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Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
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“Sabby the Lingo?” Maritime Language – XVII
As noted prior, each discipline has a language and that language conveys competency to the listener. This column is part of a series of maritime vocabulary words. So you can sound like the salty ol’ mariner you are… We’ll run enough of these to get the major concepts and phraseology from Alpha to Zulu in front of you!
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| O – Oscar International Meaning: Man overboard. |
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- Oakum - A material made of tarred hemp or manila rope fibers, used for caulking seams of decks and sides of a wooden ship in order to make them watertight.
- Oar - A pole with a blade at the end used to row a rowboat. Oars are different than paddles because they have a provision to be secured to the rowboat for rowing, such as an oarlock. The three parts to an oar are: the blade, the part which enters the water; the shaft, the main body of the oar: and the loom, the inboard end on which the rower pulls.
- Oarlock - A device to attach oars to a rowboat, allowing the operator to row rather than paddle the boat.
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- Observed Position - A position or fix determined by observing landmarks or other objects to find the position.
- Occulting Lights - A navigational light which turns on and off in a regular pattern, but is on more than it is off, so the period of light is longer than the period of darkness.
- Off and Fair - Order to take off a damaged part of a vessel, to restore it to its proper shape and condition, and to replace it in position.
- Off Soundings - In blue water beyond the 100-fathom line.
- Off the Wind - Sailing with the wind coming from the stern or quarter of the boat.
- Officer - Any of the licensed members of the ship's complement.
- Officer's Mess - Dining room facilities for officers separate from the crew and passenger dining room.
- Official Number - Definition and cross-reference to Tonnage.
- Offing - Seaward, a safe distance from shore; To keep an offing is to keep a safe distance away from the coast because of navigational dangers, fog, or other hazards.
- Offshore - Away from land, toward the water.
- Offshore Wind - Wind blowing from off the shore.
- Offwind - Any point of sailing away from the wind.
- Oil Bag - Used in emergencies, this is a container which allows oil to drip into the sea in heavy weather. An oil slick is produced which prevents waves from breaking over the deck of a boat.
- Oiler - A member of a ship's engineering crew who assisted the chief engineer with lubricating and maintaining the engine.
- Old Salt - A very experienced and/or old sailor
- On the Beach - Said of a seaman who has retired from sea service.
- On the Beam - The direction at right angles to a ship's heading or the line of her keel
- On the Bow - To the bow of the boat, forward of the beam.
- On the Hard / On the Ways - Hauled out of the water for repairs or storage
- On the Quarter - A direction of forty-five degrees or less from the stern.
- On the Wind - Sailing close hauled. Sailing toward the wind as much as possible with the wind coming from the bow.
- Onshore - Toward the shore
- OOD - Navy term meaning Officer of the deck.
- Open - A location that is not sheltered from the wind and seas. An open location would not make a good anchorage.
- Ordinary Seaman (OS) - An apprentice Able Seaman, assists AB's, bosun, and officers, keeps facilities clean.
- Orlop - Name given to the lowest deck in a ship.
- Out of Trim - Sails that are not properly arranged for the point of sail that the boat is on. The sails may be luffing or have improper sail shape, or the boat may be heeling too much. These conditions will slow the boat down.
- Outboard - (1) Toward or beyond the boat's sides. (2) A detachable engine mounted on a boat's stern.
- Outdrive - A propulsion system for boats with an inboard engine operating an exterior drive, with drive shaft, gears, and propeller; also called stern-drive and inboard/outboard.
- Outhaul - A control line that adjusts tension along the foot of the sail, pulling the clew away from the tack; used to maintain proper sail shape.
- Outrigger - A structure which extends outboard beyond the edge of the hull for some special purpose. Some Polynesian canoes use outriggers to support an "ama" or small secondary hull, while fishing boats may use outriggers to suspend lines or nets over the water.
- Overboard - In the water outside of the vessel.
- Overhang - The area of the bow or stern projecting above and beyond a perpendicular from the water line at stem or stern.
- Overhaul - (1) Repairing or refitting. (2) To overtake another ship at sea. (3) To extend a tackle so that distance between blocks is increased.
- Overhead - Nautical equivalent of ceiling
- Overlap - The distance the bow of a boat is forward of another's stern
- Overtaking - Passing another vessel.
- Owner's Flag - A boat owner's private pennant.
More in the weeks ahead…!
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BTW, if you are interested in being part of USCG Forces, email me at JoinUSCGAux@aol.com or go direct to the D1SR Human Resources department, who are in charge of new members matters, at DSO-HR and we will help you “get in this thing…”
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