This is generally the natural effect of casting loose the careening pullies by which she had been drawn down. It is however necessary sometimes to apply mechanical powers to right the ship in such a situation. The principal of these are the relieving-tackles. See that article.
A ship is also said to right at sea when she rises, with her masts erected, after having been prest down on one side by the effort of her sails, or a heavy squall of wind.
Righting, when expressed of the helm, implies the replacing it in the middle of the ship, after having produced the required effect, of wheeling her to the right or left, as much as appeared necessary.
RIM, or BRIM, a name given to the circular edge of any of the tops. See that article.
RING-BOLT, cheville à boucle, an iron bolt, with an eye at one end, wherein is fitted a circular ring, as expressed in fig. 3. and 4. plate [II]. The ring bolts are for several uses, but particularly to hook the tackles, by which the cannon of a ship are managed and secured: accordingly there is one fixed in the deck opposite to every cannon, represented by Z, plate [III]. Deck: and they are, for the same purpose, fixed in the edges of the gun-ports, as expressed in the Midship-frame, plate [VII]. They are driven through the plank and the corresponding beam, or timber, and retained in this position by a small pin thrust through a hole in the small end, as appears in fig. 39, plate [II].
RING-ROPES, short pieces of rope, tied occasionally to the ring-bolts of the deck, to fasten the cable more securely when the ship rides in a tempest, or turbulent sea, or rapid current. They are, however, more particularly necessary in veering away the cable gradually in those circumstances, in order to freshen the hause; as, without this precaution, it would be extremely difficult to check the cable, which, being then charged with a great effort, might be drawn violently out of the ship at random.
RING-TAIL, a small triangular sail, extended on a little mast, which is occasionally erected for that purpose on the top of a ship’s stern. The lower part of this sail is stretched out by a boom, which projects from the stern horizontally. This sail is only used in light and favourable winds, particularly in the Atlantic ocean.
Ring-tail is also a name given to a sort of studding-sail, hoisted beyond the after-edge, or skirt of those main-sails which are extended by a boom and gaff; as in all sloops, brigs, and schooners: this ring-tail is accordingly of the same depth with that part of the main-sail upon which it borders. See Sail.
RIPPLING, a broken and interrupted noise, produced by a current on or near the sea-coast.
RISING-LINE, a name given by shipwrights to an incurvated line, which is drawn on the plane of elevation, to determine the height of the ends of all the floor-timbers throughout the ship’s length, and which accordingly ascertains the figure of the bottom, with regard to sharpness and flatness.