Nautical affairs

The post following arising from checking the word 'hauban' from reference 1 in reference 2. With the 'Polarlys' being a steamer on a regular round trip from Hamburg to Kirkenes, the supply ship for the northern littoral of Norway. With passengers as well as cargo. In February, so the weather is not too clever. With the steamer supplying the place of a country house in an Agatha Christie story; an enclosed space where the number of suspects is small. Also supplying an excuse for various maritime digressions.

I learn that hauban is an originally Flemish word for what we call a shroud, the shroud of a mast, more often used in the plural. Where shroud is an originally Scandinavian word with a cluster of meanings around clothing. In particular, clothing the dead (with a cloth) and clothing the mast of a boat or ship (with shrouds). By extension, things like radio masts.

The haubans are part of the 'manœuvre', in particular the 'manœuvre dormant', what we call the rigging and the standing rigging (as opposed to the running rigging) respectively. With some of the uses of manœuvre in French corresponding to manœuvre in English. Literally hand work. And, according to Littré, the collection of ropes used to work the sails of a sailing vessel. That which you use to manœuvre.

The word 'œuvre', by itself and in compounds, has lots of meanings and uses. Including 'œuvres mortes' for those parts of a ship which are out of the water. As opposed to the 'œuvres vives'. And in construction, 'gros œuvre' is a bit more than our first fixing and 'second œuvre' is a bit more than our second fixing, both fixings being names for carpentry specialities.

While our word 'rigging' comes from rig, another Scandinavian word, like shroud, with a rather miscellaneous collection of meanings, with one cluster around ridge or back and another around clothing someone or something. Also taking in a wanton girl or woman and a storm or tempest. With rigging a ship out including rather more than the ropes, more like the fixtures and fittings of a house.

Which is perhaps a place to stop.

PS: I now correct an important omission. 'Polarlys' is foreign for polar light, northern lights or aurora - while I had been wondering what sort of a flower a polar lily might be. It is also the name of a cruise ship and ferry of today, plying the same waters. Snapped above - and not the sort of thing Simenon had in mind at all. For a start, his Polarlys had a couple of stokers shovelling coal down in the coal hole.

Reference 1: Le Passager de <Polarlys> - Simenon - 1932. Volume 1 of the collected works.

Reference 2: Le Petit Larousse Illustré - Larousse - 2007.

Reference 3: Le Petit Littré - Littré and Beaujean - 1990. Also consulted.

Reference 4: A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles - Sir James Murray and others - various dates around 1900. Otherwise OED. Also consulted.