Scuba Diving club,
Southern California
Every profession has its
own jargon and the Navy is no exception. For the Navy, it's bulkhead, deck
and overhead and not wall, floor, and ceiling. Some
nautical terminology has found its way into every day use, and you will find
the origins of this and Navy terminology below. More terminology will be added
from time to time.
Ahoy!
This old traditional greeting for hailing other
vessels was originally a Viking battle cry.
Between the Devil and the Deep
In wooden ships, the "devil"
was the longest seam of the ship. It ran from the bow to the stern. When at sea
and the "devil" had to be caulked, the sailor sat in a bo'sun's chair
to do so. He was suspended between the "devil" and the sea the
"deep" a very precarious position, especially when the ship was
underway.
Chewing the Fat
"God made the vittles but the devil made the
cook," was a popular saying used by seafaring men in the 19th century when
salted beef was staple diet aboard ship.
This tough cured beef, suitable only for long
voyages when nothing else was cheap or would keep as well (remember, there was
no refrigeration), required prolonged chewing to make it edible. Men often
chewed one chunk for hours, just as it were chewing gum and referred to this
practice as "chewing the fat."
Crow's Nest
The raven, or crow, was an essential part of the
Vikings' navigation equipment. These land-lubbing birds were carried on aboard
to help the ship's navigator determine where the closest land lay when weather
prevented sighting the shore. In cases of poor visibility, a crow was released
and the navigator plotted a course corresponding to the bird's flight path
because the crow invariably headed towards land.
The Norsemen carried the birds in a cage secured
to the top of the mast. Later on, as ships grew and the lookout stood his watch
in a tub located high on the main mast, the name "crow's nest" was
given to this tub. While today's Navy still uses lookouts in addition to
radars, etc., the crow's nest is a thing of the past.
Cup of Joe
Josephus Daniels (18 May 1862-15 January 1948)
was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among
his reforms of the Navy were inaugurating the practice of making 100 Sailors
from the Fleet eligible for entrance into the Naval Academy, the introduction
of women into the service, and the abolishment of the officers' wine mess. From
that time on, the strongest drink aboard Navy ships could only be coffee and
over the years, a cup of coffee became known as "a cup of Joe".
Devil to Pay
Today
the expression "devil to pay" is used primarily to describe having an
unpleasant result from some action that has been taken, as in someone has done
something they shouldn't have and, as a result, "there will be the devil
to pay." Originally, this expression described one of the unpleasant tasks
aboard a wooden ship.
The "devil" was the wooden ship's
longest seam in the hull. Caulking was done with "pay" or pitch (a
kind of tar). The task of "paying the devil" (caulking the longest
seam) by squatting in the bilges was despised by every seaman.
Eight Bells
Aboard Navy ships, bells are
struck to designate the hours of being on watch.
Each watch is four hours in length. One bell is struck after the first
half-hour has passed, two bells after one hour has passed, three bells after an
hour and a half, four bells after two hours, and so forth up to eight bells are
struck at the completion of the four hours. Completing a watch with no
incidents to report was "Eight bells and all is well."
The practice of using bells stems from the days
of the sailing ships. Sailors couldn't afford to have their own time pieces and
relied on the ship's bells to tell time. The ship's boy kept time by using a
half-hour glass. Each time the sand ran out, he would turn the glass over and
ring the appropriate number of bells.
Fathom
Fathom was originally a land
measuring term derived from the Ango-Saxon word "faetm" meaning to
embrace. In those days, most measurements were based on average size of parts
of the body, such as the hand (horses are still measured this way) or the foot
(that's why 12 inches are so named). A fathom is the average distance from
fingertip to fingertip of the outstretched arms of a man about six feet.
Since a man stretches out his arms to embrace his sweetheart, Britain's
Parliament declared that distance be called a "fathom" and it be a
unit of measure. A fathom remains six feet. The word was also used to describe
taking the measure or "to fathom" something. Today, of course, when
one is trying to figure something out, they are trying to "fathom"
it.
Feeling
Blue
If you are sad and describe
yourself as "feeling blue," you are using a phrase coined from a
custom among many old deepwater sailing ships. If the ship lost the captain or
any of the officers during its voyage, she would fly blue flags and have a blue
band painted along her entire hull when returning to home port.
Forecastle
The appropriate pronunciation for
this word is fo'ksul. The forecastle is the forward part of the main
deck. It derives its name from the days of Viking galleys when wooden castles
were built on the forward and after parts the main deck from which archers and
other fighting men could shoot arrows and throw spears, rocks, etc.
Galley
The galley is the kitchen of the
ship. The best explanation as to its origin is that it is a corruption of
"gallery". Ancient sailors cooked their meals on a brick or stone gallery
laid amidships.
Gun Salutes
Gun salutes were first fired as
an act of good faith. In the days when it took so long to reload a gun, it was
a proof of friendly intention when the ship's cannon were discharged upon
entering port.
Head
The "head" aboard a
Navy ship is the bathroom. The term comes from the days of sailing ships when
the place for the crew to relieve themselves was all the way forward on either
side of the bowsprit, the integral part of the hull to which the figurehead was
fastened.
He Knows the Ropes
In the very early days, this
phrase was written on a seaman's discharge to indicate that he was still a
novice. All he knew about being a sailor was just the names and uses of the
principal ropes (lines). Today, this same phrase means the opposite that the
person fully knows and understands the operation (usually of the organization).
Holystone
The last Navy ships with teak
decks were the battleships, now since decommissioned. Teak, and other wooden
decks, were scrubbed with a piece of sandstone, nicknamed at one time by an
anonymous witty sailor as the "holystone." It was so named because
since its use always brought a man to his knees, it must be holy!
Hunky-Dory
The term meaning everything is
O.K. was coined from a street named "Honki-Dori" in Yokohama, Japan.
Since the inhabitants of this street catered to the pleasures of sailors, it is
easy to understand why the street's name became synonymous for anything that is
enjoyable or at least satisfactory. And, the logical follow-on is
"Okey-dokey."
Log Book
In
the early days of sailing ships, the ship's records were written on shingles
cut from logs. These shingles were hinged and opened like a book. The record
was called the "log book." Later on, when paper was readily available
and bound into books, the record maintained it name.
Mayday
"Mayday" is the
internationally recognized voice radio signal for ships and people in serious
trouble at sea. Made official in 1948, it is an anglicizing of the French m'aidez,
"help me".
Pea Coat
Sailors who have to endure
pea-soup weather often don their pea coats but the coat's name isn't derived
from the weather. The heavy topcoat worn in cold, miserable weather by
seafaring men was once tailored from pilot cloth a heavy, course, stout kind
of twilled blue cloth with the nap on one side. The cloth was sometimes called
P-cloth for the initial letter of "pilot" and the garment made from
it was called a p-jacket later, a pea coat. The term has been used since 1723
to denote coats made from that cloth.
Port holes
The
word "port hole" originated during the reign of Henry VI of England
(1485). King Henry insisted on mounting guns too large for his ship and the
traditional methods of securing these weapons on the forecastle and aftcastle
could not be used.
A French shipbuilder named James Baker was
commissioned to solve the problem. He put small doors in the side of the ship
and mounted the cannon inside the ship. These doors protected the cannon from
weather and were opened when the cannon were to be used. The French word for
"door" is "porte" which was later Anglicized to
"port" and later went on to mean any opening in the ship's side,
whether for cannon or not.
Scuttlebutt
The
origin of the word "scuttlebutt," which is nautical parlance for a
rumor, comes from a combination of "scuttle" to make a hole in the
ship's hull and thereby causing her to sink - and "butt" a cask or
hogshead used in the days of wooden ships to hold drinking water. The cask from
which the ship's crew took their drinking water like a water fountain was
the "scuttlebutt". Even in today's Navy a drinking fountain is
referred to as such. But, since the crew used to congregate around the
"scuttlebutt", that is where the rumors about the ship or voyage
would begin. Thus, then and now, rumors are talk from the
"scuttlebutt" or just "scuttlebutt".
S.O.S.
Contrary to popular notion, the
letters S.O.S. do not stand for "Save Our Ship" or "Save Our
Souls". They were selected to indicate a distress because, in Morse code,
these letters and their combination create an unmistakable sound pattern.
Splice the Main Brace
A sailing ship's rigging was a
favorite target during sea battles since by destroying the opponent's ability
to maneuver or get away would put you at obvious advantage. Therefore, the
first thing tended to after a battle was to repair broken gear, and repair
sheets (lines - not "ropes" - that adjust the angle at which a sail is
set in relation to the wind ) and braces (lines passing through blocks and
holding up sails). Although no specifics remain, it appears that the main brace
was the principal fore-and-aft support of the ship's masts. Splicing this line
was the most difficult chores aboard ship, and one on which the ship's safety
depended. It was the custom, after the main brace was properly spliced, to
serve grog to the entire crew. Thus, today, after a hard day (or, not so hard
day), the phrase has become an invitation to have a drink.
Starboard
The Vikings called the side of
their ship its board, and they placed the steering oar, the "star" on
the right side of the ship, thus that side became known as the "star
board." It's been that way ever since. And, because the oar was in the right
side, the ship was tied to the dock at the left side. This was known as the
loading side or "larboard". Later, it was decided that
"larboard" and "starboard" were too similar, especially
when trying to be heard over the roar of a heavy sea, so the phrase became the
"side at which you tied up to in port" or the "port" side.
Taken Aback
One of the hazards faced in days
of sailing ships has been incorporated into English to describe someone who has
been jolted by unpleasant news. We say that person has been "taken
aback." The person is at a momentary loss; unable to act or even to speak.
A danger faced by sailing ships was for a sudden shift in wind to come up (from
a sudden squall), blowing the sails back against the masts, putting the ship in
grave danger of having the masts break off and rendering the ship totally
helpless. The ship was taken aback.
Three Mile Limit
The original three-mile limit was the recognized distance
from a nation's shore over which that nation had jurisdiction. This border of
international waters or the "high seas" was established because, at
the time this international law was established, three miles was the longest
range of any nation's most powerful guns, and therefore, the limit from shore
batteries at which they could enforce their laws. (International law and the
1988 Territorial Sea Proclamation established the "high seas" border
at the 12-mile limit.)
Three Sheets to the Wind
We use the term "three
sheets to the wind" to describe someone who has too much to drink. As
such, they are often bedraggled with perhaps shirttails out, clothes a mess.
The reference is to a sailing ship in disarray, that is with sheets (lines
not "ropes" that adjust the angle at which a sail is set in
relation to the wind ) flapping loosely in the breeze.
Took the wind out of his sails
Often we use "took the wind
out of his sails" to describe getting the best of an opponent in an argument.
Originally it described a battle maneuver of sailing ships. One ship would pass
close to its adversary and on its windward side. The ship and sails would block
the wind from the second vessel, causing it to lose headway. Losing motion
meant losing maneuverability and the ability to carry on a fight.
Watches
Traditionally, a 24-hour day is divided into seven watches. These are: midnight to 4 a.m. [0000-0400], the mid-watch; 4 to 8 a.m. [0400-0800], morning watch; 8 a.m. to noon [0800-1200], forenoon watch; noon to 4 p.m. [1200-1600], afternoon watch; 4 to 6 p.m. [1600-1800] first dog watch; 6 to 8 p.m. [1800-2000], second dog watch; and, 8 p.m. to midnight [2000-2400], evening watch. The half hours of the watch are marked by the striking the bell an appropriate number of times.
The content of
this page was taken from the Navys website.
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Posted March 25, 2004