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Cathole
| Морской словарь |
- One of two holes in the stern of a sailing man-o-war level with the capstan, through which a stern hawser could be passed to heave the ship astern. cat-o’-nine-tails: the origin of the name for this fearsome flogging device is uncertain. one theory is that the scars left on the victim’s back looked as though he had been mauled by a cat’s claws. another says it dates back to pharaonic egypt, where the cat was a sacred and beneficial animal and each lash (made of cat skin) represented one of its nine lives. being scourged was then believed to transfer the cat’s goodness from the lashes to the victim. the naval version consisted of a handle made of thick rope with nine triple-knotted tails or thongs, each about 24 inches (61 cms) long, attached to it. the finished article weighed about 14 ounces (400 grams). each was traditionally made by its intended victim for one-time use. even so, it was no crude, hastily-assembled and roughly-tied instrument. making a good one was considered a test of seamanship and self-respect, so most were beautiful examples of skilled ropework. construction began by selecting four feet (1.2 meters) of three-stranded 1.5-inch (38- mm) diameter line. it was unlayed for half its length and each of the strands was divided into three parts. then the nine parts were braided into tails, which were knotted at the tip and tarred (to inflict punishment for theft, a particularly offensive crime on board ship, each of the thongs was knotted three times to cause additional pain). then, the unraveled half was whipped and covered with red (or sometimes green) baize to serve as the handle and, finally, the traditional blood-red baize carrying bag was sewn. later the “cat” became a ready-made naval issue, cat 66 losing its individuality and fine finish. often a wooden baton replaced the rope handle and a faintly discernible strand of red cotton ran through each tail as an example of the admiralty’s marking of rope to prevent theft. a quasi-scientific test of the instrument’s power was carried out by the anatomy department of the university of edinburgh medical school, using an exact replica of an original rope-handled cat. pieces of knot-free pitch pine (chosen because of its elasticity) were lashed by a 5`10" (178 cm) man of average build and musculature. a single blow shattered a three-quarter inch (1.9 cm) square piece, while a oneinch (2.54 cm) square piece broke on the second stroke.
- A small hole dug in the surface of the ground in which the base of a drill-tripod leg is set.
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Caulking iron, английский
A chisel-like tool used when hit by a caulking mallet to drive fibers into the wedge-shaped seam between planks.
Catheads, английский
Large wooden beams projecting on either side of the bows to which an anchor is raised and secured. they are set as square as possible to the deck and bolted to it above the catbeam. the end of each cathead was traditionally carved into the semblance of a lion’s head.
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