RUDDER

A heavy flat piece or frame of wood, hung u|K)ii the stern post by means of pintles and gudgeon the purpose of steering the ship. The rudder is turned round the stern post as an axis, by the tiller, which enters the rudder head. In ve els drawing much water the rudder is deep and narrow; in flat-bottomed ve els, it is shallow and broad. When carried to a considerable breadth, as in the Chinese ve els, it is pierced with holes, which preserves an increased leverage with a diminished direct resistance from the water. When the rudder is broken off by the ship getting aground, or by a heavy sea, a temporary one is made by a topmast and other spars placed parallel, and loaded at the bottom with pigs and ballast, and confined to the stern post by hawsers leading on each side of the keel. Rudder Coat. A covering of tarred canva loosely put round the rudder head to keep the water from entering by the aperture, while it admits of the rudder being turned freely round. Rudder Pendants. Strong pieces of rope ending in chains, by which the rudder, if unshipped, is held to the ship's quarter. Rudder Shock. A piece of wood fitting between the head of the rudder and the rudder hole, to prevent the play of the rudder in case of the tiller being removed. [s. 1091]