Nautical terms

Anybody know why it is called a “Portuguese Bridge”

Must be the same reason why we call “french door” or “french fries”

L

London bridge was taken?

and this is the serious portion of the forum... I have a guy working on the boat and I sent him to the Portuguese bridge to pull some wires. He thought I was being funny since he is Portuguese. i promised I would find out why the name and came to the font of all trawler knowledge, or so I thought... maybe this is a bridge too far for you guys.

If I had to guess (which I do, since I don't know the answer) I'd say because it was originally Portuguese tuna fishermen from San Diego or San Pedro that requested this outside bridge incorporated into the design of their tuna clippers.

SailorGreg said:

and this is the serious portion of the forum... I have a guy working on the boat and I sent him to the Portuguese bridge to pull some wires. He thought I was being funny since he is Portuguese. i promised I would find out why the name and came to the font of all trawler knowledge, or so I thought... maybe this is a bridge too far for you guys.

Click to expand...

Humour, only humour but if you really want to keep it serious, here what I found from another forum:

In the far ago days the rudder was controlled on the deck with a straight up right to left control "stick" coming up from below. This took up a space behind the captains position and required a cleared space to have the captains mate push this control from left to right(left was right rudder, right was left rudder) as ordered right across the "wheel house" No wheel was present , just this big piece of timber protruding from below. Its sometimes took a few good able bodies to push and pull the "stick". The "invention" was used on many Portuguese ships travelling cross Atlantic and beyond , but usually rounding the African Horn, and trading with Asian ports of call.

Click to expand...

L

It has to do with transporting birds in the old days.

The British used to get their Chrismas goose from Holland. They would bring them across the Channel on boats. Since they were very dirty birds they did not want them inside the boat. So they built special coops for them at the front of the boat, right by the pilothouse so that they could keep an eye on them. They clipped their wings so they could not fly off.
Of course this is no longer done, but the port your geese design and name is still around.

menzies said:

It has to do with transporting birds in the old days.

The British used to get their Chrismas goose from Holland. They would bring them across the Channel on boats. Since they were very dirty birds they did not want them inside the boat. So they built special coops for them at the front of the boat, right by the pilothouse so that they could keep an eye on them. They clipped their wings so they could not fly off.
Of course this is no longer done, but the port your geese design and name is still around.

Click to expand...

I think we have a winner in the "Original" category.

From Wikipedia....


A popular feature is a "Portuguese bridge", which consists of a walkway behind the foredeck, in front and to the sides of, the pilothouse windows, separated from the foredeck by a (generally) waist-high bulwark. The purpose of the bridge is to deflect green water from the foredeck up over the superstructure top rather than slamming against the forward windows of the pilothouse. It gives a semi-sheltered area outside the pilothouse while underway. A secondary benefit is that it provides a "safe area" or handhold when it is necessary to be on the foredeck in inclement weather. And lastly, it provides additional storage space for lines, fire extinguisher, spare anchor, drogue, etc., if the builder has provided access doors and lockers on the inside of the bridge.


The term comes from the Portuguese sailor Antonio Delagausta whose Portuguese Water Dog "Matador" was washed off the deck of Antonio's trawler in a heavy storm. Antonio was so distraught that he got rid of his boat and created a design where there was a walkway forward of the helm where a dog could safely be in a storm.

menzies said:

It has to do with transporting birds in the old days.

The British used to get their Chrismas goose from Holland. They would bring them across the Channel on boats. Since they were very dirty birds they did not want them inside the boat. So they built special coops for them at the front of the boat, right by the pilothouse so that they could keep an eye on them. They clipped their wings so they could not fly off.
Of course this is no longer done, but the port your geese design and name is still around.

Click to expand...

Well, you have accounted for the British and the Dutch but what about the Portuguese?

And if you believe the second paragraph in my post above, which could only be described as "Fake News", you are far too gullible to own a boat.


Now let's all go boating.

Always been the front walkway around pilothouse. Very useful to get out with binocs and verify targets,contacts and scenery. Can't imagine why anyone would have a problem with that terminology....Not derogatory as far as I can tell..

Nightsky said:

I'd say because it was originally Portuguese tuna fishermen from San Diego or San Pedro...tuna clippers

Click to expand...

Quite plausible. I used to work in rural Marin County, where many of the dairy farmers were Portuguese; they created the "Porta'gee Gate".

BTW a number of those big California tuna seiners are now in Alaska, where they are banned by law from fishing so they serve as cannery tenders. There a couple just down the dock here in Ketchikan. I'll try to post a picture later.

There are a few left in SD but they are transient and often on a lay over in a spot called Tuna Harbor. There are some work boats left. If you meet someone of Portegese descent who live here, there is often a family connection to the fishery.

Tuna Clipper with Portuguese bridge (and fish pump) in Ketchikan:

A celebrity sighting in Ketchikan today:

menzies said:

It has to do with transporting birds in the old days.

The British used to get their Chrismas goose from Holland. They would bring them across the Channel on boats. Since they were very dirty birds they did not want them inside the boat. So they built special coops for them at the front of the boat, right by the pilothouse so that they could keep an eye on them. They clipped their wings so they could not fly off.
Of course this is no longer done, but the port your geese design and name is still around.

Click to expand...

Well done, sir!

So, the Portugese Bridge is the open area immediately forward of the pilot house?

dhays said:

I think we have a winner in the "Original" category.

Click to expand...

I dunno... The London Bridge one was pretty original too.

I wonder why the TB is not on the latest episodes of DC? The Hillstrand brothers were fun to watch.

Another Portagee Bridge

rclarke246 said:

So, the Portugese Bridge is the open area immediately forward of the pilot house?

Click to expand...

Yes.

AlaskaProf said:

A celebrity sighting in Ketchikan today:

Click to expand...

That's awesome!

It’s not a card game?

Methinks Menzies, despite likely Scots ancestry, has exposure to an English radio program called "My Word". Panelists had to create a story around a phrase. "Artie chokes 2 for a pound" comes to mind.