The Sailor's Word-Book / An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc.

by W. H. Smyth

STRANGE SAIL. A vessel heaving in sight, of which the particulars are unknown.

STRAPS OF THE RUDDER. See [Pintles].

STRATAGEM. A plan devised to throw dust into the eyes of an enemy, in order to deceive him.

STRATEGY. The science of the naval and military combinations which compel movements and battles, or the contrary, but not including the operations of actual battle, which belong to tactics.

STRATUS. A low cloud which forms a horizontal line. The higher cloud of the same shape is called cirro-stratus.

STRAW! A word of command, now obsolete, formerly given to dismiss soldiers who were to remain in readiness to fall in again at a moment's notice.

STRAY LINE OF THE LOG. About 10 or 12 fathoms of line left unmarked next the log-ship, in order that it may get out of the eddy of the ship's wake before the measuring begins, or the glass is turned.

STRAY-MARK. The mark at the junction of the stray and log lines.

STREAM. Anglo-Saxon for flowing water, meaning especially the middle or most rapid part of a tide or current.

STREAM-ANCHOR. A smaller one by two-thirds than the bowers, and larger than the kedges, used to ride steady, or moor with occasionally. In certain cases it is used for warping.