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Nautical Trivia

20K views 194 replies 37 participants last post by  Giulietta 
#1 ·
Since I am totally locked out of my server and cannot work, I thought I would really waste a bit more time and throw out some nautical trivia. Hopefully I do not screw any of these up, but I am sure the very friendly folks at Sailnet (er, hm) will be happy to point out my errors.

Ok, why is the Head called the head?

Where did the words Starboard and Port originate from and why?

Halyard? Anyone know that one?

Feel free to throw out others. I will give a small hint, they all originated from the old, wooden, ships...
 
#2 ·
Head - because on the old square rig ships you went to the head (front) of the boat to take a dump.

Port - the side of the ship that tied to the dock

Starboard - Steerboard - the side of the ship with the steering board attached. That is why you always tied the otherside of the ship to the dock.

Halyard - Teach me!

now let me add one. "Splice the main brace" Where did it come from and what does it mean.
 
#4 ·
Halyard,

A bit fuzzy, but by memory, it goes something like this:

The old square rigs' sails were measured by yards of sail. Haul-a-yard. Haul-yard, Halyard. Thus, that is where it derived.

PS THe head thing is pretty right. Not Everyone went forward... the Captain had his own head. He was the only one that got to use it.
 
#6 ·
Cruisingdad said:
Since I am totally locked out of my server and cannot work, I thought I would really waste a bit more time and throw out some nautical trivia. Hopefully I do not screw any of these up, but I am sure the very friendly folks at Sailnet (er, hm) will be happy to point out my errors.

Ok, why is the Head called the head?

Where did the words Starboard and Port originate from and why?

Halyard? Anyone know that one?

Feel free to throw out others. I will give a small hint, they all originated from the old, wooden, ships...
CD
I can answer all of those but I'll let someone else have a stab first.

However on the subject of 'head' the answer is not at obvious as might be thought so I'd add two further questions......

What is a beakhead ?

Where did the English term for a toilet , loo, originate ?

I suppose it's an indication of small mind amused by small things but I love this stuff. :)
 
#7 ·
Halyard, Haul Yard that's right CD.

Port was originally larboard but as that was too close to starboard, originally steerboard in the days before rudders, it was changed to port which was the traditional side that ships presented to the wharf for loading and unloading. Why ? I have no idea at all but I'd like to find out.
 
#9 ·
Though all of these origins are murky, my understanding is the "steer board" was basically an oar tied on one side of the stern of a double ended Viking ship. You didn't want that side against the quay for fear of damaging the rudder. So the side away from the rudder became port.
 
#10 ·
Cruisingdad said:
TDW & thunderfog,

Nope, don't know those, I am curious. Shoot away!
Beakhead - was originally a battering ram that evolved into a platform on which archers and/or swordsmen would stand to either strafe or board another ship. It became a logical place for an onboard (overboard ?) crapper and obviously you would use the leaward beakhead to do your business. Leaward is of course pronounced looward, hence the English term for a toilet, loo.

You can expand that a little, the old beakhead would be a pretty bumpy place as sea and hence the origin of the expression "beats the crap out of me". Ahem !!
 
#12 ·
"You can expand that a little, the old beakhead would be a pretty bumpy place as sea and hence the origin of the expression "beats the crap out of me". Ahem !!"

Only problem with that is "crap" didn't come into use until WWII when American GIs kept using the "Crapper", the most common brand of British toilets. Kind of like "American Standard" over here.:D
 
#14 ·
SteveCox said:
Though all of these origins are murky, my understanding is the "steer board" was basically an oar tied on one side of the stern of a double ended Viking ship. You didn't want that side against the quay for fear of damaging the rudder. So the side away from the rudder became port.
Stupid of me not to realise that but it encouraged me to look up larboard and starboard. Originally Laddeborde and Steorborde. Borde in old English was the side of a ship, ladde was laden or load , steor meaning to steer.
 
#16 ·
SteveCox said:
"You can expand that a little, the old beakhead would be a pretty bumpy place as sea and hence the origin of the expression "beats the crap out of me". Ahem !!"

Only problem with that is "crap" didn't come into use until WWII when American GIs kept using the "Crapper", the most common brand of British toilets. Kind of like "American Standard" over here.:D
You saying I'm a liar ? (Ahem !! ) You'd be right. That was utter bullcrap just couldn't resist it. ;)
 
#17 · (Edited)
Here, I will explain THE REAL reason why its called port and starbord.

Many centuries ago, when the Portuguese started sailing, they thought the world was a cube. They started sailing South along the coast of Africa, and as they headed South, land (port) allways stayed on the left side of the boat.
Portuguese word for it BOMBORDO (good bord) but the English, and the Dutch (and the French with the arrival of beneteau, LOL) that started sailing MUCH later, modified it to Portbord.

The other side, was the ESTIBORDO (Side of the Stars), and the English started calling it Starbord.

Remember the Portuguese (and some obscure Spaniards) were the first to sail, record and write about it (not the first because teh Fenicians, the vikings all sailed, but never wrot nothing, or wrote little).

Cartography started in Portugal and Italy (when some Portuguese moved there).

As for the head, the portuguese word is Sanita (sanitary), because when doing the DO people belived they were sanitized thru their poo hole.

Why the British started calling head??? Each one poos from where he "bloody hell" choses.

The port satarbord thing we learnt in school, the head I was just joking.:D
 
#19 ·
kwaltersmi said:
Knothead: Indeed, Slocum was the first solo, but who was the first ever (with a crew, obviously)?
Got me. I've probably learned this at some point in my life but I'll be damned if I can bring it up now.

"Why the British started calling head??? Each one poos from where he "bloody hell" choses."

CD, look what you've started.
 
#20 ·
knothead said:
Solo?
Slocum, No.
The honour is usually given to Magellan but in fact he died in the Phillipines half way round and was ultimately succeeded by Juan Sebastian Elcano. He was the most senior officer surviving after Magellan died in the Phillipines and assumed command of the fleet.

Slocum was the first recorded solo circumnavigation.

To muddy the waters however, there is a claim that one of the Admirals in Zheng He's (Zhou Man) fleet continued on from Africa, across the Pacific and home, which if true would be the first circumnavigation of which we know. The claim by British author Gavin Menzies is hotly disputed and his book dismissed as pseudo history. True or not it's a great read.
 
#21 ·
Trivia

Nautical Trivia

Cup of Joe

Josephus Daniels (18 May 1862 - 15 Jan. 1948) was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among his reforms of the Navy were inaugurating the practice of making 100 Sailors from the Fleet eligible for entrance into the Naval Academy; the introduction of women into the service; and the abolishment of the Officers' Wine Mess.

From that time on the strongest drink aboard Navy Ships could only be COFFEE. Over the years, a Cup of Coffee became known a "A CUP OF JOE".

For a great cup of Joe, see our lineup of stainless steel coffee presses.

S.H.I.T.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship. It was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common. It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by-product is methane gas.

As the stuff was! stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!

Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening. After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship High In Transit" on them which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term "S.H.I.T," which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day. I'll bet you always thought that it was a golf term.

Brass Monkey

In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon, but prevent them from rolling about the deck. The best storage method devised was a square based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of thirty cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem - how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others? The solution was a metal plate called a, "Monkey," with sixteen round indentations. If this plate was made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make, "Brass Monkeys."

Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the cannon balls would roll right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!"

Taken from the Trivia Page at http://sailorssolutions.com/
 
#22 · (Edited)
Giulietta said:
The first to circunavigate was a Portuguese countrymen of mine called:

Fernão de Magalhaes. You know him as Magellan
I did post something on this but it seems to have disappeared without trace so here we go again.

Magellan's fleet was the first verified circumnavigation but it arrived home under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano, Magellan having died in the Phillipines.

Slocum was the first solo circumnavigation that we know of.

One of the squadrons of Zheng He's fleet under Zhou Man is claimed to have cirumnavigated in the early fifteenth century. This is examined in Gavin Menzies book '1421, The Year China Discovered the World' but the claim is hotly disputed. True or not it is a great read.
 
#24 ·
By "Joe", are you guys full of "CRAP"? Sounds like a bunch of "****" to me. I have to go and prep because a winter storm is about to cross Texas that would "Freeze the Balls off a Brass Monkey".

- CD

PS So, who was the first WOMAN to circum? Who was the youngest to date?
 
#25 ·
ThunderFog said:
Head - "Splice the main brace" Where did it come from and what does it mean.
Main Brace was the line that was the main support for a ships mast(s). Remembering that in those days all standing rigging was rope. Splicing of the main brace was supposedly the most difficult rigging job on board and as a reward those sailors who did it were given an extra ration of rum. The term was widened until it became a general invitation to a piss up.
 
#26 ·
Cruisingdad said:
By "Joe", are you guys full of "CRAP"? Sounds like a bunch of "****" to me. I have to go and prep because a winter storm is about to cross Texas that would "Freeze the Balls off a Brass Monkey".

- CD

PS So, who was the first WOMAN to circum? Who was the youngest to date?
Naomi James was the first woman to solo circumnavigate.
Robin Lee Graham was youngest at the time he circumnavigated although I don't know if anyone younger has done it yet.
Jesse Martin was youngest to circumnavigate non stop.

BTW - Magellan did in fact circle the globe but not in a single voyage so he was almost certainly the first European to go all the way round.
 
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