ratline
Mast ladder step
A ratline is one of the small rope rungs fastened horizontally between the shrouds of a sailing ship, forming a ladder that sailors climb to reach the masts and rigging.
The word is sometimes spelled ratlin or rattlin.
In espionage and military contexts, a ratline refers to a covert route or network used to smuggle people—most notoriously, the escape routes used by Nazi war criminals fleeing Europe after World War II.
Wraps that hide
- mastVessel's sail support
- yardarmOuter spar end
- foremastShip's frontmost vertical spar
- mainmastShip's central vertical spar
mizzen · bowsprit · deadeye · lanyards · topmast · crosstrees · stays · backstay
Coated with pitch
- marlineTarred two-ply twine
- cordageRopes and twines collectively
- hempIndustrial fiber crop
- manilaYellowish-brown hemp material
three-strand · seized · hitched · spliced · wormed · parceled · served
Covert withdrawal of people/data
- networkInterconnected system
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- agentsThose who act for others
- operativesThose who execute missions
safehouse · resistance · defection · smuggling · clandestine · extraction · CIA · tradecraft
Move upward
- mountClimb up or steed
- scaleMeasure of relative size
- clamberClimb with effort
- scrambleMix into disorder
aloft · tops · crosstrees · crow's-nest · lookout · barefoot · tarred
Knot securing rope to cylinder
Multi-masted sailing vessel
- clipperFast ship or trimmer
- galleonLarge historical sailing ship
- schoonerMulti-masted sailing craft
- brigShipboard detention quarters
frigate · man-of-war · square-rigger · full-rigged · windjammer · merchantman
shrouds
Wraps that hide
mainmast · mizzen · bowsprit · deadeye · lanyards · topmast · crosstrees · stays · backstay · forestay
tarred
Coated with pitch
manila · three-strand · seized · hitched · spliced · wormed · parceled · served
exfiltration
Covert withdrawal of people/data
- networkInterconnected system
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- agentsThose who act for others
operatives · safehouse · resistance · defection · smuggling · clandestine · extraction · CIA · tradecraft · infiltration
ascend
Move upward
scramble · aloft · tops · crosstrees · crow's-nest · lookout · barefoot · tarred
clove-hitch
Knot securing rope to cylinder
barque
Multi-masted sailing vessel
brig · frigate · man-of-war · square-rigger · full-rigged · windjammer · merchantman
ratlinestone steps
Carved rock stairway
concrete stairs · escalator · elevator · companionway · gangway