SURGE. A large swelling wave. Also, the tapered part of the whelps between the chocks of the capstan, upon which the messenger is readily surged.—To surge, is to slacken up suddenly a portion of a rope where it renders round a pin, windlass, or capstan; as, "Surge the messenger." A ship is said to surge on a reef when she rises and falls with the heave of the sea, so as to strike heavily.

SURGE HO! The notice given when a rope or cable is to be surged.

SURGEON. A competent medical officer, appointed to attend the sick and wounded on board a ship of war, for which purpose he has, according to the rate of the ship, from one to two assistants, once called surgeon's mates, but latterly assistant-surgeons (which see).

SURGE THE CAPSTAN, To. To slacken the rope heaved round upon its barrel, to prevent its parts from riding or getting foul.

SURINGER. An archaism for surgeon.

SURMARKS. In ship-building, the points on the moulds where the bevellings are to be applied to the timbers.

SURROGATES. Those substituted or appointed in the room of others; as naval captains formerly acting for judges in Newfoundland.

SURVEY. An inspection or examination made by several practical officers into the condition of any stores belonging to a ship. Also, those important astronomical observations, soundings, and other data, collected by officers who are employed in constructing charts and plans of seas, shoals, rocks, harbours, &c.

SURVEYING VESSELS. Those equipped for examining coasts, dangers, &c.; their utility is unquestionable. Some of the smaller vessels of war on every station might be profitably employed in thus examining all reported dangers.

SURVEYORS AT LLOYD'S. See Lloyd's Surveyors.

SURVEYORS OF THE NAVY. Two officers who formerly sat at the navy board, being invested with the charge of building and repairing the royal ships at the different dockyards of the kingdom; for which they were trained to the theory and practice of ship-building.

SUSPENSION OF ARMS. A short truce agreed upon by contending forces, for a special object of importance.

SUTILES. Ancient cobles made of strong staves sewed together, and covered with leather or skins.

SUTLER. A victualler who follows the camp to sell provisions to the troops. In garrisons and garrison-towns there are also sutlers who provide victuals of every kind; but Drayton's sutlers must have been very petty traders, as, when at Agincourt, Isambert's "rascals" were noted—

SWAB. A sort of long mop, formed of rope-yarns of old junk, used for[668] cleaning and drying the decks and cabins of a ship. Also, a sobriquet for a sot. Also, for an epaulette. —Hand-swab.

A small swab for wiping dry the stern-sheets of a boat, washing plates and dishes, &c.

SWABBER. Formerly a petty officer on board ships of war, whose employment was to see that the decks were kept clean. Also, a man formerly appointed to use the swabs in drying up the decks. He was sometimes called ship's sweeper; more commonly captain of swabbers.

SWAB-ROPE. A line bent to the eye of a swab for dipping it overboard in washing it.

SWAB-WASHER. The principal swab-washer, or captain of the head, in large ships.

SWAB-WRINGERS. People appointed to wash the swabs and wring them out, ready for use.

SWAD, or Swadkin. A newly raised soldier. Also, a fish-basket.

SWADDIE. A discharged soldier.

SWAGG, To. To sink down by its own weight; to move heavily or bend. Synonymous with sagg. Also, the bellying of a heavy rope.

SWAKE. A provincial term for a pump-handle.

SWALLOW. The score of a block.

SWALLOW'S TAIL. In fortification, an old form of outwork, having its front broken into a re-entering angle, and its two long flanks converging towards the rear.

SWALLOW-TAILS. The points of a burgee. Also, the tails of a coat.

SWAMP. A tract of land or bog on which, from its impermeable bottom, the collected fresh water remains stagnant.

SWAPE. A wooden support for a small light. Also, a pump-handle; a lever. Also, a long oar used in working a coal-keel in the north.

SWART-BACK. The Larus marinus, or great black and white gull.

SWARTS. A name formerly applied by voyagers to Indians and negroes.

SWASH. A sudden surge of the sea. Also, a shoal in a tide-way or mouth of a river, over which the water flows, and the tide ripples in ebbing or flowing.

SWASHWAY. A channel across a bank, or among shoals, as the noted instance between the Goodwin Sands.

SWATHE. The entire length of a sea-wave.

SWAY, To, or Sway away. To hoist simultaneously; particularly applied to the lower yards and top-masts, and topgallant-masts and yards.—To sway away on all top-ropes. To go great lengths (colloquially).

SWAY UP, To. To apply a strain on a mast-rope in order to lift the spar upwards, so that the fid may be taken out, previous to lowering the mast. Or sway yards aloft ready for crossing.

SWEARING. A vulgar and most irrational vice, which happily is fast going out. Habitual swearing was usually typical of a bad officer. It may have originated in the custom too often demanded by law, of solemn asseverations on frivolous subjects.

SWEATING THE PURSER. Wasting his stores. Burning his candles, [669]&c.

SWEEP. The trending or inclination of a coast to a crescent. Also, that part of the mould of a ship, where she begins to compass in the rung-heads. Also, a large kind of oar. —To sweep a coast.

To sail along at a reasonable distance with a vigilant inspection.

SWEEPING. The act of dragging the bight or loose part of a small rope along the ground, in a harbour or roadstead, in order to recover a sunk anchor or wreck. The two ends of the rope are fastened to two boats, a weight being suspended to the middle, to sink it to the ground, so that, as the boats row ahead, it may drag along the bottom. Also, a term used for rapidly scrutinizing a certain portion of the heavens in quest of planets, comets, &c.

SWEEP OF THE TILLER. A semicircular frame on which the tiller traverses in large ships; it is fixed under the beams near the fore-end of the tiller, which it supports.

SWEEP-PIECE. A block at the bottom of the port-sill for receiving the chock of the gun-carriage, and to aid in training the gun.

SWEEPS. Large oars used on board ships of war in a calm, either to assist the rudder in turning them round, or to propel them ahead when chasing in light winds. Brigs of 386 tons have been swept at 3 knots or more.

SWEETENING COCK. A wholesome contrivance for preventing fetid effluvia in ships' holds, by inserting a pipe through the ship's side, with a cock at its inner end, for admitting water to neutralize the accumulated bilge-water, as also to supply the wash-deck pump.

SWELCHIE. A rapid current formed by the tide of the Pentland Firth against the Isle of Stroma. Also, a seal in those parts.

SWELL. A rolling wave which seldom breaks unless it meets resistance, generally denoting a continuous heaving, which remains for some time after the wind which caused it has subsided. Also, the gradual thickening of the muzzle of a gun, hounds of a mast, &c.

SWIFT. When the lower rigging becomes slack at sea, single blocks are placed on each shroud about 8 feet above the deck, a hawser rove through them, and the rigging swifted in, to bring a fair strain. The bars of the capstan are swifted, by passing a rope-swifter over all their ends, and bowsing it well taut. The rigging is also swifted down preparatory to replacing the ratlines truly horizontal after setting up.

SWIFTER. A strong rope, sometimes encircling a boat, about 9 inches below her gunwale, both to strengthen her and protect her in cases of collision. (See Fenders.)

SWIFTERS. A pair of shrouds, fixed on the starboard and port sides of the lower mast, above the pendants, and before all the other shrouds: they are never confined to the cat-harpings.

SWIFTING A SHIP. Either bringing her aground or upon a careen; also passing cables round her bottom and upper-works, to help to keep her from straining—the "undergirding" mentioned by St. Paul in his shipwreck.[670]

SWIG OFF, To. To pull at the bight of a rope by jerks, having its lower end fast; or to gain on a rope by jumping a man's weight down, instead of hauling regularly.

SWILKER, To. A provincialism for splashing about.

SWILL. A wicker fish-basket. The air-bladder of a fish.—To swill. To drink greedily.

SWIM, To [from the Anglo-Saxon swymm]. To move along the surface of the water by means of the simultaneous movement of the hands and feet. With the Romans this useful art was an essential part of education.

SWIMS. The flat extremities of east-country barges.

SWINE-FISH. A northern name of the wolf-fish, Anarhichas lupus.

SWINE'S FEATHER. The spike or tuck on the top of a musket-rest [corrupted from sweyn, a boar's bristle].

SWING, To. A ship is said to swing to the wind or tide, when they change their direction while she is lying at anchor.—To swing ship for local attraction and adjustment of compasses. This is done by taking the bearings of a very distant object at each point of the compass to which her head is brought; also, by using a theodolite on shore, and taking its bearing from the ship, and the observer's head from the theodolite.

SWINGING-BOOM. The spar which stretches the foot of a lower studding-sail; in large ships they have goose-necks in one end which hook to the foremost part of the fore-chains to iron strops fitted for the purpose. In port they are hooked to bolts at the bends, which, by bringing them lower down, enables the boats to ride easier by them as guest-warp booms.

SWIPES. The weak beer supplied to ships on the home station. A swipe is an implement for drawing water for a brewery, the name of which has thus been transferred to the beer.

SWIRL. An eddying blast of wind; a whirling wavy motion. Also, a knot in timber.

SWISH. An old term for the light driving spray of the sea.

SWIVEL. A pivot working freely round in a socket. They are fitted in boats' bows, ships' tops and bulwarks, &c. , for bearing small cannon of 1⁄2 lb. or 1 lb.

calibre, which are worked by hand, and called swivels. Also, a strong link of iron used in mooring chains, &c. , which permits the bridles to be turned repeatedly round, as occasion requires. Also, a swivel-link in chain-cables, made so as to turn upon an axis, and keep the turns out of the chain.

SWONA WELLS. Whirlpools much dreaded by the sailors of the Pentland Firth. They seem to be caused by the rapidity of the tide and the position of Swona, which exactly crosses the stream.

SWORD-FISH. A large fish of the family Scombridæ, remarkable for the prolongation of the nose into a straight, pointed, sword-like weapon. The European species, common in the Mediterranean, is the Xiphias gladius of naturalists.

SWORD-MAT. A mat made with shoulders to protect the laniards of the[671] lower rigging, boats' gripes, &c., and worked by a piece of wood somewhat resembling a sword in shape, to drive home the roving threads.

SYKE [from the Anglo-Saxon sych]. A streamlet of water that flows in winter and dries up in summer.

SYMPIESOMETER, or Oil-barometer. A convenient portable instrument for measuring the weight of the atmosphere by the compression of a gaseous column; capital for small cabins.

SYNODICAL MONTH. The period in which the moon goes through every variety of phase, as from one conjunction to another.

SYNODICAL PERIOD OR REVOLUTION. If the interval of periodic time of a planet, or comet, be taken in reference to its passages through either of the nodes, its circuit is called synodical.