DICTIONARY OF

Solstitial Points 320 South-East Trade Drifts
Solstitial Points. The two points in Ecliptic that are most remote from Equinoctial. When
Sun is in either of these points his declination stands still for two or three days.
Solstitial Tides. Tides occurring about the period of the solstice. Diurnal inequalities of
tropic tides may be unusually large.
Somerville Sounding Gear. Used in surveying vessels. Weight is towed along sea-bed by a
line from forward so adjusted that weight is just forward of propellers. An up and down line
from weight is rove through a block with a small weight in inboard end, so keeping line taut:
this line is marked so that depth can be read.
Sonic Sounder. Instrument that measures sea depths by measuring time interval between
emission of an audible sound and the return of its echo from sea-bed.
Son of a Gun. Seaman who was born aboard a warship. As this was once considered to be
one of the essentials of the perfect seaman it has long been a complimentary term.
Sonor. See Asdic.
Soogee Moogee/Sujee-mujee. Cleansing powder used for cleaning wood and paintwork.
SOS. Morse symbols of 3 shorts, 3 longs, 3 shorts, made by any signalling method. The
international signal, ―I am in distress and require assistance.'
Sothis. Egyptian name for the star Sirius.
Souillagouet Method. Solution of the PZX triangle by dropping a perpendicular from X to
observer's meridian, and so making two right-angled triangles.
Soul and Body Lashing. Spun yarn passed around open parts of oilskin clothing to exclude
water and wind.
Sound. Narrow expanse of water between two land masses. 2. Sound waves of a frequency
(less than 3800 per second) that can be detected by the human ear. 3. To ascertain depth of
Water by measuring distance from surface to bottom. 4. Whaling term used to denote the
quick descent of a whale in the sea, particularly after being harpooned.
Sounding Bottle. Small container, or bottle, lowered into the sea to bring up a sample of
sea-water from a desired depth.
Sounding Machine. Apparatus for dropping a line and sinker to sea-bed, measuring the
amount of line out, heaving in the sinker and indicating the actual depth of water.
Sounding Pipe. Tube leading from a deck to any place or compartment containing water or
liquid. Forms a lead for a graduated rod, to which is attached a line.
Sounding Rod. Graduated rod, attached to a line, used for measuring depth of liquid in a
space.
Sound Signal. Any signal transmitted by a system of sounds.
South. Point or direction opposite to North. For a heavenly body to 'South' is for it to come
to the meridian south of observer.
South-East Trade Drifts. Surface currents set up in nearly all oceans by SE trade winds. In
general, they merge into the Equatorial Current; in Indian Ocean the drift originates the
current.