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Updated: May 21, 2025
Standing rigging. The parts of a vessel's rigging that are practically permanent. Starboard. The right side of a ship looking towards the bow. Stern-chasers. See Chasers. Lines of planking. Supercargo. A person employed by the owners of a ship to go a voyage and to oversee the cargo. Ropes for hauling down and fastening the corners of certain sails. Taffrail. The upper part of the stern of a ship.
I remember Cochrane putting fourteen balls into his pockets, and walking up and down the quarter-deck, saying that he was probably the only commander who had ever carried a whole ship’s broadsides in his pockets. “He was awfully disgusted, as you may imagine, with his craft, and he applied for two twelve-pounders, to be used for stern-chasers.
Bow-chasers were two long chase-guns placed forward in the bow ports to fire directly ahead. Stern-chasers were similar guns mounted astern. Clean. A clean ship is one whose bottom is free from barnacles and weed that check the pace. Clearing for action.
The galleon returned the fire with two of her stern-chasers, and the Centurion getting her sprit sail-yard fore and aft, that if necessary she might be ready for boarding, the Spaniards in a bravado rigged their spritsail-yard fore and aft likewise.
But the only living being we saw was the red-coated marine on sentry by the lifebuoys, looking down at us over the taffrail. We passed so close to her that I could distinguish the whites of his eyes, and the tompions in the muzzles of her stern-chasers protruding out of the ports belonging to the admiral's quarters. I knew her. She was Rowley's flagship.
As the schooner drew nearer, a man leaped on the hammock-nettings, and, putting a trumpet to his mouth, sang out lustily, "Ship ahoy! where are you from, and what's your cargo?" Captain Ellice made no reply, but ordered four of his men on deck to point one of the stern-chasers. Again the voice came harshly across the waves, as if in passion, "Heave to, or I'll sink you."
The frigate, for such she proved to be, was not so easily got rid of. She was to the windward of us when we first saw her; and she came within gun shot about noon. She firing her bow-chasers, and we our stern-chasers.
Ellen held her breath, as she at length saw the ships approaching each other. A puff of white smoke issued from the starboard bow of the Champion. The Coquille returned it from her stern-chasers, but the shot fell harmlessly into the water. Again and again the Champion fired; it was evident that she could only bring her foremost gun to bear, unless by keeping away and thereby losing ground.
The Mayflower signalled her consorts, ‘Close in and charge.’ “Seeing that the bait had apparently taken, the Spaniards veered about, and, bringing their stern-chasers to bear on the Americans, doubled back for Morro. “Two of the shells from the Vicksburg burst in the rigging of the Alphonso, and some of it came down, but it was, of course, impossible to know whether any fatalities occurred.
Already the guns of the enemy were heard as they opened on their small antagonist, while she returned them with her stern-chasers. "By the way the enemy are firing, their aim is to wing the Champion, and she'll then, they hope, become an easy prey," said the lieutenant to Owen. "They may be mistaken. Captain Olding is not the man to strike while he has a stick standing." Some time more passed by.
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