An Universal Dictionary of the Marine / Or, a Copious Explanation of the Technical Terms and Phrases Employed in the Construction, Equipment, Furniture, Machinery, Movements, and Military Operations of a Ship. Illustrated With Variety of Original Designs of Shipping, in Different Situations; Together With Separate Views of Their Masts, Sails, Yards, and Rigging. to Which Is Annexed, a Translation of the French Sea-terms and Phrases, Collected from the Works of Mess. Du Hamel, Aubin, Saverien, &c.

by William Falconer

To SLUE, is to turn any cylindrical or conical piece of timber about its axis, without removing it. This term is generally expressed of the movement by which a mast or boom is turned about, in its cap or boom-iron.

SMACK, a small vessel commonly rigged as a sloop or hoy, used in the coasting or fishing trade; or as a tender in the King’s service.

SNATCH-BLOCK, galoche, a block having an opening in one of its sides, wherein to fix the bight of rope occasionally. See Block.

SNOTTER. See the article Sprit.

SNOW, senau, is generally the largest of all two-masted vessels employed by Europeans, and the most convenient for navigation.

The sails and rigging on the main-mast and fore-mast of a snow, are exactly similar to those on the same masts in a ship; only that there is a small mast behind the main-mast of the former, which carries a sail nearly resembling the mizen of a ship. The foot of this mast is fixed in a block of wood on the quarter-deck abaft the main-mast; and the head of it is attached to the afterpart of the main-top. The sail, which is called the try-sail, is extended from its mast towards the stern of the vessel.

When the sloops of war are rigged as snows, they are furnished with a horse, which answers the purpose of the trysail-mast, the fore part of the sail being attached by rings to the said horse, in different parts of its height.

SOLE, a name sometimes given to the lower side of a gun-port, which however is more properly called the port-sell.

SOUNDING, (sonder, Fr.) the operation of trying the depth of the water, and the quality of the ground, by means of a plummet, plomb de sonde, sunk from a ship to the bottom.

There are two plummets used for this purpose in navigation; one of which is called the hand-lead, weighing about 8 or 9 pound; and the other the deep-sea-lead, which weighs from 25 to 30 pound, and both are shaped like the frustrum of a cone or pyramid. The former is used in shallow waters, and the latter at a great distance from the shore; particularly on approaching the land, after a sea-voyage. Accordingly the lines employed for this purpose are called the deep-sea lead-line, and the hand lead-line.