BREACH OF THE SEA. Waves breaking over the hull of a vessel in bad weather, or when stranded.—A clear breach implies the waves rolling clean over without breaking. Shakspeare in "Twelfth Night" uses the term for the breaking of the waves.—Clean-breach, when masts and every object on deck is swept away.
BREACHY. Brackish, as applied to water, probably originating in the sea breaking in.
BREAD. The usual name given to biscuit.
BREAD-BARGE. The tray in which biscuit is handed round.
BREAD-FRUIT (Artocarpus incisa). This most useful tree has a wide range of growth, but the seedless variety produced in Tahiti and some of the South Sea Islands is superior to others; it has an historical interest from its connection with the voyage of the Bounty in 1787.
BREAD-ROOM. The lowest and aftermost part of the orlop deck, where the biscuit is kept, separated by a bulk-head from the rest; but any place parted off from below deck for containing the bread is so designated.
BREAD-ROOM JACK. The purser's steward's help.
BREADTH. The measure of a vessel from side to side in any particular place athwart-ships. (See [Straight of Breadth], [Height of Breadth], [Top-timber Breadth], &c.)—Breadth of beam, extreme breadth of a ship.
BREADTH EXTREME. See [Extreme Breadth or Beam].
BREADTH LINE. A curved line of the ship lengthwise, intersecting the timbers at their greatest extent from the middle line of the ship.