Deck Equipment and Marlinespike Seamanship
Ground Tackle and other Mooring Equipment
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| cleat |
Cleat - Consists of a double-ended
pair of horns, used for securing a line or wire.
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| Bitts |
Bitts - Pairs of heavy vertical cylinders, used for making fast lines led through chocks.
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| Bollard |
Bollard - Strong cylindrical upright on a pier, about which a mooring line is placed.
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| Chock |
Chock - Heavy fitting with smooth surfaces through which mooring lines are led.
Roller
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| Capstan |
Capstan - Separate vertical machinery units orpart of the anchor windlass around which lines are passed, commonly used in mooring and anchoring evolutions.
Camel - A large float or raft used as a fender.
Rat guards -Shields secured around mooring lines to prevent rats from coming aboard ships.
Dip the eye - When two bights are placed on the same bollard, the second one is led up through the first before being put over the bollard.
This allows either to be cast off without moving the other.
Chafing gear - Canvas or other material placed around mooring lines to prevent wear.
Fenders - Material designed to absorb the shock of contact between two ships or a ship and a pier.
Padeye - A metal plate with an “eye”, attached to the deck to distribute a load over a large area.
Lifelines - Lines erected around the edges of decks, referred to as follows:
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| Lifelines |
Top - Lifeline
Middle - Housing line
Bottom - Foot rope
Snaking - Netting rigged between foot rope and deck.
Leadline - Marked line used to determine water depth in fathoms.
Boatswain’s chair - Used for sending one person over the side.
Jacob’s ladder - Rope ladder w/rungs rigged over the side for temporary use
Boat boom - Spar swung out from the side of the ship, permits small boats to ride safely alongside while at anchor.
Pilot’s ladder - Flexible portable ladder, usually constructed of metal, sturdier than a Jacob’s ladder.
Sea ladder - Rigid, portable ladder that may be rigged to the side of the ship.
Accommodation ladder - Rigid, inclined ladder rigged to the side of the ship to allow
boarding of a moored or anchored ship.
Mooring Lines
Mooring lines are the lines used to secure the ship to a wharf, pier or another ship.
Definition of lines:
Breast lines - Run at right angles from the ship, control distance of ship from pier
Aft spring lines - Tend aft from ship, control forward movement.
Forward spring lines - Tend forward from the ship, control aft movement.
Numbering of lines:
1 - Bow line
2 - Aft bow spring line
3 - Forward bow spring line
4 - Aft quarter spring line
5 - Forward quarter spring line
6 - Stern line
DO NOT MIX MOORING LINE
Never mix lines of different constructions or material.
Each type of rope exhibits different elongation characteristics and mixing will result in an unequal load sharing.
NS100 Fundamentals of Naval Science