S H I 
S H I 
65 G 
sick or wounded; for which purpose her 
decks should be high, and her ports suffi- 
ciently large. Her cables ought also to run 
upon the upper deck, to the end that the 
beds or cradles may be more commodiously 
placed between decks, and admit a free pas- 
sage of the air to disperse that which is offen- 
sive or corrupted. 
Ship, merchant, a vessel employed in com- 
merce to carry commodities of various sorts 
from one port to another. The largest mer- 
chant-ships are those employed by the dif- 
ferent companies of merchants who trade to 
the East Indies. They are in general larger 
than our 40-gun ships, and are commonly 
mounted with 20 guns on their upper deck, 
which are nine-pounders ; and six on their 
quarter-deck, which are six-, pounders. 
Ship, store, a vessel employed to carry 
artillery or naval stores for the use of a fleet, 
fortress, or garrison. 
Ship, transport, is generally used to con- 
duct troops from one place to another. Re- 
rides the different kinds of' ships above-men- 
tioned, which are denominated from the pur- 
pose for which they are employed, vessels 
have also, in general, been named according 
to the different manner of rigging them. It 
would be an endless, and at the same time an 
unnecessary task, to enumerate all the dif- 
ferent kinds of vessels with respect to their 
rigging ; and therefore a few only are here 
taken notice of. Fig. 2 is a ship which 
would be converted into a bark by stripping 
the lriizeu-mast of its yards and the, sails be- 
longing to them. If each mast, its corres- 
ponding top-mast and top-gallant-mast, in- 
stead of behig composed of separate pieces of 
wood, were all of one continued piece, then 
this vessel with very little alteration would 
be a. polaere. Fig. 3, a brig ; fig. 4, a ketch ; 
fig. 5, a schooner ; fig. 6, a sloop ; fig. 7, a 
dogger; lig. 8, a galley under sail; fig. 9, 
ditto rowing. 
Ships are also sometimes named according 
to the different modes of their construction. 
Thus we say, a cat-built ship, &c. 
To ship, is either used actively, as to em- 
bark any person or put any thing aboard 
ship; or passively, to receive any thing into 
a ship ; as, we shipped a heavy sea at three 
o’clock in the morning.” 
To ship also implies to fix any thing in its 
place ; as, to Tip the oars, that is, to put 
them in their rowlocks ; to ship the swivel 
guns, is to fix them in their sockets ; to ship 
the handspokes, See. 
Management of ships at single anchor, is 
the method of taking care of a ship while 
riding at single anchor in a tide-way, by pre- 
venting her from fouling her anchor, &c. The 
following rules for this purpose will be found 
of the utmost consequence : 
Riding in a tide-way, with a fresh of wind, 
the-ship should have what is called a short or 
windward -service, say 45 or 50 fathoms of 
cable, .and always sheered to windward, not 
always with the helm hard down, but more 
or less so according to the strength or weak- 
ness of the tide. It is a known fact, that 
many ships sheer their anchors home, drive 
on board of other ships, and on the sands 
near which they rode, before it has been dis- 
covered that the anchor had been moved from 
the place where it was let go. 
S IT I 
When the wind is cross, or nearly cross, off 
shore, or in the opposite direction, ships will 
always back. This is done by the mizen- ■ 
topsail, assisted, if needful, bv the mizen- [ 
staysail ; such as have no mizen-topsail com- | 
monly use the main topsail, or if it blows 
fresh, a top- gallant-sail, or any such sail at 
l lie gaff. 
In backing, a ship should always wind 
with a tawt cable, that it may be certain 
the anchor is drawn round. In case there is 
not a sufficiency of wind for that purpose, the 
ship should be hove apeak. 
Riding with the wind afore the beam, the 
yards should be braced forward ; it abaft the 
beam, they are to be braced all aback. 
If the wind is so far aft that the ship will 
not back (which should not be attempted if, 
when the tide eases, the ship forges ahead, 
and brings the buoy on the lee quarter), she 
must be set ahead : if the \\ ind is far aft, and 
blows fresh, the utmost care and attention are 
necessary, as ships riding in this situation j 
often break their sheers and come to wind- 
ward of their anchors again. It should be i 
observed, that when the ship lies in this j 
ticklish situation, the after-yards must be j 
braced forward, and the fore-yards the con- j 
trary way ; she will lie safe, as the buoy can i 
be kept on the lee quarter ; or suppose the • 
helm is aport, as long as the buoy is on the ; 
larboard quarter. With the helm thus, and j 
the wind right aft, or nearly so, the starboard 
main and fore braces should be hauled in. 
This supposes the main braces to lead for- 
ward. 
When the ship begins to tend to leeward, 
and the buoy comes on the weather-quarter, j 
the first thing to be clone is to brace about j 
the fore-yard ; and when the wind comes j 
near the beam, set the fore-staysail, and keep 1 
it standing until it shakes ; then brace all the ; 
yards sharp forward, especially if it is likely 
to blow strong. 
If lying in the aforesaid position, and she 
breaks her sheer, brace about the main-yard 
immediately ; if she recovers and brings the 
buoy 011 the lee or larboard-quarter, let the 
main-yard be again braced about ; but if she 
comes to a sheer the other way, bv bringing 
the buoy on the other quarter, change the j 
helm and brace the fore-yard to. 
Riding Ueward tide with more cable than 
the windward service, and expecting the ship 
will go to windward of her anchor, begin as 
soon as the tide eases to shorten in the cable. 
This is often hard work ; but it is necessary 
to be done, otherwise' the anchor may be 
fouled by the great length of c able the* ship 
has to draw round ; but even if that could be 
clone, the cable would be damaged against 
the bows or cut-water. It is to be observed, 
that when a ship rides windward tide the ca- 
ble should be cackled from the short service 
towards the anchor, as fat as will prevent the 
bare part touching the ship. 
When the ship tends to windward and must 
be set ahead, hoist the fore-staysail as soon 
as it will stand ; and when the buoy comes on 
the lee quarter, haul down the fore-staysail, 
brace to the fore-vard and put the helm a- 
lee; for till then the helm must be kept a- 
weather and the yards full. 
When the ship rides leeward tide, and the 
wind increases, care should be taken to give 
her more cable in time, otherwise the anchor 
may start, and {probably it will be trouble- 
some to get her brought up again ; and this 
care is the more necessary, when the ship 
rides in the hause of another ship. Previous 
to giving a long service it is usual to take a 
weather-bit, that is, a turn of the cable over 
the windlass end, so that in veering away the 
ship will be under command. 'The service 
ought to be greased, which will prevent its 
chafing in the hause. 
If the gale continues to increase, the top- 
masts should be struck in time ; but the 
fore-yard -should seldom, if ever, be lowered 
down, that in case of parting the foresail may 
be ready to be set. At such times there 
should be more on deck than the com- 
mon anchor-watch, that no accident may 
happen from inattention or falling asleep. 
In a tide- way a second anchor should 
never be let go but v hen absolutely neces- 
sary ; for a ship will sometimes ride easier 
and safer, especially if the sea runs high, with 
a very long scope of cable and one anchor, 
than with less length and two cables ; how- 
ever, it is advisable, as a preventive, when 
ships have not room to drive, and the night 
is dark, to let fall a second anchor under 
foot, with a range of cable along the deck.- 
If this is not thought necessary to be done, 
the deep-sea lead should be thrown over- 
board, and the line frequently handed by the 
watch, that they may be assured she rides 
fast. 
If at any time the anchor-watch, presum- 
ing on their own knowledge, should wind the 
ship, or suffer her to break her sheer without 
calling the mate, he should immediately, or 
the very first opportunity, oblige the crew 
to heave the anchor in sight ; which will 
prevent the commission of the like fault 
again ; for, besides the share of trouble the 
watch vi ill have, the rest of the crew will 
blame them for neglecting their duty. 
Prudent mates seldom lie a week in a road- 
stead without heaving their anchor in sight; 
even though they have not the least sus- 
picion of its being foul. There are other rea- 
sons why the anchor should be looked at : 
sometimes the cable receives damage by 
sweeping wrecks or anchors that have been 
lost, or irom rocks or stones ; and it is often 
necessary to trip the anchor, in order to take 
a clearer birth, which should be done as often 
as any ship brings up too near. 
SITIP-BUILDING may. be defined, the 
manner of constructing ships, or the work 
itseit, as distinguished from naval architec- 
ture, which may be considered as the theory 
or art of delineating ships on a plane. 
Art of delineating ships on a plane. * 
All edifices, whether civil or military, are 
known to be erected in consequence of cer- 
tain established plans, which have been pre- 
viously altered or improved till they have 
arrived at their desired point of perfection. 
The construction of ships appears also to re- 
quire at least as much correctness and pre- 
cision as the buildings which are founded upon 
terra finna: it is therefore absolutely neces- 
sary that the mechanical skill of the ship- 
wright should be assisted by plans and sec- 
tions, which have been drawn with all possible 
exactness, examined by proper calculations, 
and submitted to the most accurate scrutiny. 
Naval architecture may be distinguished 
