N.
NAVAL, of or belonging to a ship, or to the royal navy. Hence we say, naval-stores, naval officers, &c.
NAVE-LINE, a sort of small tackle, depending from the head of the main-mast and foremast, and fastened to the middle of the parrel immediately behind the mast, and communicating with the gears. It is used to keep the parrel directly opposite to the yard, and particularly whilst hoisting or lowering, as it would otherwise hang under the yard, and prevent it from being sufficiently braced.
NAVIGATION, (navigation, Fr.) the art of directing the movements of a ship by the action of the wind upon the sails. See the article Sailing.
Navigation is then applied, with equal propriety, to the arrangement of the sails, according to the state of the wind; and to the directing and measuring a ship’s course by the laws of geometry; or it may comprehend both, being then considered as the theory and practice thereof.
Since every sea-officer is presumed to be furnished with books of navigation, in which that science is copiously described, it would be superfluous to enter into a particular detail of it in this place. As it would also be a fruitless task to those who are entirely ignorant of the rules of trigonometry, it appears not to come within the limits of our design: and those who are versed in that science generally understand the principles of navigation already. It suffices to say, that the course of a ship, and the distance she has run thereon, are measured by the angles and sides of a right-angled plain triangle, in which the hypothenuse is converted into the distance; the perpendicular, into the difference of latitude; the base, into the departure from the meridian; the angle, formed by the perpendicular and hypothenuse, into the course; and the opposite angle, contained between the hypothenuse and base, into its complement of the course.
The course of the ship is determined by the compass; and the log-line, or a solar observation, ascertains the distance. Hence the hypothenuse and angles are given, to find the base and perpendicular; a problem well known in trigonometry.
That part of navigation, which regards the piloting or conducting a ship along the sea-coast, can only be acquired by a thorough knowledge of that particular coast, after repeated voyages. The most necessary articles thereof are already described in the article Coasting: it is sufficient to observe, that the bearings and distances from various parts of the shore are generally ascertained in the night, either by light-houses, or by the different depths of the water, and the various sorts of ground at the bottom; as shells of different sizes and colours, sand, gravel, clay, stones, ooze, or shingle. In the day, the ship’s place is known by the appearance of the land, which is set by the compass, whilst the distance is estimated by the master or pilot.
NAVY (from navis, Lat.) implies, in general, any fleet or assembly of ships. It is, however, more particularly understood of the fleet of vessels of war, that belong to a kingdom or state, to be employed either in assaulting and destroying its enemies, or protecting its commerce, and defending its coasts against hostilities or invasion.
The navy of Great-Britain, together with its civil and military departments, is governed by the lord high-admiral, or the lords commissioners for executing this office. It is divided into several classes, or orders, in proportion to the size of the ships, &c. See the article Rate.
If the only objects to be considered in the distribution of the navy, into different rates, were to improve ship-building, and facilitate the operations of the marine, it might appear expedient to multiply the rates, much beyond their present number, which would oblige the shipwrights to study the principles of their art with more diligence and application. But the simplicity of the service in our dock-yards, and the views of œconomy, which ought never to be neglected when they regard important objects, has rendered it convenient to arrange the masts, the yards, the sails, the rigging, and artillery, into six rates; which, besides that of sloops of war, answers all the purposes of the navy. See Dock-Yards.
Navy is also the collective body of officers employed in his majesty’s sea-service.
NEAPED, (from nepflod, Sax.) the situation of a ship which is left aground on the height of a spring-tide, so that she cannot be floated off till the return of the next spring. See Tide.
NEEDLE, See the article Compass.
NETTING, a sort of fence, formed of an assemblage of ropes, fastened across each other, so as to leave uniform intervals between. These are usually stretched along the upper-part of a ship’s quarter, and secured in this position by rails and stanchions. See Quarter.
NIPPERS, garcettes de tournevire, certain pieces of flat, braided cordage, used to fasten the cable to the voyal in a ship of war, when the former is drawn into the ship by mechanical powers applied to the latter.
These nippers are usually six or eight feet in length, according to the size of the cable; and five or six of them are commonly fastened about the cable and voyal at once, in order to be heaved in by the capstern. Those which are farthest aft are always taken off, as the cable approaches the main hatchway; and others are at the same time fastened on, in the fore-part of the ship, to supply their places. The persons employed to bind the nippers about the cable and voyal, are called nipper-men: they are assisted in this office by the boys of the ship, who always supply them with nippers, and receive the ends of those which are fastened, to walk aft with them, and take them off at the proper place, in order to return them to the nipper-men.
NITTLES. See Knittles.
NO NEARER! (arrive!) the command given by the pilot, or quarter-master, to the helmsman, to steer the ship no higher to the direction of the wind than the sails will operate to advance the ship in her course. It is often abbreviated into no near, and sometimes into near; and is generally applied when the sails shake in the wind. See Shivering.
NO MAN’S LAND, St. Aubinet, a space between the after-part of the belfrey and the fore-part of a ship’s boat, when the said boat is stowed upon the booms, as in a deep-waisted vessel. These booms are laid from the forecastle nearly to the quarter-deck, where their after-ends are usually sustained by a frame called the gallows, which consists of two strong posts, about six feet high, with a cross piece, reaching from one to the other, athwart-ships, and serving to support the ends of those booms, masts, and yards, which lie in reserve to supply the place of others carried away, &c. The space called No man’s land is used to contain any blocks, ropes, tackles, &c. which may be necessary on the forecastle. It probably derives this name from its situation, as being neither on the starboard nor larboard side of the ship, nor on the waiste or forecastle; but being situated in the middle, partakes equally of all those places.
NORMAN, a name given to a short wooden bar, thrust into one of the holes of the windlass in a merchant-ship, whereon to fasten the cable. It is only used when there is very little strain on the cable, as in a commodious harbour, when the ship is well sheltered from the wind and tide.
NUTS of the anchor, two little prominencies, appearing like short square bars of iron, fixed across the upper-part of the anchor-shank, to secure the stock thereof in its place; for which purpose there is a corresponding notch, or channel, cut in the opposite parts of the stock, of the same dimensions with the nuts. See the article Anchor.