DICTIONARY OF

Coastguard 88 Cod of Track
Coastguard. Force of men, who are stationed around coast of British Isles for the
suppression of smuggling and for watching of coast for vessels in distress. First established
1817; transferred to R.N. in 1831; retransferred to H.M. Customs in 1920; now under
Department of Trade and Industry.
Coastline. That line in which sea meets the border of a country; more specifically at low
water.
Cob. Harbour protected by a stone breakwater.
Cobalt. Hard, white metal used in high carbon steels for permanent magnets. Is feebly
magnetic.
Cobbing.* Old maritime punishment in which a man was struck on the breech with flat
pieces of wood or ropes' ends.
Cobble.* Original form of 'Coble'.
Coble. Boat with flat floor, square stern and deep rudder. About 20 feet long. Pulls three
pairs of oars and has a mast with lugsail. Once in daily use on North-East Coast.
Coboose. Old form of 'Caboose'.
Cochrane Boiler. Small vertical boiler sometimes installed in ships for port use. Has
combustion chamber and smoke tubes. Working pressure is about 120 Ib. per sq. in.
Cock. Valve in which flow of a fluid is controlled by a rotatable plug which has a
perforation that can be masked by turning. 2. Old name for a yawl. 3. Old name for a 'Cog'
(boat).
Cockbill. To top a yard by one lift. 2. To suspend an anchor by ring stopper.
Cock Boat.* Small, light boat used in sheltered waters.
Cocked Hat. Former full dress headgear of an officer of the R.N. 2. Triangle, on chart,
formed by three position lines that do not cross at one point.
Cocket. Seal of H.M. Customs. Name is given, also, to 'Clearance Label', and to an Entry
officer in a Custom House.
Cocket Card. 'Clearance Label.'
Cockpit. Compartment, usually on orlop deck, in old men of war. Was the messroom for
midshipmen and junior officers. In action, was used as a dressing station for wounded.
2. A sunken part, or well, in a deck in which, in a yacht, the helmsman sits to steer.
Cockroach. Dark-brown insect, of beetle family, often found in ships.
Cockscombing. Decorative covering of a small spar or rope. Made by attaching several
small lines and half hitching them, successively, around object to be covered. Number of
lines used should be odd. Half hitches are made to right and left alternately.
Cockswain.* Original form of 'Coxswain'.
Cod Line. Small line made of Italian hemp, and supplied in hanks of 20 fathoms. Originally,
was a fishing line, with a size between mackerel and dolphin lines.
Cod of Track. Most westerly point in track of a revolving storm. Storm centre turns toward
pole, and then eastward.