The chief timber or piece extending along the length of the bottom of a vessel from which rise the frames, stem, and sternposts.
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A second keel, built over the keel, on top of the floor timbers of the frames, to strengthen the vessel's skeleton.
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Johannes Kepler1571-1630. German astronomer and mathematician who theorized that planets and the Earth travel around the sun in elliptical orbits. He published his theory in 1609. Using his theory, he was able to calculate precise predictive tables for planetary motion.
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A mixture of liquid hydrocarbons obtained by distilling petroleum or shale, and used as a fuel.
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A fore-and-aft rig where the forward mast is taller than the after mast, and the after mast is generally ahead of the steering position. The forward mast is called the mainmast and the after mast the mizzenmast. The mizzen sail area is roughly half of the main. Formerly the term was used to both describe a rig of these proportions on 17th and 18th century European vessels, and has been used to describe hull types.
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An oven used to fire pottery or limestone.
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1744-1748. The War of Austrian Succession between France and England. The third French and Indian War in America, starting in Maine with raids on English settlements. Its highlight was the capture of the French fortress at Louisbourg in Nova Scotia by an American colonial expedition.
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Roman god, ruler of the sea. One of the great traditions of the sea occurred when the ship crossed the Equator. If there were any "green hands" aboard, the ship reduced sail, which allowed an old crew member dressed up as King Neptune to climb aboard over the side of the ship and initiate those who had never before crossed the Equator. Initiation included being bound and blindfolded, having tar spread on your whiskers, having them "shaved" with a rusty razor blade, then being dropped in a big tub of salt water. With that, the green hand was a member of the Order of the Sons of Neptune. This 19th century ceremony transforming 'pollywogs' into 'shellbacks' still occurs on naval vessels.
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1675-1678. The first of the New England Indian wars. King Philip was an Indian leader who organized the Pequots and their neighbors in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to drive out the English settlers. He was killed by the British, but the conflict spread and grew into 150 years of intermittent warfare, involving the English, French, and Native Americans. The first one was a colonial affair; later ones would involve the French.
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1689-1697. First of a series of French and Indian wars that were reflections of wars in Europe. In Maine, Falmouth was burned, Wells attacked, and the forts at Pemaquid Point captured by French who had a base in Castine ( Penatagoet).
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The mark put on white pine trees of certain dimensions appropriate for use as masts. The mark claimed the tree for the British Navy in the early days of settlement in New England.
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In lobstering, the first compartment in a lobster trap in which bait is placed.
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Naturally right-angled pieces of wood that fit at the intersection of timbers to strengthen the joint. Hackmatack was most typically used for knees, due to its strength, light weight, and the fact that the trees' roots grew at about a 90 degree angle from the trunk, making for a strong knee.
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A nautical measure of speed. One knot is equal to one nautical mile (6,080 feet) per hour. The term comes from the knots on the line of a chip log. See chip log.
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Knox Marine engines were made by the Camden Anchor-Rockland Machine Company. Production seems to have started about 1901 in Rockland then moved to Camden about 1906 where they continued into the 1920s. Some of the Knox Marine engines had only one cylinder, and they were called "one-lungers", the general term for single cylinder engines in the years up to World War II.
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To kneel and touch your forehead to the ground in front of a superior.