hawse

Bow cable hole

Hawse is a nautical term for the area at a ship's bow where the anchor cables pass through.

The hawse holes are the openings in the hull; the hawse pipe is the tube guiding the cable.

The anchor chain rattled through the hawse.

A ship athwart the hawse of another lies across its bow—a dangerous position.

anatomy

bow

Respectful forward inclination

stemPlant's central axis
forecastleForward upper deck section
hullOuter covering or frame

plating · anchor · cable · mooring · waterline · bulwark · deck · fore · starboard · port

rigging

line

Continuous mark or queue

ropeThick twisted fibers
warpBend from true form
springRecoiling metal spiral

breast · stern · painter · bollard · cleat · bitt · chock · fairlead · splice · bend

anchoring

anchor

Secures ships to seabed

chainLinked segments forming length
cableHeavy-duty woven line
rodeSat and steered

windlass · capstan · fluke · shank · kedge · bower · mooring · scope · swing · ground

Opposites

ship location (bow vs stern)

hawsestern

Strict or ship's aft

afterdeck · poop deck · fantail · taffrail · quarter

hull opening type

Circular vessel window

scupper · gunport · hatch · companionway

Phrases

hems and hawsSpeaks with nervous hesitation
hee hawsDonkey vocalizations

Family

hawser, haws, hawsers, hawsepipe

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G