DICTIONARY OF

Breastwork 56 British Corporation
Breastwork. Stanchions and rails at fore end of poop and after end of forecastle in old ships;
and, athwart upper deck of ships with no poop—to indicate forward limit of quarter deck.
Breech. Outside angle of a knee timber. 2. The rear end of a gun.
Breeches Buoy. Life-buoy fitted with canvas breeches on inner circumference and used,
with rocket apparatus, for hauling ashore people in a vessel wrecked near the shore.
Breechings. Back ropes or backstays. 2. Ropes by which guns were hauled out before firing
and which limited their recoil on firing.
Breeze. Wind of moderate strength. Usually convectional.
Brereton's Log Scale. For timber measurement. Gives actual or solid contents of a log in
'board feet'. Is based on mean diameter of log. Invented by Bernard Brereton of Seattle,
Washington.
Brewerton's Course Recorder. See 'Course Recorder'.
Brickfielder. Hot N'ly wind in Australia during summer.
Bridge. Superstructure, on upper deck, having a clear view forward and on either side, and
from which a ship is conned and navigated. 2. In boiler furnace, is an arch of firebricks built
at combustion chamber end of furnace.
Bridle. In general, any fairly short length of rope secured at both ends. In particular, length
of rope used as 'bowline bridle'.
Bridle Cable. Length of cable led from ship to middle of another length of cable that is
anchored at each end.
Bridle Part. That part of cable that extends from hawse pipe to anchor when anchor is
stowed outboard.
Bridle Port.* Port, in bow, in which a bow chaser gun was mounted but which was used,
also, for a bow fast or mooring bridle.
Brig. Vessel with two masts and square rigged on both of them.
Brigantine. Originally, a ship of brigands, or pirates. Up to end of 19th century was a twomasted
vessel square rigged on foremast and main topmast, but with fore and aft mainsail.
Latterly, a two-masted vessel with foremast square rigged, and mainmast fore and aft rigged.
Brig Mast.* Mast fitted with a topgallant mast.
Briming. Fisherman's name for phosphorescence of sea.
Brine. Non-freezing liquid made by dissolving calcium chloride in water—40 oz. per
gallon—for refrigerating purposes.
Bring To. Stop way of ship. Bring ship's head to wind. Bring ship to an anchor.
Bring Up. To bring ship's head to the wind. To come to anchor.
Bristol Fashion. Good and seamanlike appearance. Precisely correct.
British Corporation. Former classification society that was founded to classify ships built
on lines that Lloyd's would not accept. Is an 'Assigning Authority' for granting load line
certificates.