Heaving a lead
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Heaving a lead
When a ship was entering shallow or poorly charted waters, a lead and line was used to determine the depth of water beneath it. The lead weight would sink to the bottom while the line was marked out in fathoms with coloured knots. The leadsman would then call out the depth. Reliable able seamen were used for this task and were often referred to as leadsmen.
John Augustus Atkinson
Original size: 247 mm x 185 mm
- Image reference: PU7765
- National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
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