Words we will never use again.

Skin boats in Port Antonio, Jamaica.
"Please Mr Tallyman, Tally me banana, day o day o...............
they would sing it all day and all night loading the stalks on their shoulders, up one gangway and down the next, Tally man dropping a tally into a bag around their waists.
Brian.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Roger DYER

Hi Terry,

I have no doubt about your competency as a seaman, mate, so I hope you'll not be offended if I point out an error in the above quote (which I'm certain was unintentional). When rejoining two lengths of a gantline it was not a 'backsplice' we used, but a 'shortsplice'. Alternatively, if the intention was to run the 'line through a block, a longsplice could be used (which I always thought were fiddly bluddy things to form), but with it's narrower contour it was generally the better option to avoid it jamming in the block. As a tempory measure, the backsplice was often used on the end of a 'line to prevent the strands from unravelling until such time a proper whipping, i.e. sailmaker's or common etc could be applied. Down Sarf the backsplice was often referred to as a 'Dog's Cock'....can't think why.:D

While on the subject of words and language used by seaman, may I offer the following which I confess is of doubtful origin. Ron, a bosun from Runcorn on Ellerman's 'Mercian' once assured me of a handy phrase for use in Spain or Latin America if one was purchasing a pair of work-boots. To the untuned ear of this 'Suvverner' it went something like this......" Shallo dare, Amigo, cuanto costa dem dare fookin' botas dare, lah?". I never had need to take his advice then and now think it unlikely I ever shall,.... but chance would be a fine thing.:)

Roger

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Rog, Not at all do you offend me buddy, That was my purpose of the post, If you wanted to shorten a gantline for lets say lashings, To stop the rope fraying a back splice, To join two together to shorten or lenthen a short splice if you want it to run through a sheave of a block, So we are both correct, But as I say I can never remember putting a sheepshank together, Regards mate Terry. p.s. its a funny thing with the back splice you never forget how to start with the 3 stranded knot, 3 strands all come out correct to run through 3 strands I am sure you know what I mean. :thumbsup:

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One you will definitely never here again, A good old Tarpaulin Muster, No shirkers now Terry. :thumb_ship2:

Refers mainly to passenger jobs:
Topside Man
Winger
Tiger
BR
Happy Valley (Galley)
Scrub Out
US
Commis
Fiddle
Peaks
Rounds
Strap Up

John, I think {Strap up} May still be used aboard a few passenger ships queens, But not as we know it. :hidesbehindsofa:

Terry I'm sure that you must have put a sheepshank together at sometime in your seatime days, as they were a compulsory part of the lifeboat equipment, and were part of the rescue ropes fitted fore and aft which ran from the port gunwhale under the boat to the starboard gunwhale and drawn tight with the sheepshank at the keel position. The sheepshank was designed so that when the boat was in the water the rope was slackened and it released the pressure on the knot and thus lengthened the rope, which aided men in the water to gain access and also was an aid to righting the boat if it overturned by men standing on the keel and holding the rope and leaning backwards but never experienced that part of it in practice. Some mates for the sake of neatness aboard their vessel had the shanks bound with twine which kind of defeated the object of their use, as I doubt anyone would have thought to undo the binding before lowering the boat into the water. We always took off the ropes off the boats before painting them, the other main use as you say was for shortening ropes when used for lashings

Ivan, My original post #49

With the ships of today carrying quick release lifeboats, And the lifeboats passenger ships carry, I would put my bottom dollar on any seaman today using a Sheepshank or even knowing what the hell it was, I don't think in my time I ever had to put one together if I did apart from running under the keel of a lifeboat I cant remember what for it must have been the least used of all the bends and hitches, If you wanted to shorten a gantline or whatever you simply cut it and put a back splice in it. Terry.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by red lead ted

Ivan, My original post #49

With the ships of today carrying quick release lifeboats, And the lifeboats passenger ships carry, I would put my bottom dollar on any seaman today using a Sheepshank or even knowing what the hell it was, I don't think in my time I ever had to put one together if I did apart from running under the keel of a lifeboat I cant remember what for it must have been the least used of all the bends and hitches, If you wanted to shorten a gantline or whatever you simply cut it and put a back splice in it. Terry.

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If you wanted to shorten a 'gantline' then you are probably correct Terry, but if you shortened a 'lashing' you didn't have time to cut and splice when a sheepshank would do the trick and the mate and bosun would not be too pleased if you kept cutting their lashing ropes. In good shipboard practice ropes with short splices in were never used for lashing, as a short splice can decrease the SWL of a rope by up to 40%. Any surplus length on a lashing was coiled on the lashing as a back up in case the lashing had to be doubled up in severe weather, the surplus was never cut off and back spliced, if it was cut off then it was whipped so that it would pass through a block or turnbuckle eye, just my experience not saying that back splices didn't happen on lashings

Working Alleyway.
Watertight Door.
Glory Hole.
Glory Hole Steward.
Galley Radio.
Wipe it down with a pork chop!!!
Regards.
Jim.B.

Chutney Locker
Self righting Lines
Grab Lines
Man Rope Knot
Man of War Knot
Accommodation ladder
Gypsy
Spurling Pipe
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Drum-end.........Dominoes (Hatchboards)..........Spanish Windlass.......Whammy.