Facts about the Port of Houston
Did you know, the Port of Houston is one of the world’s busiest ports, and is responsible for over 1,026,820 jobs throughout Texas.
Each year, more than 200 million tons of cargo move through the Port of Houston, carried by more than 8,000 vessel and 200,000 barge calls.
Nautical terms, phrases and meaning
Before the mast
Literally, the position of the crew whose living quarters on board were in the forecastle (the section of a ship forward of the foremast). The term is also used more generally to describe seamen as compared with officers, in phrases such as "he sailed before the mast."
Charlie Noble
Charlie Noble is an "it," not a "he." A British merchant service captain, Charles Noble, is said to be responsible for the origin, about 1850, of this nickname for the galley smokestack. It seems that Captain Noble, discovering that the stack of his ship's galley was made of copper, ordered that it be kept bright. The ship's crew then started referring to the stack as the "Charley Noble."
Clean Bill of Health
This widely used term has its origins in the document issued to a ship showing that the port it sailed from suffered from no epidemic or infection at the time of departure.
Coxswain
A coxswain or cockswain was at first the swain (boy servant) in charge of the small boat or cockboat that was kept aboard for the ship's captain and which was used to row him to and from the ship. The term has been in use in England dating back to at least 1463. With the passing of time the coxswain became the helmsman of any boat, regardless of size.
Dogwatch
A dogwatch at sea is the period between 4 and 6 p.m, the first dogwatch, or the period between 6 and 8 p.m., the second dog watch.
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