Shipbuilding Terms and Phrases "N"

Shipbuilding Terms and Phrases 

The following definitions are from United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation publication The Building of a Wooden Ship by Charles G. Davis (1918), a long out-of-print book that we have republished and is available on Amazon. They will be very handy when reading the works of such authors as Davis, Howard I. Chapelle, V.R. Grimwood, and others I will reference in this blog. In some cases, I have added further clarification to a definition in the form of editor's notes. These are in italic, contained in parentheses, and attribute the modern author of the clarification.

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NAILS: the iron, steel or other metal pins of various kinds used to fasten boards, planks or iron work in a vessel together. In a shipbuilding yard there are many different kinds of nails used, the use to which they are applied being indicated by the name they bear: 

Boat nails, commonly used by small boatbuilders, are of various lengths, generally rose-headed and square at the point; they are made of copper or soft iron or steel. 

Clamp nails are very thick nails, with large heads, used for fastening iron clamps, etc.

Deck nails, or spike nails, are from 4 1/2 to 12 inches long and have snug heads. These are used for fastening planks in the flat of the deck. 

Filling nails, not now used, were generally of cast iron, and were driven thickly into the bottom planks; they were used to take the place of copper sheathing. 

Flat nails are small, round-pointed nails, with flat, thin heads, used for nailing scarphs of molds. 

Lead nails are small, round-headed nails for securing lead sheets in position. 

Port nails, double and single, are similar to clamp nails, and are used for fastening iron work. 

Ribband nails are similar to weight nails, except they have large, round heads, so they can be easily withdrawn; they are used as temporary fastening for ribbands, etc. 

Rider nails are similar to clamp nails, but are chiefly used for fastening pintles and braces. 

Soupper nails are short nails with very broad heads, used to secure the flaps to the scuppers. 

Sheathing nails are copper or cast bronze nails, with flat polished heads, and are used for fastening copper sheathing to the planking. 

Sheet nails, not now in use, were used to fasten wooden sheathing on a vessel's bottom; their purpose was to preserve the planking and prevent the filling nails from tearing the planking too much. 

Weight nails are similar to deck nails, but not so small, have square heads and are used for fastening cleats, etc. 

Wire and cut nails; their size and length are indicated by the a number “4, 6, 8, 10, 24, 30, 40 penny nails." These are used for nailing boards and planks in position. 

NAVAL ARCHITECT: a man who has had a special technical education and is competent to design vessels. 

NAVIGATING BRIDGE: the deck or bridge from which the navigating officer handles a vessel. The location of this bridge on a vessel and the height of the bridge above the water vary according to the design and the ideas of the naval architect or owner. 

NET OR REGISTERED TONNAGE: is the gross tonnage less certain deductions, as set forth in the regulations and laws of the United States. The resultant figure is in cubic feet. This divided by 100 gives the net or registered tonnage. 

Two other net or registered tonnage measurements are required on vessels sailing under the flag of the United States: One is the Panama Canal measurement, which is performed in practically the same way except the deductions and exemptions are different. This measurement is regulated by the statutes of the United States. The other measurement is the Suez Canal measurement, and is performed in practically the same way except the deductions and exemptions are slightly different. The method of taking this measurement and the exemptions and deductions are regulated by the Suez Canal Measurement Rules. 

NETTING: a rope network that is used aboard a vessel for various purposes, such as a bag fastened to the foot of the fore, main, mizzen, jigger, top and lower mast stays on board a steamer, and in which the fore-and-aft headsails are stowed instead of being furled. It is also applied to the bulwark network, which takes the place of solid panel bulwarks on some steamers. 

NET TONNAGE: the capacity under the deck available for stowing the cargo only. It is exclusive of the engine-room, boiler space, coal bunkers, cabins, crew, space, etc. 

NIB: the thin point or extremity of a scarph. 

NINEPIN BLOCK: a swivel tackle-block, which is shaped similar to a ninepin. 

NIP: a twist or kink in a rope. 

NIPPERS: a short length of rope used to secure a cable to a messenger. 

NOCK: a name sometimes applied to the forward upper comer of a fore-and-aft sail.