Page 162 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

168 NAVA L SK ILLS

the strength of the fibers. I\'lost tine used on board ship is three- Fakillg d 0 1l'1I a line is to lay it out in long. flat rows on the deck,
stmnd. plain-laid. and has a right-hand twist or la)'. Right-laid line one alongside the other. The main advantage of working with line
must always be coiled down right-handed or clockwise. that is properly r..1ked down is that it runs off with little chance of
S;lIg/e- or double-braided nylon and Kevlar line is also carried fouling or kinking. Mooring lines are commonly mnde ready b)'
on board ship for such thing«1S hoisting signal nags (hal),ards) and flaking them down before coming in to n pier.
mooring lines. I3raided line will not ulllay or untwist when it is free A third method used for laying down short lengths of line is
to rotate on swivels as signal halyards mllst do. Plain-laid line will j7elllisltillg. '10 flemish down a line is to lil)' it down in a flat helical
tend to unlay or untwist under similar conditions. Kevlar mooring coil on the deck, somewhat like a wound clock spring. with the bit-
lines will not stretch under heavy strain and will not recoil if they ter elld (end of the line) ill the center. The line is laid down loosely
break as nylon docs, making them much safer to use than nylon and wound tight to form a "mat" by placing the hands flat on the
mooring lines. line and twisting in the direction the line is laid.
Length of line is normally l11e;:1sured in fathoms, feet, or meters ~'I ost rope and line 011 bo,1rd ship is stowed in the boatsl\'ain's
(I fathom equals 6 feet). Howe\,er, the size of a line is its circum- locker. This is a storage compartment, usually in the forward part
ference, measured in inches. The size of wire rope is its diameter, of the ship. which holds all the line. wire. and tools used b), the
measured in inches across the widest part. deck force.
The largest line used for general shipboard purposes in the Coils of line are stored all shelves or platforms clear of the deck
Navy is to-inch, normaUy referred to as a hawser. A hawser is the so the)' will sta), dq·. The)' should not be cOl·ered. but should be
name given to an)' line larger than 5 inches in circumference that opell to the air, since natural fiber is apt to mildew and rot if dnmp.
is generally used for towing or mooring. Five-inch manila is used Small stuff is stored 0 11 a shelf in order of size, with the starting end
for personnel high-line transfer rigs in most cases. An)' small stuff of the line out for eas), reach.
less than sLx-thread is called by name rather than by the number The bitter end of a line should alwa),s be whipped to prevent
of threads. it from unlaying, or fraying. A good seaman cannot stand to see a
Line less than I Y4 inches in circumference is called sl11al/ stllff good piece of line frazzled out. To prevent Stich fraying. a tempo-
and is identified b)' the number of threads in the line. Twenty-four rary plain whipping can be put on with a piece of small s tllft~ The
thread, with about 1 ¥.I-inch circumference, is the largest smail whipping line is laid down along the line and bound down with a
stuff. Other sizes of small stuff arc twenty-one thread (1 Vl inch), couple of turns. Then the other end of the whipping should be laid
fifteen thread (1'4 inch). twelve thread (I Ys inch). nine thread (I on the opposite way and bound a couple of turns from the bight of
inch). and six thread (J<i inch). the whipping and pulled tight.
JV/ar/ille is the 1110st C01111110 11 small stulf referred to b)' IHlme.
It is made of two-stranded, left-laid, tarred hemp. It is not mllch
larger than ordinary household wrapping cord. It is most often
lIsed for serJlillg. or covering a larger line for protection from abra-
sion. Seiz;Ilg stl~tJis similar to marline, though stronger because it
is three-stranded and right-laid. Sl11allwhite /ille is made ti'om cot-
ton or flax and is used for lead lines. flagstaffhal),ards. and the like.
It is like household clothesline.

Handling Fiber Line
\Vhen preparing to use any line larger than smail stutl it is usually
a good idea to lay it out on deck in one of several established ways.
Doing so will help in handling the line. plus help to avoid kinks in
the line as it is run oULlt also contributes to the shipshape and sea-
manlike appearance of the ship or boat.
Coili"g d01V1I :.1 line means to lay it in circles on the deck, roughly
one coil or circle on top of the other. Right -laid line is always coiled
down in a clockwise direction, ilnd left-laid line in <1 counterclock-
wise direction. Coiling down in the wrong direction results in
annoying and possibly dangerous kinks and twists. \Vhen a line is
coiled down. the end on top is ready for running. Coiling is the t:lst- Faking down a line.
est way of making up line or wire, and the most common.