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Ship a sea

English translation: Listing/taking in water

14:23 May 15, 2018
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Ships, Sailing, Maritime / Sailing
English term or phrase: Ship a sea
This is a text from a book about paddling canoes along a lake or something like that. The expression I am not entirely sure of the meaning is "ship a sea". When I try and google it, I get redirected to shipping pages and such. I believe that, in the context of the sentence, it means that something bad happens to the boat. I am not sure, however, whether it means capsizing, beaching it or if it's something else entirely. Below is the text.

"The frail little canoe, which before we had merely looked upon as a vehicle for carrying us along the river, was now our one hope of life.
If she SHIPPED A SEA, or if she touched a snag (and there were plenty of them about) we were done for."

Can anyone help?

Thanks!
Gustavo David
Brazil
Local time: 08:19
Selected answer:Listing/taking in water
Explanation:
Listing and/or taking in water over the side, as a vessel does when waves break over it. At first this was only my guess based on the context but I found confirmation of it on the site below, which has a long list of definitions related to 'ship'. You'll also see it if you google 'images' for shipping a sea.
Selected response from:

Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 05:19
Grading comment
Thanks a lot, Tina!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +5take on water, leak
philgoddard
3 +3Listing/taking in water
Tina Vonhof (X)


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
ship a sea
take on water, leak


Explanation:
I think this may be the oldest reference I've ever given. It dates from 1808.

"To ship.
To put any thing on board. - To "ship a Sea", when the Sea breaks into the Ship."
http://www.bruzelius.info/Nautica/Etymology/English/Lever(18...

philgoddard
United States
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks a lot, Phil!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): You beat me to it Phil.
9 mins
  -> Thanks!
agree  Jack Doughty
10 mins
agree  Alison MacG: (of a boat) be flooded by a wave https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ship
36 mins
neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: yes to take on water but not leak. "Ship a sea" does NOT mean leak whereas "take on water" MAY be due to a leak
1 hr
  -> Yes, you're right.
agree  Tony M: Agree with Yvonne! 'take on water' (i.e. over the side), but NOT to 'leak'
1 hr
agree  Charles Davis: As has been said, "take on water" but not "leak". It means "be swamped or flooded by a wave or surge of water over the side". "Sea: 4. A wave; a billow; a surge. The vessel shipped a sea" (Webster 1828).
2 hrs
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
ship a sea
Listing/taking in water


Explanation:
Listing and/or taking in water over the side, as a vessel does when waves break over it. At first this was only my guess based on the context but I found confirmation of it on the site below, which has a long list of definitions related to 'ship'. You'll also see it if you google 'images' for shipping a sea.


    https://www.thefreedictionary.com/shipping+a+sea
Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 05:19
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks a lot, Tina!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: take on water. Yes. a ship might list before or after shipping a sea (but it's not part of expression) and we wouldn't normally say this of a canoe anyway
1 hr
  -> No, you're right, not in this context.
agree  Tony M: Specifically 'take on water'.
1 hr
  -> Agree.
agree  Charles Davis: No suggestion of listing in this expression. // Yes, absolutely! But here it's a little canoe, and I doubt that would list (as Yvonne has said).
2 hrs
  -> It depends on the type of ship.
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