Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (147 page)

Fighting
Top:
A
platform
at
the
junction
between
the
Lower
Masts
and
the
Topmasts.
These
had
a
wooden
parapet
in
the
larger
ships
which
allowed
the
Marines
to
man
them
and
use
them
as
a
fighting
platform
for
sharp
shooters
and
to
mount
"swivel"
guns
firing
"grape"
shot
-
think
shotgun
firing
twenty
musket
balls
at
a
time.

Rigging:

Shrouds,
the
great
side
"stays"
that
hold
the
masts
up.

Ratlines:
the
rope
ladders
used
to
climb
the
masts
and
reach
the
sails
and
"tops".

Stays:
The
fore
and
aft
supports
for
the
masts.

Braces:
The
lines
that
haul
the
yard
arms
around
to
trim
the
sails
to
the
wind.
Hence
the
expression
"To
splice
the
Main
Brace"
something
only
a
drunken
man
would
do!

Halyards:
The
lines
used
to
hoist
and
lower
sails
and
the
yard
arms
they
are
attached
to.

Sails:

Courses:
the
lowest
of
the
square
sails
set
on
each
mast

Topsails:
The
sails
set
above
the
Courses

Topgallants:
The
sails
above
the
Topsails

Royals:
The
uppermost
sails
on
the
mast.

Staysails:
Fore
and
aft
sails
set
between
the
masts
on
the
stays
that
run
fore
and
aft.

Foresails
and
Jibs:
Triangular
sails
set
on
the
foremasts
stays
running
forward
onto
the
jib
boom
and
bowsprit.

Spanker:
The
large
fore
and
aft
sail
set
on
the
mizzen
mast
and
steadied
by
a
Gaff
above
and
a
boom
below.

Boats:

Quarterboat:
a
boat
kept
on
davits
at
the
stern,
often
suspended
outboard
near
the
Mizzen
shrouds
and
ratlines
for
use
in
an
emergency
at
sea.

Launch:
A
large
rowing
boat
usually
propelled
by
eight
or
more
oars
and
capable
of
carrying
a
large
number
of
people
or
goods.
Sometimes
they
could
mount
a
cannon
(On
big
one's
often
as
much
as
a
6
Pounder)
on
the
bow,
and
even
the
smaller
ones
could
carry
a
"Swivel"
gun
in
this
position.
They
could
be
sailed
and
carried
a
mast
that
had
either
a
"Dipping
Lug"
rig
or
a
Gaff
Cutter
rig.
Usually
stowed
inboard
on
the
boat
tiers
between
the
fore
and
main
masts

Barge:
The
largest
boat
carried.
Carried
on
the
boat
tier.

Gig:
Usually
the
Captain's
personal
boat,
manned
by
a
crew
of
eight
(Six
oars
and
the
two
"boatmen",
one
of
whom
would
be
the
Captain's
personal
Coxswain)
The
gig
was
often
the
smartest
boat
and
its
crew
were
dressed
according
to
the
Captain's
personal
taste.

Helm
and
other
Orders:

"Put
the
helm
down"
meant
turning
the
tiller
to
leeward.
This
would
swing
the
ship's
head
into
the
wind
and
cause
a
turn
"through
the
wind".

"Put
the
helm
up"
meant
turning
the
tiller
to
windward
which
would
turn
the
ship
away
from
the
wind
and
"gybe"
her
onto
the
other
tack
by
turning
with
the
wind
over
her
stern.

"Full
and
By"
meant
to
keep
the
ship's
head
in
such
a
position
that
the
ship
had
the
wind
on
her
quarter
so
that
all
sails
were
drawing
wind
and
the
ship
would
lie
easily
on
the
set
course.

"Heave
to"
means
to
bring
the
ship
round
and
stop
her
using
opposing
forces
by
reversing
the
set
of
sails
on
one
mast
so
that
the
ship
is
trying
to
move
forward
but
is
held
back
by
the
pressure
trying
to
reverse
her.

"Shorten
sail"
meant
to
either
take
in
sails
or
to
"reef"
them
by
using
tie
points
on
the
sail
itself
to
reduce
the
sail
area
exposed
to
the
wind.

Compass
Directions:

Rather
than
using
degrees,
the
compass
was
"
boxed
"
into
sixty
four
"points".
The
four
Cardinals
were
divided
by
sub-divisions
running:
North
by
North
North
East,
North
North
East,
East
by
North
North
East,
North
by
East
North
East,
East
North
East,
East
by
East
North
East,
North
East,
etc.
These
could
be
further
sub-divided
into
North
by
North
North
East
and
a
half
East
...
at
which
point
it
gets
really
complex!