The Sailor's Word-Book Part 219

SHIP-LANGUAGE. The shibboleth of nautic diction, as _tau'sle_, _fok'sle_, for top-sail, forecastle, and the like.

SHIP-LAST. _See_ LAST.

SHIP-LAUNCH. _See_ LAUNCH.

SHIP-LOAD. The estimated lading or cargo of a vessel.

SHIP-LOG. _See_ LOG-BOOK.

SHIP-LORD. A once recognized term for the owner of a ship.

SHIPMAN [Anglo-Saxon _scyp-mann_]. The master of a barge, who in the days of Chaucer had but "litel Latin in his mawe," and who, though "of nice conscience toke he no kepe," was certainly a good fellow.

SHIPMAN'S CARD. A chart; thus Shakspeare's first witch in _Macbeth_ had winds--

"And the very ports they blow, All the quarters that they know I' the shipman's card."

SHIPMASTER. The captain, commander, or padrone of a vessel. (_See_ MASTER.)

SHIPMATE. A term once dearer than brother, but the habit of short cruises is weakening it.

SHIPMENT. The act of shipping goods, or any other thing, on board a ship or vessel.

SHIP-MONEY. An imposition charged throughout this realm in the time of Charles I., but which was declared illegal.

SHIP-OWNER. A person who has a right of property in a ship. The interest of part-owners is quite distinct, so that one cannot dispose of the share of the other, or effect any insurance for him, without special authority.

SHIPPER. He who embarks goods; also mentioned in some of our statutes as the master of a ship. (_See_ SKIPPER.)

SHIPPING AFFAIRS. All business of a maritime bearing.

SHIPPING GOODS. Receiving and stowing them on board.

SHIPPING GREEN SEAS. When heavy seas tumble over the gunwale either to windward or leeward; sometimes resulting from bad steerage and seamanship, or over-pressing the vessel.

SHIPPING MANIFEST. _See_ MANIFEST.

SHIPPING MASTERS. Persons officially appointed and licensed to attend to the entering and discharging of merchant seamen.

SHIP-PROPELLER. _See_ SCREW-PROPELLER.

SHIP RAISED UPON. One of which the upper works have been heightened by additional timbers. About the year 1816 several creditable corvettes of 600 tons were constructed; after three had been tried, the mistaken order was issued to make them into frigates. Hence the term donkey and jacka.s.s frigates, _Athol_ and _Niemen_ to wit.

SHIP'S BOOKS. The roll of the crew, containing every particular in relation to entry, former ships, &c.

SHIP-SHAPE. In colloquial phrase implies, in a seamanlike manner; as, "That mast is not rigged ship-shape;" "Put her about ship-shape," &c.

(_See_ BRISTOL FASHION.)

SHIP'S HUSBAND. The agent or broker who manages her accounts with regard to work performed, repairs, &c., under refit or loading.

SHIP-SLOOP. Commanders were appointed to 24-gun sloops, but when the same sloops were commanded by captains, they were rated ships.

SHIP'S LUNGS. Dr. Hall's name for the bellows with which he forced the foul air out of ships.

SHIP'S PAPERS. Doc.u.ments descriptive of a vessel, her owners, cargo, destination, and other particulars necessary for the instance court.

Also, those doc.u.ments required for a neutral ship to prove her such.

SHIP'S REGISTRY AND CERTIFICATE. An official record of a ship's size, the bills of lading, ownership, &c.

SHIP'S STEWARD. The person who manages the victualling or mess departments. In the navy, paymaster's steward.

SHIP-STAR. The Anglo-Saxon _scyp-steora_, an early name for the pole-star, once of the utmost importance in navigation.

SHIP-TIMBER. Contraband in time of war.

SHIPWRECK. The destruction of a vessel by her beating against rocks, the sh.o.r.e, &c.--too often including loss of life. In early times the seizure of goods, and even the murder of the mariners, was apt to be the consequence.

SHIPWRIGHT. A builder of ships. The art of bending planks by fire is attributed to Pyrrhon, the Lydian, who made boats of several configurations.

SHIPYARD. Synonymous with _dockyard_.

SHIVER. Synonymous with _sheave_.

SHIVERING. To trim a ship's yards so that the wind strikes on the edges or leaches of the sails, making them flutter in the wind. The same effect may be intentionally produced by means of the helm.

SHOAL. A danger formed by sunken rocks, on which the sea does not break; but generally applied to every place where the water is shallow, whatever be the ground. (_See_ FLAT SHOAL, SHOLE, or SCHOLE.) Also, denotes a great quant.i.ty of fishes swimming in company--_squamosae cohortes_. Also, a vessel is said to shoalen, or shoal her water, when she comes from a greater into a less depth.

SHOALED-HARBOUR. That which is secured from the violence of the sea, by banks, bars, or shoals to sea-ward.

SHOD, OR SHODE. An anchor is said to be shod when, in breaking it from its bed, a quant.i.ty of clayey or oozy soil adheres to the fluke and shank.

SHOE. The iron arming to a handspike, polar-pile, &c.

SHOE OF THE ANCHOR. A flat block of hard wood, convex on the back, and having a hole sufficiently large to contain the bill of the anchor-fluke on the fore-side; used to prevent the anchor from tearing the planks on the ship's bow when fishing it, for which purpose the shoe slides up and down along the bow. Where vessels ease the anchor down to "a c.o.c.k-bill,"

it is also sometimes used.--_To shoe or clamp an anchor._ To cover the palms with broad triangular pieces of thick plank, secured by iron hoops and nails. Its use is to give the anchor a greater resisting surface when the mud is very soft. Also, for transporting on sh.o.r.e.

SHOE OF THE FORE-FOOT. _See_ FORE-FOOT, GRIPE, HORSE.

SHOE-PIECE. A board placed under the heel of a spar, or other weighty ma.s.s, to save the deck. In some cases intended to slip with it.

SHOLES. _See_ SOLE.

SHOOT, TO. To move suddenly; as "the ballast shoots on one side." Also, a ship shoots ahead in stays. Also, to push off in a boat from the sh.o.r.e into a current; to descend a rapid. The term is well used thus amongst the powerful rivers of N. America, of which perhaps the finest example is given by the St. Lawrence at La Chine, there reported to rush in spring-time at the rate of 40 miles an hour. Thus the shooting Old London Bridge was the cause of many deaths, and gave occasion to the admirable description in the _Loves of the Triangles_ (anti-Jacobin), when all were agreed:

"'Shoot we the bridge,' the vent'rous boatmen cry; 'Shoot we the bridge,' th' exulting fare reply."

SHOOT-FINGER. This was a term in use with the Anglo-Saxons from its necessity in archery, and is now called the trigger-finger from its equal importance in modern fire-arms. The mutilation of this member was always a most punishable offence; for which the laws of King Alfred inflicted a penalty of fifteen shillings, which at that time probably was a sum beyond the bowman's means.

SHOOTING-GLOVES. These were furnished to the navy when cross-bows, long-bows, and slur-bows were used.