DICTIONARY OF

Gulf Weed 159 Gyration
Gulf Weed. Weed found floating in an area of about a quarter of a million square miles of
Gulf Stream between 19°W and 47°W and 20° to 45°N. Some of it is occasionally carried to
British Isles.
Gull. Sea bird that feeds on fish and breeds on rocky headlands. There are about 20 different
types and, in common speech, the name includes skua, tern, petrel and others.
Gunboat. Small warship with relatively large gun power. Primarily, though not exclusively,
intended for service in rivers and shallow waters.
Gunner. Commissioned officer in R.N. Responsible for ammunition and gunnery stores.
Has other duties in connection with armament, and is assistant to gunnery officer.
Gun Room. Nowadays, mess of R.N. officers of subordinate rank— sub-lieutenants,
midshipmen, cadets. Originally, was Gunner's store room, and messing place of Gunner and
his subordinates.
Gun Running. Illicitly carrying arms into a country.
Gun Tackle. Purchase by which a gun was hauled out after recoil due to firing. Consists of
two single blocks with hook in each.
Gunter's Scale. Large, flat boxwood board having scales of equal parts on one side and
logarithmic scales on other side. Required values were found by use of dividers or a ruler.
Invented by Edmund Gunter (1581-1636) and in use for more than 200 years.
Gunwale. Side timber, or wale, covering the timber heads, and to which the breechings of
upper deck guns were secured. 2. The upper strake of a boat's planking, particularly its upper
edge, is now called the gunwale; as, also, is the upper edge of bulwarks.
Gunwale Bar. Angle bar connecting deck stringer plate to frames.
Gusset Plate. Plating that is attached by angle irons to knit together two members of a ship's
structure.
Gust. Short period increase in strength of wind.
Gutter Bar. Inboard angle bar of a waterway at side of deck.
Gutter Ledge. Fore and aft beam in middle fore and aft line of a hatch covered with arched
hatch covers—which it supports at their middle and highest part.
Guy. Rope or tackle by which a boom or derrick is controlled laterally.
Gyassa. Egyptian boat used on Nile for transport of cargo. Has two masts, lateen sails and
can carry up to about 200 tons.
Gybe. To shift over the boom of a fore and aft sail, without brailing, while sailing free or
running.
Gyn. 'Gin.'
Gyration. Movement, round an axis, that is accompanied by generation of centrifugal and
centripetal forces.