The Silver Swan (13 page)

Abeam
: Beside a ship, side-on — for example, another ship drawing up next to you.

About ship:
An order to change course or come about.

Admiral:
The most senior commanding officer of the Navy, appointed by the Admiralty. The next in rank is a vice admiral, followed by rear admiral. Any sort of admiral may be in command of a fleet and hoist his pennant in a flagship.

Admiralty:
The British government ministry in charge of the Royal Navy.

Aft:
Towards the stern or rear of the ship.

Aloft:
Above. To ‘go aloft', you climb up the ratlines to set sails, watch for other ships, or repair rigging.

Astern:
Behind the ship.

Avast:
An order to stop doing what you're doing (rowing or hauling).

Aweigh:
The anchor is clear of the water. (‘Anchors aweigh' means the anchor is weighed or clear and the ship can sail on.)

Bail:
Scoop water out of a boat.

Ballast:
Rocks, iron or even cargo loaded onto a ship to keep it stable.

Barbary Coast:
The North African states of Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers, which by 1798 were part of the Muslim Ottoman Empire. These cities supported fleets
of corsairs to attack the ships of Christian countries such as France, Spain and England, just as the Knights of Malta's galleys attacked those of the Barbary States.

Batten down:
Close all deck hatches and secure gear in bad weather.

Beam:
Across the middle or the widest part of a ship. ‘Beam-on' means the side of the ship, such as waves coming towards you sideways (instead of ‘head-on').

Beating:
Zigzagging so the ship can move forward against the wind.

Belay:
An order to stop hauling, or make fast. A belaying pin is a carved spike around which lines are tied or made fast.

Bilge:
The hollow section inside the lower part of the ship or boat (and the smelly water that collects in it).

Biscuit:
See
Hardtack
.

Blunderbuss:
A gun with a short wide barrel, almost trumpet-shaped, handy for boarding ships.

Bonaparte:
Napoleon Bonaparte was a general in the French Army in 1798, when he conquered Malta on his way to invade Ottoman-ruled Egypt. He was stranded when his fleet was destroyed by Nelson at the Battle of the Nile.
The French government was in crisis and Napoleon returned to Paris and in 1799 he was appointed First Consul. In 1804 he became Emperor. His greatest defeats by the British and their allies were at the Battle of Trafalgar and finally at Waterloo.

Booty:
Loot, like cargo, weapons and any treasure or goods found on a ship. Ships taken by pirates were usually sold off, and the proceeds included in the booty. Every pirate in the crew (or his family, if the pirate had died in the battle) was given a share.

Bosun:
(Short for ‘boatswain'.) The senior crew member in charge of organising the crew on deck and their equipment.

Bow:
The front or forward end of a ship.

Bowsprit:
A pole pointing out almost horizontal from the bow to carry spritsails.

Braces:
On a square-rigged ship like
Gisella
, the braces are cables pulled so that the square sails twist around on the mast.

Brigantine:
A ship with two masts, square sails on the foremast, but fore-and-aft sails on the mainmast. It's a square-rigged ship, but has triangular sails as well, so it can sail in different directions.
Gisella
is a brigantine.

Broadside:
All the cannons on one side of the ship firing at once.

Bulkheads:
Walls inside a ship (not part of the hull), some of which can be removed easily to make room for battle or cargo.

Capstan:
A barrel-shaped winch with handles, to lift the heavy anchor.

Centreboard:
The keel in a small sailing boat, such as the
Swallow
, which can be pulled up in shallow water so it doesn't hit the bottom.

Chart:
A map of the coast and seas, including shoals, rocks and other dangers.

Chaser:
A small bronze cannon mounted in the bow of a ship, aimed to fire forward (cannon in the gun ports fire sideways).

Clear for action:
Order to get ready for battle. The crew clears the deck of any loose or spare equipment, runs out the cannon and lashes them, gets gunpowder and cannonballs ready, and makes sure the ship is in fighting order.

Close-hauled:
Sailing as close as possible to the wind.

Colours:
The ship's flag, especially in the British
Navy. To ‘strike the colours' is to indicate that you've surrendered, by lowering your flag.

Come about:
To turn or change direction of the ship or boat.

Compass:
An instrument with a magnetised needle or pointer that always points north.

Corsair:
A pirate licensed to attack other ships, like those of the Barbary States, or sailing from Malta under the protection of the Knights. English and American corsairs like Sir Francis Drake were usually called ‘privateers' and carried a Letter of Marque to prove they were allowed to attack other ships.

Course:
The sailing direction set by the navigator or captain. The course is named so the ship sails towards one of the points of the compass, for example, south-west.

Cutlass:
A sturdy, heavy-bladed sword with a rounded knuckle-guard, used by sailors and pirates.

Dory:
A light, narrow sailing and rowing boat. Lucas and Lily's dory, the
Swallow
, has two masts.

Downwind:
Away from the wind.

El Capitán
:
Captain (in Spanish).

Fathom:
A measurement of depth, equal to six feet (or roughly two metres).

Figurehead:
Carved statue on the prow of a ship. The
Mermaid
, naturally, has a mermaid figurehead.

Flagship:
The ship in a fleet which carries its commanding admiral. The flagship flies a pennant to show other ships that the admiral is on board.

Fleet:
A group of more than ten warships.

Flotilla:
A small group of warships.

Fore-and-aft rig:
Triangular sails rigged along the ship (not across it, like a square-rig).

Foremast:
The mast forward or in front of the mainmast.

Foresail:
The largest sail on the foremast.

Forward:
Towards the bow or front of the ship (opposite of aft). Pronounced ‘forrard'.

French Revolution:
It began in 1789 with events such as the Storming of the Bastille, when the people swept aside the powers of the King and the aristocracy, in favour of ‘liberty, equality and fraternity'. Many in Britain welcomed the Revolution as a popular movement, but it soon turned into the Terror, in which thousands of people, including the King and Queen and many original revolutionaries, were executed.

Frigate:
Warship with three masts and a bowsprit, a raised quarterdeck, and 24 to 38 guns along one gun-deck.

Gaff-rig:
Fore-and-aft sail mounted on a light pole at the top.

Galley:
The elegant oar-driven warships of the great naval fleets of Barbary, Venice and Malta, often powered by slaves. The galley is also the name of a ship's kitchen, usually not much more than a fireplace and a couple of cauldrons.

Gun ports:
Holes in the side of a ship through which the cannons fire. Gun ports have a flap over them to keep the water out when the guns aren't being used.

Gunwales:
The rim around a ship or boat, like a handrail. Pronounced ‘gunnells'.

Halyard:
The rope used to raise or lower a sail.

Hands:
Crew-members, especially those who actually work the sails. ‘All hands on deck' means that every available crew member is needed to help out.

Hardtack:
Dry, solid ship's
biscuit made of flour. On long voyages, especially on Navy ships, hardtack was the only staple food, and became infested with weevils (grubs).

Hawser:
A short rope or cable, often used for securing cannon.

Helm:
The steering. ‘Helm's a-lee' means you have brought the rudder right around, when you are changing tack or coming about.

Hold:
The cargo or storage area below decks (on a big ship, the hold is several levels down).

Holystones:
Sandstone blocks, about the size of a Bible, used to grind away dirt from the deck.

Hull:
The planking that makes up the body of a ship.

Idlers:
Crew members who are not part of the watch, such as carpenters and sail-makers.

Isola
: Island (in Italian).

Jib:
Small triangular sail at the bow of a yacht or ship.

Knights of Malta:
The Sovereign and Military Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798.

Knots:
Measurement of a ship's speed: 1 knot equals 1 nautical mile per hour.

Larboard:
The left-hand side of a ship or boat, as you look forward (known later as ‘port').

League:
Measurement of distance, equal to three nautical miles.

Lee:
The side of a ship or boat away from the wind.

Lee-oh:
The cry that tells the deck crew you are putting the helm to lee, or turning the boat about.

Letter of Marque:
Officially known as a ‘Letter of Marque and Reprisal', this was an official government letter authorising a captain to ‘subdue, seize and take armed' any ships owned by countries who were enemies. It was government-approved
piracy. See
Corsair
.

Line:
The ropes used to haul sails into position.

Log:
The book in which the captain or navigator writes the ship's position and progress. A log is also a lump of wood dropped over the side of the ship, and then hauled back in after the ship sails past it, to measure a ship's speed by the number of knots in the rope.

Luffing:
Losing the strength of the wind, or moving towards the direction of the wind, so that the sails ‘luff' or flap.

Mainmast:
The central and tallest mast on any ship. If there is more than one mast, in front of the mainmast is the foremast, behind it is the mizzenmast.

Make fast:
Tie off or secure.

Maltese:
The language of Malta.

Mast:
The tall poles that stick up from the deck of a ship and hold the sails. The poles horizontal across the mast are the yards. A sailing ship may have up to six masts — the
Mermaid
has one mast,
Gisella
has two.

Mizzenmast:
Smaller mast at the rear of a ship.

Monkey:
The brass rack that holds cannonballs. (The young boys who carried the gunpowder to Navy gun crews were also called ‘powder monkeys'.)

Navigator:
The navigator on a ship determines and records the ship's position, estimates the speed of the ship and the distance to be covered, and sets the course. In 1798 navigators used a compass, charts of known coastline and waters, a sextant or quadrant, and mathematics to help determine the ship's position.

Ottoman Empire:
One of the largest and longest-lasting empires ever to rule around the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, it rose out of Turkey and existed from 1281 to 1923.
At its greatest, it ruled an area of nearly 12 million square kilometres. From 1517, when it conquered Palestine and Egypt, and the Holy City of Mecca, it was an Islamic state. The Sultan or ruler of the Empire was also the Caliph or official guardian of Islam. The later Crusades were fought by European states against the Ottoman Empire. See
Barbary Coast
.

Piazza
:
A town square.

Press:
Navies pressed sailors into service, by forcing, tricking, bribing and even kidnapping men from other ships or from villages along the coast. The crew that rounded up the men was called a ‘press gang'.

Prow:
The pointed front of a ship, often decorated with a figurehead.

Quadrant:
An instrument used by navigators for measuring the angle of the sun (or stars) above the horizon, to help determine a ship's position.

Quarterdeck:
A raised platform or top deck at the stern of a larger ship. This is where the captain stands.

Rapier:
A fine-bladed thrusting sword, often highly decorated, used by nobility or officers.

Ratlines:
Rope ladders made by tying short ropes across the shrouds, so you can climb up a mast.

Reef sails:
To tie up a sail, so that it isn't showing as much canvas. You reef sails or reduce canvas in a big wind, to make sure you can still control the ship.

Reis:
A captain in the Barbary and Ottoman fleets. ‘Hussein Reis' means ‘Captain Hussein'. Sometimes spelled
rais
, or in Turkish
raïs
.

Rig:
The design of the sail system (such as a square-rig or brigantine rig).

Rigging:
The ropes and cables that make up the rig. The standing rigging (such as shrouds or stays) holds up the masts
and is painted with tar to protect it. Running rigging (including halyards and sheets) is used to lower and raise the sails and yards, and it is not tarred.