Transport-SHIP, is generally used to conduct troops from one place to another.
Besides the different kinds of ships abovementioned, which are denominated from the purpose for which they are employed, vessels have also, in general, been named according to the different manner of rigging them. It would be an endless, and at the same time an unnecessary task, to enumerate all the different kinds of vessels with respect to their rigging; and therefore a few only are here taken notice of. Fig. 3.
is a ship which would be converted into a bark by stripping the mizen-mast of its yards and the sails belonging to them. If each mast, its corresponding topsail and topsgallant-mast, instead of being composed of separate pieces of wood, were all of one continued piece, then this vessel with very little alteration would be a polacre. Fig. 4. represents a sloop; fig. 5. a bilander; fig. 6. a brig; fig. 7. a ketch; fig. 8. a schooner; fig. 9. a sloop; fig. 10. a whaler; fig. 11. a galliot; fig. 12. a digger; fig. 13. a galley under sail; fig. 14. ditto rowing.
Ships are also sometimes named according to the different modes of their construction. Thus we say, a cut-built ship, &c.
To SHIP, is either used actively, as to embark any person or put any thing aboard ship; or passively, to receive any thing into a ship; as, "we shipped a heavy sea at three o'clock in the morning."
To SHIP, also implies to fix any thing in its place; as, to ship the oars, that is, to put them in their rowlocks; to ship the swivel guns, is to fix them in their sockets; to ship the handpokes, &c.
Machine for drawing Bolts out of SHIPS, an instrument invented by Mr William Hill for this purpose. His account of which is as follows *.
"First, The use of this machine is to draw the kelson bolts out, and dead wood bolts out, and to draw the knee of the head bolts.—Secondly, The heads of the kelson bolts heretofore were all obliged to be driven through the kelson, floor-timbers, and keel, to get them out; by this means the kelson is often entirely destroyed, and the large hole the head makes materially wounds the floors; and frequently, when the bolt is much corroded, it tears, and the bolt comes out of the side of the keel.—Thirdly, The dead-wood bolts that are driven with two or three drifts, are seldom or never got out, by which means the dead-wood is condemned, when some of it is really serviceable.—Fourthly, In drawing the knee of the head-bolts, sometimes the knee starts off, and cannot be got to again, but furs up, and with this machine may be drawn in; for it has been proved to have more power in starting a bolt than the maul."
In fig. 1. "A, A, represent two strong male screws, working in female screws near the extremities of the checks, against plates of iron E, E. C C is the bolt to be drawn; which, being held between the chaps of the machine at D D, is, by turning the screws by the lever B, forced upwards out of the wood or plank of the ship. F, F, are two dogs, with hooks at their lower extremities; which, being driven into the plank, serve to support the machine till the chaps have got fast hold of the bolt. At the upper part of these dogs are rings passing through holes in a collar, moveable near the heads of the screws. Fig. 2. is a view of the upper side of the checks when joined together; a, a, the holes in which the screws work; b, the chaps by which the bolts are drawn. Fig. 3. The under side of the cheek: a, a, Fig. 3. the holes in which the screws work; b, the chaps by which the bolts are drawn, and where the teeth that gripe the bolt are more distinctly shown. Fig. 4. One of the checks separated from the other, the letters referring as in fig. 2. and 3.
This machine was tried in his majesty's yard at Deptford, and was found of the greatest utility.—"First, it drew a bolt that was driven down so tight as only to go one
Ship one inch in sixteen blows with a double headed maul, and was well clenched below: the bolt drew the ring a considerable way into the wood, and wire drew itself through, and left the ring behind. Secondly, it drew a bolt out of the Venus's dead wood that could not be got out by the maul. That part of it which went through the keel was bent close up to the lower part of the dead-wood, and the machine drew the bolt straight, and drew it out with ease. It also drew a kelson bolt out of the Stanley West Indiaman, in Messrs Well's yard, Deptford; which being a bolt of two drifts, could not be driven out.
Management of SHIPS at single anchor, is the method of taking care of a ship while riding at single anchor in a tide-way, by preventing her from fouling her anchor, &c. The following rules for this purpose, with which we have been favoured by Henry Taylor* of North Shields, will be found of the utmost consequence.
Riding in a tide-way, with a fresh-of-wind, the ship should have what is called a short or windward service, say 45 or 50 fathoms of cable, and always sheered to windward (A), not always with the helm hard down, but more or less so according to the strength or weakness of the tide. It is a known fact, that many ships steer their anchors home, drive on board of other ships, and on the sands near which they rode, before it has been discovered that the anchor had been moved from the place where it was let go.
1 When the wind is cross, or nearly cross, off shore, or in the opposite direction, ships will always back. This is done by the mizen-top-sail, assisted, if needful, by the mizen-stay-sail; such as have no mizen-top-sail commonly use the main-top-sail, or if it blows fresh, a topsallant-sail, or any such sail at the gaff.
In backing, a ship should always wind with a taught cable, that it may be certain the anchor is drawn round. In case there is not a sufficiency of wind for that purpose, the ship should be hove apeak.
2 Riding with the wind afore the beam, the yards should be braced forward; if abaft the beam, they are to be braced all apeak.
3 If the wind is so far aft that the ship will not back (which should not be attempted if, when the tide eases, the ship forges ahead, and brings the buoy on the lee quarter), she must be set ahead: if the wind is far aft, and blows fresh, the utmost care and attention is necessary, as ships riding in this situation often break their steer, and come to windward of their anchors again. It should be observed, that when the ship lies in this
ticklish situation, the after-yards must be braced forward, and the fore-yards the contrary way: she will lay safe, as the buoy can be kept on the lee quarter, or suppose the helm is a-port, as long as the buoy is on the larboard quarter. With the helm thus, and the wind right aft, or nearly so, the starboard main and fore braces should be hauled in. This supposes the main braces to lead forward.
When the ship begins to tend to leeward, and the buoy comes on the weather-quarter, the first thing to be done is to brace about the fore-yard; and when the wind comes near the beam, set the fore-stay-sail, and be set a-keep it standing until it shakes; then brace all the head-yards starboard forward, especially if it is likely to blow strong.
If lying in the aforesaid position, and she breaks her steer, brace about the main-yard immediately; if she manages to recover and brings the buoy on the lee or larboard quarter, let the main-yard be again braced about; but if she comes to a steer the other way, by bringing the buoy on the other quarter, change the helm and brace the fore-yard to.
Riding leeward tide with more cable than the windward service, and expecting the ship will go to windward of her anchor, begin as soon as the tide eases to shorten in the cable. This is often hard work; but it is necessary to be done, otherwise the anchor may be fouled by the great length of cable the ship has to draw round; but even if that could be done, the cable would be damaged against the bows or cut-water. It is to be observed, that when a ship rides windward tide the cable should be cackled from the short service towards the anchor, as far as will prevent the bare part touching the ship.
When the ship tends to windward and must be set ahead, hoist the fore-stay-sail as soon as it will stand, and when the buoy comes on the lee quarter, haul down the fore-stay-sail, brace to the fore-yard, and put the helm a-lee; for till then the helm must be kept a-weather and the yards full.
When the ship rides leeward tide, and the wind increases, care should be taken to give her more cable in time, otherwise the anchor may start, and probably it will be troublesome to get her brought up again; and this care is the more necessary when the ship rides in the haufe of another ship. Previous to giving a long service it is usual to take a weather-bit, that is, a turn of the cable over the windlass end, so that in veering away the ship will be under command. The service ought
(A) It has been thought by some theorists, that ships should be sheered to leeward of their anchors; but experience and the common practice of the best informed seamen are against that opinion: for it is found, that when a ship rides leeward tide and sheered to windward, with the wind two or three points upon the bow, and blowing hard in the interval between the squalls, the steer will draw her towards the wind's eye; so that when the next squall comes, before she be pressed astream of her anchor, it is probable there will be a lull again, and the spring which the cable got by the steer will greatly ease it during the squall.
Every seaman knows that no ship without a rudder, or the helm left loose, will wear; they always in such situations fly to: this proves that the wind pressing upon the quarter and the helm a-lee, a ship will be less liable to break her steer than when the helm is a-weather. Besides, if the helm is a-lee when she breaks her steer, it will be a-weather when the wind comes on the other quarter, as it ought to be until she either swings to leeward, or brings the buoy on the other quarter. Now if the ship breaks her steer with the helm a-weather, it throws her head to the wind so suddenly as scarce to give time to brace the yards about, and very probably she will fall over her anchor before the fore-stay-sail can be got up.
Ship. ought to be greased, which will prevent its chafing in the haufe.
If the gale continues to increase, the topmasts should be struck in time; but the fore yard should seldom, if ever, be lowered down, that in case of parting the foresail may be ready to be set. At such times there should be more on deck than the common anchor-watch, that no accident may happen from inattention or falling asleep.
In a tide-way a second anchor should never be let go but when absolutely necessary; for a ship will sometimes ride easier and safer, especially if the sea runs high, with a very long scope of cable and one anchor, than with less length and two cables; however, it is advisable, as a preventive, when ships have not room to drive, and the night is dark, to let fall a second anchor under foot, with a range of cable along the deck. If this is not thought necessary to be done, the deep-sea lead should be thrown overboard, and the line frequently handled by the watch, that they may be assured the rides fast.
3
Caution respecting the anchor watch.
If at any time the anchor-watch, presuming on their own knowledge, should wind the ship, or suffer her to break her sheer without calling the mate, he should immediately, or the very first opportunity, oblige the crew to heave the anchor in sight; which will prevent the commission of the like fault again; for besides the share of trouble the watch will have, the rest of the crew will blame them for neglecting their duty.
9
The particular duty of the chief mate.
Prudent mates seldom lie a week in a roadstead without heaving their anchor in sight; even though they have not the least suspicion of its being foul. There are other reasons why the anchor should be looked at; sometimes the cable receives damage by sweeping wrecks or anchors that have been lost, or from rocks or stones; and it is often necessary to trip the anchor, in order to take a clearer birth, which should be done as often as any ship brings up too near.
Method for the safe removal of such SHIPS as have been driven on shore. For this purpose empty casks are usually employed to float off the vessel, especially if she is small, and at the same time near the port to which it is proposed to conduct her. In other cases, the following method adopted by Mr Barnard* will answer.
* Philosophical Transactions, vol. lxx. part 1.
"On January 1. 1779 (says Mr Barnard), in a most dreadful storm, the York East Indiaman, of eight hundred tons, homeward bound, with a pepper cargo, parted her cables in Margate roads, and was driven on shore, within one hundred feet of the head and thirty feet of the side of Margate pier, then drawing twenty-two feet six inches water, the flow of a good spring tide being only fourteen feet at that place.
"On the third of the same month I went down, as a ship-builder, to assist, as much as lay in my power, my worthy friend Sir Richard Hotham, to whom the ship belonged. I found her perfectly upright, and her sheer (or side appearance) the same as when first built, but sunk to the twelve feet water-mark fore and aft in a bed of chalk mixed with a stiff blue clay, exactly the shape of her body below that draft of water; and from the rudder being torn from her as she struck coming on shore, and the violent agitation of the sea after her being there, her stern was so greatly injured as to admit free access thereto, which filled her for four days equal to the flow of the tide. Having fully informed myself of her situation and the flow of spring-tides, and being
clearly of opinion she might be again got off, I recommended, as the first necessary step, the immediate discharge of the cargo; and, in the progress of that business, I found the tide always flowed to the same height on the ship; and when the cargo was half discharged, and I knew the remaining part should not make her draw more than eighteen feet water, and while I was observing the water at twenty-two feet six inches by the ship's marks, the instantly lifted to seventeen feet eight inches; the water and air being before excluded by her pressure on the clay, and the atmosphere acting upon her upper part equal to six hundred tons, which is the weight of water displaced at the difference of these two drafts of water.
"The moment the ship lifted, I discovered she had received more damage than was at first apprehended, her leaks being such as filled her from four to eighteen feet water in an hour and a half. As nothing effectual was to be expected from pumping, several scuttles or holes in the ship's side were made, and valves fixed thereto, to draw off the water at the lowest ebb of the tide, to facilitate the discharge of the remaining part of the cargo; and, after many attempts, I succeeded in an external application of sheep-skins sewed on a sail and thrust under the bottom, to stop the body of water from rushing so furiously into the ship. This business effected, moderate pumping enabled us to keep the ship to about six feet water at low water, and by a vigorous effort we could bring the ship so light as (when the cargo should be all discharged) to be easily removed into deeper water. But as the external application might be disturbed by so doing, or totally removed by the agitation of the ship, it was absolutely necessary to provide some permanent security for the lives of those who were to navigate her to the river Thames. I then recommended as the cheapest, quickest, and most effectual plan, to lay a deck in the hold, as low as the water could be pumped to, framed so solidly and securely, and caulked so tight, as to swim the ship independent of her own leaky bottom.
"Beams of fir-timber twelve inches square were placed in the hold under every lower-deck beam in the ship, as low as the water would permit; these were in two pieces, for the convenience of getting them down, and also for the better fixing them of an exact length, and well bolted together when in their places. Over these were laid long Dantzic deals of two inches and a half thick, well nailed and caulked. Against the ship's sides, all fore and aft, was well nailed a piece of fir twelve inches broad and six inches thick on the lower and three inches on the upper edge, to prevent the deck from rising at the side. Over the deck, at every beam, was laid a cross piece of fir timber six inches deep and twelve inches broad, reaching from the pillar of the hold to the ship's side, on which the shores were to be placed to resist the pressure of the water beneath. On each of these, and against the lower-deck beam, at equal distances from the side and middle of the ship, was placed an upright shore, six inches by twelve, the lower end let two inches into the cross piece. From the foot of this shore to the ship's side, under the end of every lower deck beam, was placed a diagonal shore six inches by twelve, to ease the ship's deck of part of the strain by throwing it on the side. An upright shore of three inches by twelve was placed from the end of every cross piece