Orlop

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The orlop of this ship of the line from 1728 is colored red in the graphic

As orlop or orlop refers to the lowest deck of a ship. In the more modern sense, especially for ships that are equipped with at least three or more decks. The word origin is due to the late Middle Ages and is from the Dutch word overloop for overflow (back) or spread derived.

Use of terms

Orlop the Vasa from 1627

Large commercial sailors with a fixed deck were documented as early as the 13th century. This deck was called averlop or overloop . During the 17th and 18th centuries, the height of the deck compared to the waterline changed. Until then it was not only the lowest deck in general, but also the lowest battery deck. Below that, the so-called room began , which could be divided by wooden crates or a light, non-caulked (and therefore waterproof) deck (cow bridge). The overlop could be covered by a hood . It is not clear from the sources whether this deck was given its own name. A convertible top is also generally referred to as a deck, and Dutch sources usually only contain descriptive lists of the decks. In the German usage of the 17th century, a distinction between the decks by name cannot be established either. In Hamburg in 1685 all decks were described with overlop ("Averlop", "Überlauf"). In Röding's dictionary of 1798, overlop is translated as overflow and generally as a deck . In contrast, in the same work, the English orlop is translated with the cow bridge below the lowest deck . At the beginning of the 19th century, the individual decks were not distinguished by name, except for the cow bridge.

use

The orlop deck was an ideal storage place and at the same time also a lounge for parts of the ship's crew . Since the deck did not have to be cleared or remodeled during combat operations, the cabins and rooms placed here were permanent and could even be locked. The purser could store his valuable or dangerous things (handguns) here, the surgeon his medical things (medicines, instruments) so that they were protected from unauthorized access. Since the deck was below the waterline , it was one of the safest places on board during a battle. For this reason, the ship's doctor or surgeon often had his workshop down there, since he could do his work here unaffected by fighting and the wounded were brought to him on the orlop deck.

today

Longitudinal section through a modern ship of the present time with deck markings

The word orlop is also used in today's linguistic usage and describes the lowest deck on ships of the present day, provided that there are three or more decks on this ship.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Definition according to: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English, 1984
  2. ↑ A similar explanation is derived from the fact that ship ropes were often stored on this deck and can therefore be derived from the English word "overloop", meaning "to put together"
  3. ↑ Nicolaes Witsen: Aeloude en Hedendaegsche Scheepsbouw en bestier Amsterdam 1671, Plaat LIX (fig.)
  4. ↑ z. B. onderste top, other top, derde top. The overlop is meant by the odd top . This also applies to triplane. See Witsen, van Yk
  5. ↑ Not every ship had a ship's doctor or surgeon on board. Sometimes a barber or the ship's cook was also provided for appropriate first aid for the injured

swell

  • Walther Vogel: History of German shipping , Volume I: From prehistoric times to the end of the XV. Century . Georg Reimer, Berlin 1915.
  • Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English, Berlin, Cornelsen & Oxford University Press, 1984, ISBN 3-8109-0048-6
  • Cyclopaedia or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, London, 1728