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Berserker
| Морской словарь |
One of a band of norse or viking shock troops, famed for extreme ferocity and frenzy in combat. the name translates roughly as “bearskin man” and berserkers did indeed wear bear or wolf skins over light chain mail armor. they used a variety of weapons, the most feared being a deadly throwing ax. numerous speculations of their fearless and furious behavior include the influence of herbal drugs mixed with alcohol, belief in “possession” by the spirit of the wild animal whose pelt they wore, and a psychological state induced by rituals and ceremonies.
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Possession, английский
- Control of the ball.
- Владение
- When a section of track is required for maintenance and trains cannot run, it is handed over by the operators to the engineers, who take "possession". special protective measures are used to prevent access by unauthorised trains. when the track is returned to the operators, the engineers "give up possession".
- A section of line which is under the exclusive occupation of an engineer for maintenance or repairs. the engineer may run his own trains within the limits of the possession but no other trains are allowed to run within it and comprehensive safety regulations ensure that these conditions are kept.
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Berthon boat, английский
A collapsible craft made with double canvas linings stretched on a folding wooden frame to form watertight envelopes that assist buoyancy and give protection should the outer canvas be accidentally torn. invented by edward berthon in 1850. seeing it on display at the great exhibition of 1851, the prince of wales commented that a cannonball would easily penetrate the canvas. to the amusement of queen victoria, berthon replied, “what, sir, could not be penetrated by a cannonball?.” in 1873 the royal navy adopted berthon boats for destroyers, other small craft, and (later) submarines where storage space was at a premium. it is frequently reported that rms titanic carried four berthon boats, but these were actually similar, but larger and single-skinned, englehardt boats.
Bermuda triangle, английский
In contrast to the ancient origins of most myths and legends, that of the roughly triangular imaginary area bounded by the southern coast of florida and the islands of bermuda and puerto rico is relatively modern. its notoriety is based on the large number of ships and aircraft which have vanished there since 1800 without any trace of wreckage or survivors. also known as the “devil’s triangle,” it is one of only two places on earth where a magnetic compass points due north with no variation toward the magnetic pole. (the other, which lies off the east coast of japan, is also renowned for mysterious disappearances and japanese and filipino seamen call it the “devil’s sea.”) proposed explanations of these disappearances include extraterrestrial interference by visitors from outer space, interference by underwater-dwelling survivors from the lost continent of atlantis, and the action of physical forces hitherto unknown to science, including cosmic electro-magnetic effects, and timedistorting tunnels. the u.s. coast guard, however, is not impressed with supernatural explanations— pointing out that the combination of natural forces and human unpredictability outdoes even the most far-fetched science fiction. the caribbean-atlantic area has long been recognized for freakish weather, sudden fierce but local storms and waterspouts, and as a breeding ground for hurricanes. as early as 1596, sir walter raleigh complained of the region’s “hellish sea, thunder, lightening, and storms.” in addition, the interaction of strong currents with deep marine trenches and shallow reefs or shoals puts the ocean floor topography in constant flux, so that the development of new navigational hazards is rapid, while the swift and turbulent gulf stream can quickly erase any physical evidence of disaster. skeptics point out that many of the reported events actually occurred outside the triangle; some were preceded by reports of instrument failure or loss of power, and others happened during periods of unusual fog or strange sea conditions. in fact, scientific analysis bell 40 shows that the number and frequency of disappearances is not abnormal. nonetheless, the belief in paranormal influences is widespread and persistent.
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