Janet | December 29, 2009
Today’s challenge is: Williamson Turn. Do you know what this phrase means and how it originated?
Sailing Lingo aims to test your knowledge of the peculiar and sometimes indecipherable language of sailing. We pose a question and see who can answer it most accurately in the comments on the post. The following day we’ll post the answer to the question and save you some Googling!
Alan Denison Said,
December 31, 2009 @ 7:32 pm
A williamson turn is a manoeuvre used to turn a ship onto a reciprocal course passing through the same points it previously travelled over. It is often used to recover a man overboard as it best ensures the ship will travel over the same ‘gound’, particularly useful in dark or poor weather.
It is said is was named after a John Williamson of the USN(R) who used it during the 2nd World War, but there are those who consider the manoeuvre dates well before that being used to keep a warship’s guns the same distance from an enemy after a turn.
Just found your blog – Alan