Aft Towards the rear of the ship.

Astrolabe A navigational instrument that measures the height of the sun and stars and helps to calculate latitude.

Backstaff A navigational tool that measures the sun’s height in the sky, and shows how far north or south a ship has travelled.

Ballast Stones packed into the bottom of the ship (the bilges) that keep the ship upright, particularly in rough weather.

Bilges The lowest part of the ship, where ballast is placed. They tend to fill up with smelly, stagnant water and have to be pumped regularly.

Brigantine A fast, two-masted ship much favoured by pirates.

Buccaneers Former hunters who turned to piracy after being driven from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola by the Spanish.

Capstan A winding machine used for raising or lowering the anchor.

Cargo The goods carried on board a ship.

Carrack Large, square-rigged ship with two to four masts, called a nau in Portugal.

Caulkers Workmen who sealed the joints between planking on a ship by hammering greased rope fibres into the joints, then covering them with hot tar.

Compass A magnetic pointer device used in navigation that always points north.

Coral reef An undersea bank made up of the skeletons of many thousands of tiny animals, called coral polyps.

Cross-staff A navigational instrument for measuring the altitude of the sun or stars. It consists of a shaft and a sliding cross-piece.

Crow’s nest A lookout platform around a ship’s mast.

Cutlass A pirate sword with a short, broad, sometimes curved blade.

Deserting Leaving a ship permanently, without permission.

Diving bell A device that allows divers to breathe air when underwater.

Doubloon A Spanish gold coin.

Equator An imaginary circle around the Earth halfway between the poles.

Flintlock pistol A light pistol. When the trigger was pulled, a piece of flint was struck, producing sparks that ignited gunpowder.

Fore Towards the front of a ship.

Galleon A large, three-masted warship used mainly by the Spanish to transport treasure from the Americas back to Spain, from the 15th to 18th centuries.

Galley The kitchen of a ship.

Grappling iron A hook with several prongs, attached to a rope and used for holding on to or lifting objects, or to secure two ships together during an attack.

Gunports Square holes in the side of the ship fitted with hinged lids through which the cannon are fired.

Halyard A rope used for hoisting a ship’s sails into position.

Helmsman The sailor who steers the ship.

Hull The main outer body of the ship.

Hurricane A large rotating storm with high winds that forms over tropical seas, such as the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

Jolly Roger The flag flown by pirate ships.

Lateen A triangular sail set at an angle to a short mast.

Latitude The distance north or south of the Equator. The Equator has a latitude of zero degrees. The North Pole has a latitude of 90 degrees north; the South Pole has a latitude of 90 degrees south.

Lead line A rope, with length markings, attached to a lead weight and used to find depth of water.

Log and reel A device for measuring a ship’s speed. A piece of wood attached to a line with equally spaced knots tied in it is dropped into the water. The number of knots that reel out in a specified time determine the ship’s speed.

Longitude A line that passes through Greenwich, England. Greenwich has a longitude of zero degrees.

Marooning A punishment for a pirate who broke the ship’s rules. He was left alone on a remote island with very little food or water.

Mast A vertical pole, usually made of wood or metal, that supports yards and sails.

Merchant ship A ship that carries cargo that is for sale.

Musket A gun with a long barrel, similar to a rifle, used between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Musketoon A shorter version of the musket, popular with pirates.

Mutiny When a group of sailors are in open rebellion against their captain.

Nau See carrack.

Navigation Plotting or directing the course of a vessel. Determining a vessel’s position using navigational instruments such as a compass, cross-staff and astrolabe.

New World Another name for the Americas.

Outlaw A criminal on the run.

Parley To speak to the enemy to see if it is possible to avoid a fight.

Parrel A swivel device that attaches a yard on to a mast.

Pieces of eight The pirate name for Spanish silver coins, worth eight reales each (real means “royal”).

Pilot A person who navigates a vessel.

Pirate A sea robber.

Pole Star A star that is located almost due north, which makes it useful for navigation.

Privateer Someone given permission by the government of one country to attack ships belonging to another.

Ransom A sum of money paid to a kidnapper for the release of the victim.

Ratlines Rope ladders used to climb up into the rigging of a ship.

Rigging The ship’s sails and the ropes used to control them.

Rudder A flat board at the back of a ship that is moved from side to side to change the ship’s direction.

Sail An assemblage of cloth cut to various sizes and shapes (e.g. square and triangular), and designed to catch the wind and use its force to propel a vessel.

Salvage To retrieve the contents of a shipwreck.

Sandglass A device for measuring time. Two glass globes are connected by a narrow neck. Sand empties from the top globe into the bottom one in a specific period of time.

Scurvy A disease caused by a lack of vitamin C, which is found mainly in fresh fruit and vegetables. Many sailors on long trips developed scurvy, as they did not have access to fresh food.

Silk Road Overland trading routes between Asia and Europe.

Slaves People whose freedom has been taken away. They have to work for the people who “own” them.

Sonar A method of navigation and detection under water. Sound waves are sent out, and the echoes which bounce back are used to locate objects.

Spanish Main The Caribbean coast of Central and South America, claimed by Spain after Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.

Submersible A small submarine.

Trade winds Strong easterly winds that blow from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.

Whipstaff A vertical pole linked to the rudder and used to steer the ship.

Yard The pole on a mast that carries a sail.

Consultant: Philip Parker