A sea grammar vvith the plaine exposition of Smiths Accidence for young sea-men, enlarged. Diuided into fifteene chapters: what they are you may partly conceiue by the contents. Written by Captaine Iohn Smith, sometimes gouernour of Virginia, and admirall of Nevv-England.

CHAP. XI. Proper Sea tearmes belonging to the good or bad condition of Ships, how to finde them and amend them.

A Ship that will try hull, and ride well at Anchor, we call a wholsome Ship. A long Ship that drawes much water will doe all this, but if she draw much water and be short, she may hull well, but nei∣ther try nor ride well; if she draw little water and belong, she may try and ride well, but neuer hull well, which is called an vnwholsome ship. The howsing in of a Ship is when shee is past the bredth of her bearing she is brought in narrow to her vp∣per workes: it is certaine this makes her wholsome in the Sea without rowling, because the weight of her Ordnance doth counterpoise her bredth vnder water, but it is not so good in a man of warre, because it taketh away a great deale of her roome, nor will her tacks euer so well come aboord as if she were laid out aloft and not flaring, which is when she is a little howsing in, neere the water, and then the vpper worke doth hang ouer againe, and is laid out broder aloft, this makes a Ship more roomy aloft for men to vse their armes in, but Sir Walter Rawleighs proportion, which is to be proportionally wrought to her other worke is the best, because the counter poise on each side doth make her swimme perpendicular or straight, and consequently steady, which is the best.

If a ship be narrow, and her bearing either not laid out

enough or too low, then you must make her broader and her bearing the higher by ripping off the plankes two or three strakes vnder water and as much aboue, and put other Timbers vpon the first, and then put on the plankes vpon those Timbers, this will make her beare a better saile, but it is a hindrance to her sailing, this is to be done when a Ship is cranke-sided and will beare no saile, and is called Furring. Note also, that when a Ship hath a deepe Keele it doth keepe her from rowling. If she be floty and her keele shallow, put on another keele vnder the first to make it dee∣per, for it will make her hold more in the water, this wee call a false Keele. Likewise if her stem be too flat to make her cut water the better, and not gripe, which is when shee will not keepe a winde well; fix another stem before it, and that is called a false stem, which will make her rid more way and beare a better saile. Also the Run of a ship is as much to be regarded, for if it be too short and too ••ull be∣low, the water comes but slowly to the Rudder because the force of it is broken by her bredth, and then to put a false stem post to lengthen her is the next remedy, but to leng∣then her is better; for when a Ship comes off handsomly by degrees, and her Tuck doth not lye too low, which will hinder the water from comming swiftly to the Rudder, makes her she cannot steare well, and they are called as they are, a good runne or a bad. When a Ship hath lost a peece of her Keele, and that we cannot come well to mend it, you much patch a new peece vnto it, and bind it with a stirrop, which is an iron comes round about it and the Keele vp to the other side of the Ship, whereto it is strongly nailed with Spikes. Her Rake also may be a defect, which is so much of the Hull, as by a perpendicular line the end of the Keele is from the setting on of the stem, so much as it with∣out that forward on, and in like manner the setting in of her stem Post. Your French men giues great Rakes for∣wards on, which makes her giue good way and keepe a good wind, but if she haue not a full bow she will pitch her head extremely in the Sea. If shee haue but a small Rake,

she is so blusse that the Seas meets her so suddenly vpon the Bowes shee cannot cut the water much, but the longer a ship is, the fuller should be her Bow, but the meane is the best. The looming of a ship is her prospectiue, that is, as she doth shew great or little: Her water draught is so many foot as she goes in the water, but the Ships that drawes most water are commonly the most wholsome, but the least draught goes best but rolls most, and we say a Ship doth heeld on Starboord or Larboord, that is, to that side shee doth leane most.

To ouerset or ouerthrow a ship, is by bearing too much saile you bring her Keele vpwards, or on shore ouerthrow her by grounding her, so that she falls vpon one side; and we say a Ship is walt when shee is not stiffe, and hath not Ballast enough in her to keepe her stiffe. And wall reared when she is right built vp, after shee comes to her bearing it makes her ill shapen and vnseemely, but it giues her within much roome, and she is very wholsome, if her bea∣ring be well laid out. The Masting of a Ship is much to be considered, and will much cause her to saile well or ill, as I haue related in the masting a Ship. Iron sicke, is when the Bolts, Spikes, or Nailes are so eaten with rust they stand hollow in the plankes, and so makes her leake, the which to preuent, they vse to put lead ouer all the bolt heads vn∣der water. Lastly, the trimming of a ship doth much a∣mend or impaire her sailing, and so alter her condition. To finde her trim, that is, how she will saile best; is by try∣ing her sailing with another Ship so many glasses, trim∣med a head and so many a sterne, and so many vpon an euen Keele, also the casing of her Masts and Shrouds, for some ships will saile much better when they are stacke than when they are taught.

Notes

• A wholsome ship.
• An vnwholsome Ship.
• Howsing a Ship.
• Flaring.
• Cranke side.
• Furring.
• A false Keele. Gripe.
• A false stem.
• The runne.
• A good runne.

  A bad runne.
• A Sirrup.
• Her Rake.
• Loome.
• Heeld.
• Ouerset.

  Ouerthrow.
• Wale.
• Wall reared.
• Iron sicke.
• Trim.