Naval Ship Handling - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering standard commands, navigation concepts, navigation tools, charts, Aids to Navigation, radar/ARPA, ship handling, MOB procedures, bridge organization, weather/oceanography, and safety procedures as found in the lecture notes.

Right standard rudder

Rudder turned to the right by 15° (starboard) for a normal turn.

Right full rudder

Rudder turned to the right by 30° for a quicker turn.

Hard right rudder

Rudder turned to 35° for emergencies or the sharpest possible turn.

Rudder amidships

Rudder at 0°, bringing the helm to neutral and stopping turning.

Steady on course

Maintain the current heading.

Come right/left, steer [course]

Turn slightly and steer toward a new heading.

Ease your rudder

Decrease rudder angle.

Increase your rudder

Increase rudder angle.

Shift your rudder

Move rudder to the same angle on the opposite side.

Meet her

Stop the ship from turning further without steadying on a course.

Steady as you go

Keep the ship on its current heading.

Right standard rudder (helm commands)

Rudder 15° to starboard; part of Helm commands for steering.

Rudder amidships (helm)

Rudder straight—neutral heading.

Shift your rudder (helm)

Move rudder to opposite side but same angle.

All engines ahead 2/3

Lee Helm command to set engines to two-thirds ahead.

Lee Helm

Control of ship speed and direction via engines; opposite of helm (rudder) control.

Pivot point

The point on the ship about which it turns; shifts with speed and direction.

Bank cushion/suction

Hydrodynamic effect near piers or walls that pushes/pulls ship.

Shallow water effects (squat)

Ship sinks deeper in water at speed, changing handling near bottoms.

Controllable forces

Forces we directly use to control the ship: lines, anchors, tugs, engines, rudders, thrusters.

Semi-controllable forces

Forces from movement/environment we can plan for (e.g., shallow water effects, bank cushion).

Uncontrollable forces

Forces we cannot change (wind, current); only plan around them.

D/T (distance to turn)

Advance + (transfer ÷ tan of course change); used for turn planning.

Relative Bearing (RB)

Angle from ship’s bow to a contact.

True Bearing (TB)

Ship’s heading plus Relative Bearing.

Magnetic Bearing (MB)

True bearing adjusted by magnetic variation.

Target Angle (TA)

TA = Target Bearing − Target’s Course; angle at which the contact appears on your bow.

Maneuvering Board

Plot tool to compute relative motion vectors and set/ drift.

Closest Point of Approach (CPA)

Closest range between two ships if they continue current courses/speeds.

Time to CPA (TCPA)

Time until CPA occurs.

Maneuvering Board vectors (own ship, contact, resultant)

Three vectors used to determine relative motion and actual track.

Wind on Maneuvering Board (set and drift)

Set is the current’s direction; drift is current speed.

Mercator projection

Chart projection with rhumb lines as straight lines; distorts area away from the equator.

Gnomonic projection

Projection where great-circle routes appear as straight lines; used for long-distance planning.

Chart No. 1

NOAA chart symbol reference: explains symbols, abbreviations, features on charts.

Sailing General/Coastal/Harbor charts

Chart scales/types; use largest scale available for detail.

Lateral system

Navigation system marking channels (red-right-returning in Region B).

Cardinal system

System marking hazards using cardinal marks (N, S, E, W).

Region A/Region B

Two world regions for buoyage: Region A (red marks port when returning from sea) and Region B (red on right returning from sea, US system).

Aids to Navigation (AtoN)

Markers that guide, warn, and inform mariners (buoys, beacons, lights, sound signals, etc.).

RACON

Radar beacon that returns a Morse code signal to aid radar navigation.

RAMARK

Radar beacon that continuously transmits bearing information to radar.

VAtoN

Virtual Aids to Navigation displayed electronically (ECIDS, AIS) without physical buoys.

Buoy color/shape rules

Colors indicate sides; shapes/topmarks identify hazards; numbers help chart reference.

Topmarks

Marks mounted on buoys (e.g., red sphere for Safe Water Mark; two black balls for Isolated Danger).

Lateral and Cardinal systems descriptions

Lateral marks mark channels; Cardinal marks indicate hazards at compass directions.

Pub 151/102/117

Publications used in navigation: Distances Between Ports, International Code of Signals, Radio Navigational Aids.

NAVDORM

Navigation Department Organization and Regulations Manual; ship’s navigation rulebook.

MOVREP

Movement Report; required 24–48 hours before underway; includes departure/route and purpose.

MOB (Man Overboard)

Person overboard; procedures include ringing alarms, OSCAR flag, and recovery maneuvers.

Anderson Turn

Fast MOB recovery turn with rudder toward casualty and full ahead engines.

Williamson Turn

MOB recovery turn sequence when visibility is limited; side-turn then reciprocal heading.

Racetrack Turn

Recovery maneuver used when towing gear behind the ship.

Y-Backing

MOB recovery/backwards turn used for low visibility conditions.

RHIB

Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat; quick small-boat recovery option.

SAR swimmer

Search and Rescue swimmer who assists in recovery operations.

J-Bar Davit

Davit system (SAR) used to lift personnel or gear from ship to small boat.

Helicopter recovery options

Small boat (RHIB), J-Bar Davit, or helicopter-based recovery depending on readiness.

Bridge watchstander roles

CO, OOD, JOOD, CONN, QMOW, BMOW; duties include navigation, contacts, and communication.

Pre-watch tour

Inspection tour of CIC, engineering, weather, nav, etc., before assuming watch.

Stress/communication standards (repeat backs)

Using standard phraseology and repeat-backs to avoid miscommunication.

Arpa features

Electronic Bearing Lines (EBL), VRM, Parallel Index Lines, CPA/TCPA, Trial Maneuver.

Radar basics: HBW/VBW

Horizontal/Vertical Beam Width; affects detail and stability of radar image.

Pulse length/resolution

Short pulses give better range resolution; long pulses blur contacts.

ARPA vs. manual plotting

ARPA tracks contacts and predicts CPA/TCPA; manual plotting validates ARPA with lookout.

Magnetic vs True navigation

True bearing/color; magnetic bearing adjusted by variation; deviation corrected for compass error.

Variation/Deviation/Compass error

Variation: True vs Magnetic north difference; Deviation: ship’s magnetic interference; Compass error = variation + deviation.

Gyrocompass basics

Non-magnetic, gyroscopic navigation instrument that points to true north; needs power and calibration.

Fluxgate compass

Electronic magnetic compass; requires calibration after major changes.

Speed and wind plotting (SOA/ETA/SOA)

SOA = speed over distance; ETA = time to reach; advance/transfer used for D/T.

Tides and currents

Tides: regular rise/fall due to Moon/Sun; Currents: water movement; flood/ebb/slack water describe phases.

MARPOL/APPS/CWA

International/national rules for discharging oily waste, sewage, plastics, and garbage.

PMAP

Protective measures for environmentally sensitive areas during activities (gunnex, missile exercises, sonar).

OPREP-3 Navy Blue

Reporting format for potential naval activity in the area.

SPORTS

Naval Sonar Positional Reporting System; tracks acoustic sources near marine mammals.

Towing catenary and in-step

Catenary: natural curve in towing line; In-step: ships ride waves in sync to prevent line strain.

Approaches for towing disabled vessel

45-degree backdown, parallel, crossing the T, backdown—vary with conditions.

ACV/LCAC/LCU differences

ACV: faster, shallow water; LCAC: air-cushion; LCU: slowest, deeper water.

Well deck terms (Condition 1A, sill, wedge, alive/grounded)

Operational readiness and water depth/angle in the well deck during operations.

Mooring components (chock, bollard, bitt, cleat, padeye)

Physical fittings used to secure lines and moor ships.

Mooring lines (breast/spring)

Breast lines keep ships from drifting sideways; spring lines control fore/aft movement.

Standard line-handling commands

Stand by, Pass, Slack, Take strain, Take in slack, Ease, Check, Hold, Cast off, etc.

Anchors (Stockless, Danforth, Navy Stock, Mushroom Cap)

Different anchor types for various seabed conditions and storage needs.

Anchor chain components

Ring, Shank, Fluke, Crown, Shoulder—the parts of an anchor.

Scope of chain

Length of anchor chain paid out; larger scope improves holding in wind/current.

Buoy mooring methods

Dip Rope Method and Trolley Method to secure ship to a mooring buoy.

Mooring vs anchoring

Mooring uses external buoy/anchors; anchoring uses own anchor and chain, with potential swinging.

Celnav basics

Celestial navigation using sun, moon, stars with a sextant; STELLA aids calculations.

STELLA

Electronic almanac/calculator for celestial navigation calculations.

Sunrise/Sunset/Civil/Nautical Twilight

Bowditch definitions for light levels and instrument readings for navigation.

Moonrise/Moonset/moon phases

Times and phases used for celestial navigation; phase affects observation ease.

Meridian transit (LAN)

Moment a celestial body crosses the local meridian; used for latitude calculation.

Hazardous material and waste

HM, hazardous waste, oily waste; MARPOL/APPS/CWA govern discharge rules.

PMAP & whale protection

Protective measures for sensitive areas; reports for whale strikes via OPREP-3.

NAVBRIEF/NAVDORM structure

NAVDORM organizes navigation responsibilities; NAVBRIEF lists planned track and weather.

Rules of the Road (Part A–E)

General rules for navigation: lookouts, safe speed, risk of collision, head-on, crossing, give-way/stand-on.

Lights and shapes (Part C)

Lamps and shapes used to indicate vessel status and actions, especially in restricted visibility.

Transfers and calling procedures (BTB)

Bridge-to-Bridge radio calls using standardized phrases to avoid collisions.