O.
OAKHAM, or OAKUM, the substance into which old ropes are reduced, when they are untwisted, loosened, and drawn asunder. It is principally used to drive into the seams, or intervals, between the planks of a ship, to prevent the water from entering. See the article Caulking.
White Oakum, is that which is formed of untarred ropes.
OAR, rame, (are, Sax.) a long piece of timber, flat at one end, and round or square at the other, and which being applied to the side of a floating-vessel, serves to make it advance upon the water.
That part of the oar which is out of the vessel, and which enters into the water, is called the blade, or wash, plat; and that which is within-board, is termed the loom, whose extremity, manche, being small enough to be grasped by the rowers, or persons managing the oars, is called the handle.
To push the boat or vessel forwards, by means of this instrument, the rowers turn their backs forward, and, dipping the blade of the oar in the water, pull the handle forward so that the blade at the same time may move aft in the water: But since the blade cannot be so moved, without striking the water, this impulsion is the same, as if the water were to strike the blade from the stern towards the head: the vessel is therefore necessarily moved according to this direction. Hence it follows, that she will advance with the greater rapidity, by as much as the oar strikes the water more forcibly. Thus it is evident, that an oar acts upon the side of a boat or vessel like a lever of the second class, whose fulcrum is the station, upon which the oar rests on the boat’s gunnel. In large vessels, this station is usually called the row-port; but in lighters and boats it is always termed the row-lock.
To ship the Oars, armer, is to fix them in the row-locks ready for rowing.
OBSERVATION, the art of measuring the altitude of the sun or a star, in order to determine the latitude, or the sun’s azimuth, &c.
OFF, an expression applied to the movement of a ship, when she sails out from the shore towards the distant sea. When a ship is beating to windward, so that by one board she approaches towards the shore, and by the other sails out to sea-ward, she is said to stand off and on shore, alternately. Hence,
Offing, largue, dehors, implies out at sea; or at a competent distance from the shore, and generally out of anchor-ground.
Offward, the situation of a ship which lies aground, and leans off from the shore.
OLERON, a name given to a code of general rules relating to naval affairs, and formed by Richard I. when he was at the island of Oleron. These have been frequently esteemed the most excellent sea-laws in the world; and are still preserved in the black book of the admiralty.
OPEN, debouclé, the situation of a place which is exposed to the wind and sea, with little or no shelter for shipping to anchor therein.
Open, ouvert, is also expressed of any distant object, to which the sight or passage is not intercepted by something lying, or coming between. Thus, to be open with any place, is to be opposite to it; as the entry of a port, road, or haven.
OPENING, a passage, or streight, between two adjacent coasts or islands.
ORDINARY, gardiens, the establishment of the persons employed by the government to take charge of the ships of war, which are laid-up in the several harbours adjacent to the royal dock-yards. These are principally composed of the warrant-officers of the said ships, as the gunner, boatswain, carpenter, deputy-purser and cook, and their servants. There is besides a crew of labourers enrolled in the list of the ordinary, who pass from ship to ship occasionally to pump, moor, remove, or clean them, whenever it is necessary.
The term ordinary is also applied, sometimes, to the ships themselves; it is likewise used to distinguish the inferior sailors from the most expert and diligent. Thus the latter are rated able on the navy-books, and have 1l. 4s. per month whereas those who are rated ordinary, have only 19s. per month.
ORLOP, (over-loop, Dutch) faux-pont, a plat-form of planks laid over the beams, in the hold of a ship of war, whereon the cables are usually coiled, and the several officers store-rooms contained.
OVER-BOARD, the state of being thrown out of a ship, or boat, into the water whereon she swims: also the act of falling from such a vessel into the sea, &c. as, the ship sprung a leak, and obliged us to throw the guns over-board; a heavy sea broke over the deck, and carried two of our men over-board.
OVER-CAST-STAFF, trebuchet, a scale, or measure, employed by shipwrights to determine the difference between the curves of those timbers which are placed near the greatest breadth, and those which are situated near the extremities of the keel, where the floor rises and grows narrower.
OVER-HAULING, parcourir, the act of opening and extending the several parts of a tackle, or other assemblage of ropes, communicating with blocks or dead-eyes. It is used to remove those blocks to a sufficient distance from each other, that they may be again placed in a state of action, so as to produce the effect required. See the article Tackle.
Over-hauling, is also vulgarly expressed of an examination or inspection into the condition of a person or thing.
OVER-MASTED, the state of a ship, whose masts are too high, or too heavy, for the weight of her hull to counter-balance.
OVER-SETTING, chavirer, the act of turning any thing upside-down; also the movement of a ship when she over-turns, faire capot, so that the keel becomes above the water, and the masts under the surface.
OUT, dehors, an expression frequently used at sea, implying the situation of the sails when they are set, or extended, to assist the ship’s course; as opposed to in; which is also applied, in the contrary sense, to signify that such sails are furled.
OUT-FIT, is generally used to signify the expences of equipping a ship for a sea-voyage; or of arming her for war, or both together. See Fitting-out.
OUT OF TRIM, endormi, the state of a ship when she is not properly balanced for the purposes of navigation; which is either occasioned by the size, or position of her masts and sails; or by the comparative quantity, or arrangement of her cargo and ballast in the hold.
OUT-RIGGER, a strong beam of timber, of which there are several fixed on the side of a ship, and projecting from it, in order to secure the masts in the act of careening. See that article.
The outer ends of these beams are firmly lashed to a bolt in the ship’s side beneath, by which they are enabled to support the mast, by counteracting the strain it suffers from the effort of the careening tackles; which being applied in the mast-head, draws it downwards, so as to act upon the vessel with the power of a lever, whose fulcrum is in her centre of gravity.
Out-rigger is also a small boom, occasionally used in the tops to thrust out the breast-back-stays to windward, in order to increase their tension, and thereby give additional security to the top-mast.
This boom is usually furnished with a tackle at its inner-end, communicating with one of the topmast-shrouds; and has a notch on the outer end to contain the back-stay, and keep it steddy therein. As soon as the back-stay is drawn tight, by means of its tackle in the chains, the out-rigger is applied aloft, which forces it out to windward, beyond the circle of the top, so as to increase the angle which the mast makes with the back-stay, and accordingly enable the latter the better to support the former.
This machine is sometimes applied without any tackle; it is then thrust out to its usual distance beyond the top-rim, where it is securely fastened; after which the back-stay is placed in the notch, and extended below.
OWNER, the proprietor of a ship, by whom she is freighted to the merchant for a sea-voyage.