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

The principal caps of a ship are those of the lower-masts, which are fitted with a strong eye-bolt on each side, wherein to hook the block by which the top-mast is drawn up through the cap; the process of which is explained in the article Mast.

The breadth of all caps is equal to twice the diameter of the top-mast, and the length to twice the breadth. The thickness of the main and fore-caps is half the diameter of their breadths; the mizen-cap three-sevenths, and the top-mast-caps two-fifths of their respective breadths.

In the same manner as the top-mast slides up through the cap of the lower-mast, the top-gallant mast slides up through the cap of the top-mast. The cap is represented by fig. 9. plate [II].

CAPE, a promontory, or head-land, which projects into the sea farther than the rest of the coast.

CAPPANUS, a name given by some authors to the worm which adheres to, and gnaws the bottom of a ship.

The cappanus is extremely pernicious to ships, particularly in the East and West Indies: to prevent this, several ships have lately been sheathed with copper; the first trial of which was made on his majesty’s frigate Alarm.

CAP-SQUARE. See the article Cannon.

CAPSTERN, or Capstan, (cabestan, Fr.) a strong, massy column of timber, formed like a truncated cone, and having its upper extremity pierced with a number of holes to receive the bars or levers. It is let down perpendicularly through the decks of a ship, and is fixed in such manner, that the men, by turning it horizontally with their bars, may perform any work which requires an extraordinary effort.

A capstern is composed of several parts, (see plate [II]. fig. 11.) where A is the barrel, b the whelps, c the drum-head, and d the spindle.

The whelps rise out from the main body of the capstern like buttresses, to enlarge the sweep; so that a greater portion of the cable, or whatever rope encircles the barrel, may be wound about it at one turn, without adding much to the weight of the capstern. The whelps reach downwards from the lower part of the drum-head to the deck.