Bulk.* Old name for hull of a ship. 'Bulkhead' is a reminder.
Bulk Cargo. Cargo such as grain, coal, iron ore, etc., that is loaded in bulk and not in
packages or containers.
Bulkhead. Transverse, or fore and aft, vertical partition in a vessel to divide interior into
compartments. Not necessarily watertight. Increases rigidity of structure, localises effects of fire and, when watertight, localises inflow of water.
Bulk Oil. Oil cargo when carried in tanks instead of casks, drums, etc.
Boll Bars. Galvanised iron bars between beams of holds in ships carrying carcases of meat. Bull Dog Grip. U-shaped steel of circular section with a movable bridge that forms a clamp.
Two wires being inside U, and clamp screwed up, the wires are incapable of independent movement.
Bulling. Putting water into empty cask or barrel to prevent it drying and becoming leaky.
Colloquially used to signify diluting.
Bullivant's Wire Nippers. Steel appliances for securely holding a wire when under stress.
There are two types, fixed and portable. In either type an increase of stress results in an increase of clamping effect.
Bull Ring. Transverse circular steel ring at stem head. Fairleader for head ropes and tow
rope. Also called 'Panama Lead'.
Bull Rope. Rope leading downward from bowsprit to a buoy, to keep latter away from ship's
bows or stem. Name is generally given to any rope leading steeply downward from forward. 2. Length of rope used for hauling items of cargo under square of hatch for hoisting. 3. Rope used for topping a derrick so that standing topping lift can be shackled to deck.
Bull's Eye. Solid, round wooden block with groove around circumference and three or four
holes pierced transversely. Lower end of rigging is seized in around groove; lanyard is rove through holes to make a purchase for setting up the rigging. 2. A more or less circular patch of blue sky very often observable over centre of a revolving storm.
Bull's Eye Cringle. Bull's eye with one large hole in centre; sometimes used in tack or leech
of sail.
Bull's Nose. Masonry; with rounded front on outward side, between dock entrances.
Bullwanger. Small strop on yard arm through which a lashing is rove to keep head cringle
of a sail in place.
Bulwarks. Plating or wooden erections around outboard edge of upper deck to protect deck
from entry of sea.
Bumboat. Shore boat that comes alongside ships in harbour with provisions for retail sale.
Bumping. Name given to the intermittent touching of the ground by a vessel in shoal water. Bumpkins. Small booms projecting on either side of bows, to which the fore tacks are
hauled down.
Bung 60 Burden
Bung. Plug that closes the hole in bilge of a cask, keg, barrel, etc.
Bung Up and Bilge Free. Correct stowage of casks, barrels, etc., especially those
containing liquids. It precludes leakage and ensures the head timbers of the cask being vertical. Bilge is kept free by support under quarters.
Bunk. Built in bed, or one of a series of beds, on board a ship.
Bunker Clause. Inserted in a charter party to define the terms on which the charterer takes
over the bunkers at the commencement of a time charter, and the ship owner at the conclusion of the time charter.
Bunkers. Compartments in which coal is carried. Name is also given to the fuel (oil or
coal) used for ship's propelling and auxiliary machinery.
Bunt. Middle portion of a square sail.
Bunting. Thin, woollen material used for making flags, ensigns, etc.
Buntline. Line for hauling up middle of foot of a square sail when furling it.
Buntline Cloth. Additional cloth stitched to a square sail in way of buntlines. Keeps
chafe of buntlines off sail.
Buntline Hitch. Made by passing buntline through its cringle and then clove hitching it
around its own part, with final hitch next to the cringle.
Buoy. Floating object that is used to mark a position. 2. Object with a large reserve
buoyancy that allows it to support a required load. 3. To buoy a position is to mark it with a buoy.
Buoyage. The act of placing buoys. 2. Establishment of buoys and buoyage systems.
Applied collectively to buoys placed or established.
Buoyancy. Difference between weight of an immersed, or partly immersed, object and the
upward pressure of the liquid in which it is. If the weight be lighter the buoyancy will be 'positive'; if it be heavier the buoyancy will be 'negative'. Also defined as the vertical component of the water pressures acting on an immersed or partly immersed body.
Buoyancy Aid. A lifejacket which has less than the officially required buoyancy or does
not keep the wearer face-up when floating.
Buoyant Jacket. A lifejacket or Buoyancy Aid.
Buoyancy Tank. Tank fitted in lifeboat to give one cubic foot of positive buoyancy for
each person boat is certified to carry. Made of brass, copper, muntz or yellow metal, weighing at least 18 oz. per square foot.
Buoy Rope. Rope connecting a buoy with its moorings, or with the sunken object that it
marks. Particularly applied to rope connecting anchor and anchor buoy.
Buoy Rope Knot. Very similar to a stopper knot. It was put in end of hemp cable when
used for mooring to a buoy. Purpose was to prevent end of rope slipping through seizing by which it was secured.
Burden. Carrying capacity of a vessel expressed in tons. In M.S. A. means 'Net registered
Burdwood's Tables 61 Butt Joint
Burdwood's Tables. Tables computed by Commander John Burdwood, R.N., to give Sun's
true azimuth at intervals of 4 mins. when observed between Lats. 30° and 60°. Later
extended by Commander J. E. Davis and P. L. Davis of Nautical Almanac Office, to include Lats. 0°.to 30°.
Bureau Veritas. International body that supervises building of ships and other maritime
matters. An 'Assigning authority' for Load Line.
Burgee. Rectangular flag with a swallow tail fly. 2. Triangular flag of a yacht club. Burgoo. Seaman's name for oatmeal porridge. First mentioned in Edward Coxere's
'Adventures by Sea' (1656).
Burlap. Coarse cloth made from jute and other fibre. Used for protecting cargo.
Burr Pump.* Old type of bilge pump, in which a leather cup was lowered down a wooden
shaft. When lifting, side of cup fitted side of shaft and brought up all water above cup.
Burthen.* 'Burden.'
Burton. Tackle made with single and double block. Standing part is spliced round neck of
single block strop. Differs from a luff tackle in that strop of single block has a longer throat.
Burton's Tables. Volume of navigational tables with 5-figure logarithm values. Led the
way in giving comprehensive nautical quantities with minimum number of pages.
Burfs Bag and Nipper. Ingenious apparatus that was one of the first attempts to give
reliable soundings while under way. Lead line was rove through nipper on an inflatable bag that remained on surface - vertically above lead - as long as it was slacked out. When line was hauled in. nipper on bag gripped lead line, thus indicating depth.
Buscarle.* Man in command of 'Buss'.
Bush. Lining inserted in machinery and in sheaves of blocks to reduce friction and take wear
that would otherwise come on member around which a particular item revolves.
Buss. Formerly, a cargo vessel with large stowage space, in the 16th century up to about 100
tons. Later, the name was given to a fore and aft rigged fishing vessel, with main and mizen masts and bowsprit, used in herring fishing. The name is very old.
Butt. Joining of timber or plates in which the ends are flush and in close contact. 2. Cask
containing liquid, the quantity varying with the nature of the liquid. With beer, is 108 gallons and wine is 117 gallons.
Butter Battens. Special small-sized dunnage wood used when stowing butter or eggs. Butterfly Block. Small snatch block, of clump type, with hemp strop
and tail. Formerly used for hauling in deep sea lead line.
Butterly Bulb. Rolled steel of bulb T section.
Butt Joint. Joining of two plates, or timbers, in which their ends are flush and in close