The Sailor's Word-Book
Chapter 177 : ORDERLY. The bearer of official messages, and appointed to wait upon superior officers

ORDERLY. The bearer of official messages, and appointed to wait upon superior officers with communications.

ORDERLY OFFICER. In the army. _See_ OFFICER OF THE DAY.

ORDER OF BATTLE. The arranging of s.h.i.+ps or troops so as to engage the enemy to the best advantage.

ORDER OF SAILING. _See_ SAILING, ORDER OF.

ORDERS. Societies of knights. (_See_ KNIGHTHOOD.)

ORDERS IN COUNCIL. Decrees given by the privy council, signed by the sovereign, for important state necessities, independently of any act of parliament; but covered by an act of indemnity when it is a.s.sembled.

ORDINARY. The establishment of the persons formerly employed to take charge of the s.h.i.+ps of war which are laid up in ordinary at several harbours adjacent to the royal dockyards. These duties are now under the superintendent of the dockyard. Also, the state of such men-of-war and vessels as are out of commission and laid up.

ORDINARY SEAMAN. The rating for one who can make himself useful on board, even to going aloft, and taking his part on a top-sail or topgallant-yard, but is not a complete sailor, the latter being termed an able seaman. It would be well if our merchant seamen consisted of apprentices and A.B.'s.

ORDINARY STEP. The common march of 110 paces in a minute.

ORDNANCE. A general name for all sorts of great guns which are used in war. Also, all that relates to the artillery and engineer service.

ORDNANCE-HOY. A sloop expressly fitted for transporting ordnance stores to s.h.i.+ps, and from port to port.

OREILLET. The ear-piece of a helmet.

OREMBI. A small _korocora_ (which see).

ORGUES. Long-pointed beams shod with iron, hanging vertically over a gateway, to answer as a portcullis in emergency.

ORIENT. The east point of the compa.s.s.

ORIFLAMME. The banner of St. Dennis; but the term is often applied to the flags of any French commander-in-chief.

ORIGIN. Merchant s.h.i.+ps claiming benefit for importation, must obtain and produce certificates of _origin_, in respect to the goods they claim for. (_See_ PRODUCTION.)

ORIGINAL ENTRY. The date at which men enter for the navy, and repair on board a guard-s.h.i.+p, or tender, where bedding or slops may be supplied to them, and are forwarded with them to their proper s.h.i.+ps.

ORILLON. In fortification, a curved projection formed by the face of a bastion overlapping the end of the flank; intended to protect the latter from oblique fire; modern ricochet fire renders it of little consequence.

ORION. One of the ancient constellations, of which the lucida is the well-known nautical star _Betelgeuze_.

ORISONT. The horizon; thus spelled by our early navigators.

ORLOP. The lowest deck, formerly called "over-lop," consisting of a platform laid over the beams in the hold of s.h.i.+ps of war, whereon the cables were usually coiled, and containing some cabins as well as the chief store-rooms. In trading vessels it is often a temporary deck.

ORLOP-BEAMS, OR HOLD-BEAMS. Those which support the orlop-deck, but are chiefly intended to fortify the hold.

ORNAMENTS. The carvings of the head, stern, and quarters of the old s.h.i.+ps.

ORNITHae. An ancient term for the periodical winds by which migratory birds were transported.

ORTHODROMIC. The course which lies on a meridian or parallel.

ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION. The profile, or representation of a vertical section, of a work in fortification.

ORTIVE AMPLITUDE. The eastern one.

OSCILLATING MARINE-ENGINE. A steam-engine where the top of the piston-rod is coupled with the crank, and the piston-rod moves backward and forward in the direction of the axis of the cylinder, while its extremity revolves in a circle with the crank.

OSCILLATING PUMP-SPEAR. A contrivance by which the pumps of a large vessel are worked, connected with a crank-shaft and fly-wheel, driven by handles in the same way as a winch.

OSMOND. The old term for pig-iron; a great article of lading.

OSNABURG. In commerce, a coa.r.s.e linen cloth manufactured in Scotland, but resembling that made at Osnaburg in Germany.

OSPREY. The fish-hawk, _Pandion haliaetus_; Shakspeare, in _Coriola.n.u.s_, says--

"I think he'll be to Rome As is the osprey to the fish."

OS SEPIae. The commercial term for the sepia, or cuttle-fish bones.

OSTMEN. A corrupted form of _Hoastmen_.

OTSEGO Ba.s.s. _Coregonus otsego_, a fish of the American lakes.

OTTER-PIKE. The lesser weever, _Trachinus draco_; also called sea-stranger.

OTTOMITES. An old term for Turks. See Shakspeare in _Oth.e.l.lo_.

OUNDING. Resembling or imitating waves; used by Chaucer and others.

OUSTER LE MER. The legal term for excuse, when a man did not appear in court on summons, for that he was then beyond the seas.

OUT-AND-OUTER. An old phrase signifying thorough excellence; a man up to his duty, and able to perform it in style.

OUT-BOARD. The outside of the s.h.i.+p: the reverse of _in-board_.

OUT-BOATS. The order to hoist out the boats.

OUT-EARING CLEAT. This is placed on the upper side of the gaff, to pa.s.s the outer earing round from the cringle.

OUTER-JIB. In sloops, where the head-sails are termed foresail-jib and outer-jib, if set from the foremast-head. It is now very common for _s.h.i.+ps_ to set two standing jibs, the stay and tack of the inner one being secured at the middle of the jib-boom.

OUTER TURNS AND INNER TURNS. The _outer turns_ of the earing serve to extend the sail outwards along its yard. The _inner turns_ are employed to bind the sail close to the yard.

OUTFIT. The stores with which a merchant vessel is fitted out for any voyage. Also, the providing an individual with clothes, &c.

OUT-FLANK, TO. By a longer front, to overlap the enemy's opposite line, and thus gain a chance to turn his flank.

OUT-HAUL, OR OUT-HAULER. A rope used for hauling out the tack of a jib lower studding-sail, or the clue of a boom-sail. The reverse of _in-haul_.