind energy into the ship's movement energy. There are square sails (as an isosceles trapezium) and slant ones (3 and 4 angled sails). They are made of sailcloth, synthetic fabric, matting (for johnboats) etc. A
Lateen sail is the same as a three angle slant sail.
*
PIASTER - an Italian name of ancient Spanish coin peso or peseta.
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PIRACY (from Greek "pirate" - robber, high way robber), sea robbery, as per the international legislation an illegal capture, robbery or sink of trade and other civil ships in the open seas using private or state ships.
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MASTS-AND-SPARS a common name of all wooden devices to carry sails.
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REAL - A Spanish silver coin, used from the 15th century up through the 1870s.
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SAIL YARD - A cylindrical mast timber used to carry sails.
Sail yards was attached to the mast.
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MASTHEAD - A beam as an extension of a mast, fore-mast-head; foremast mast head.
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THALER - A silver coin which was minted for the first time in 1518 in Bohemia with a weight equal to 28g. Beginning from 1555 it was a currency unit of North German state and later in Prussia and Saxony. The name "thaler" applied to silver coins from Italy, Netherlands, Spain and other countries. Of particular note is the Spanish dollar, or "piece of eight", worth eight reales.
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A KNOT - Out of system velocity measuring unit, used to identify vessels speed. 1 knot corresponds to 1 sea mile per hour or 1.852 km/h - 0.5144 m/sec*
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JIBBOOM - Mast timber that extends a bowsprit.
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SPLASHBOARD - A light fencing of the open deck.
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FLAGSTAFF - A vertical pole, used to lift the flag.
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FILIBUSTERS - Sea bandits who acted in the Caribbean sea, involved in robbery of Spanish ships, coastal towns and settlements.
(See Buccaneers for more information) Other names include "freeboaters" or "flyboaters", named after the light ships used to launch attacks.
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FOREMAST - A frontal mast.
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FRIGATE - A three-masted ship with square sail rig.
In the navy, a 6 or 5th class vessel with either an old, two decked gundeck design, or a longer, more modern frigate with one continous gundeck well above the waterline. Frigates was famous for their great speed despite their larger size, but carried enough firepower, and armed crew to act or explore alone.
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QUARTERDECK //was duplicated for some reason, in different places, merged the two text//- The uppermost structure or a deck in the rear butt end of the sail ship where officers on duty and compasses located. Later, the quarterdeck was the part of the upper deck of a military ship between of the main mast and mizzen mast. The quarterdeck was considered as a place of honor on the ship: it was the place of announcing manifests, decrees, orders and sentences. It was forbidden to sit and smoke for everybody except the commander (skipper) of the ship.
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WAIST DECK - Broad planks, placed horizontally along the boards of a sailing vessel. They serve for passage from the foredeck to the quarterdeck.
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WAIST -
The sides of the vessel. //Waist deck was duplicated to here...//
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SLOOP - A small,
classless, one-masted vessel with fore and aft sails.
English Navy special versions:
Brig-rigged-sloop: (brig-sloop) a small vessel with two masts carrying square sails. A bit smaller, or a same size as a merchant brig, mutch smaller than a frigate.
Ship-rigged-sloop: (ship-sloop) a small, or merchant brig sized vessel, , mutch smaller than a frigate, with three masts, carrying square sails.
(For a special kind of ship-sloop see Corvette.)
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TRANSVERSE RIB - A crosswise frame of the ship assembly to ensure lateral strength of the ship.
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STAY - A vertical rope rigging, placed along the lateral axial (diametric) plane of the ship and used to anchor one of the masts and spars in the fore section.
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SQUADRON - A unit (formation) of combat ships, of various classes.
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AFTERDECK - The part of a ship's deck amidships, toward the stern. In many ships, its location forms a "poop deck", which in fact is an equivalent of the afterdeck.