Welcome to SixthFleet.Com, the Cyberspace Home of author David E. Meadows. "When Meadows' men set sail, it's sure to be a mission like no other." --W.E.B. Griffin "Rip-snorting, realistic action-adventure from a man who has been there. David Meadows is the real thing," --Stephen Coonts author of numerous bestsellers, including Flight of the Intruder, Saucer, America, and Liberty. "An absorbing, compelling look at America's future place in the world. It's visionary, and scary. Great battle scenes, believable heroes, plus villains you'll love to hate!" -Joe Buff, bestselling author of Straits of Power, Tidal Rip, and Crush Depth. "David E. Meadows is simply the best writer of naval thriller/adventure fiction out there today." --Tom Wilson, acclaimed author of Black Canyon, Desert Fury, Tango Uniform and other best selling military thrillers.

Navy Terms of the Newsletter

Navy Terms for this quarter’s newsletter comes from an inquiry from retired Air Force Master Sergeant Robert B. Rives who asked: "What is a boat? Ship? Bilge? Sally the boat? And, Swift Boat?"

Boat/Ship – The word ‘boat’ comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word ‘bat’ used when referring to a small boat or vessel. The word ‘boat’ is also short for a person in the ‘Boatswain Mate’ rating of the Navy. Submarines are referred to as ‘boats’ even though their length puts them into the ‘ship’ category. The Blue Jackets Manual describes a boat as any vessel capable of being carried on board a ship and lacks the capability of extended independent operations at-sea. If it can be hoisted on board a ship, then it’s a boat, but it’s not a submarine—unless it’s a very, very small one. A ship is described as any vessel capable of long extended independent operations. It also can carry boats hoisted aboard her, if need be.

Bilge – That portion of a ship where the sides of the ship curve in to form the bottom is the bilge. Most ships today are constructed with double hulls to help increase survivability as well as to protect the sea from unwanted, untimely environmentally unfriendly discharges. Bilge is where wastewater and seepage accumulates to await the time when it can be pumped overboard. If the waste fluid in the bilge is of a petroleum nature, then the bilge is pumped out once the warship returns to port. While bilge is a noun, it can also be a very such as when two ships collide and their hulls are damaged below the waterline, the ships are said to have bilged. “The destroyer was bilged in the collision.” Common terms with the word bilge include; Bilge Water, Bilge rats, Bilge Well. (A bilge rat is a person who is the lowest of the low. At one time it was an ultimate insult. Today, some use it to refer to the engineer ratings in the Navy, but when the term is used, the first impression is of someone who is a first-term Seaman on his first ship assigned to the engineering rating. “He’s a bilge rat.”

Sally the boat – Sally has many different definitions. I discovered this when I went to my handy-dandy Naval terminology pages. The one I am most familiar with is its use as verb to denote the act of a ship setting off from a port. “The USS Spruance sallied forth today to confront the Green peace vessel before it could enter Hampton Roads.” Sally means to depart; to set out; to march off, to take oneself off. I have served with some with whom I wish would have sallied off. Today, we usually depart port instead of sally forth from port. The use of ‘sally forth’ brings to mind an offensive action – to be in an attack mode when your ship is moving forward. By the way, we don’t ‘sally backward.’ We call that ‘all aft’ or ‘Get the hell out of here!’

Sally also means the act of the crew running from side to side on a ship to rock it from port to starboard. Now, why would they do that? If the ship is aground in sand or mud, the act of sallying the ship (or boat) from side to side will help break the suction and allow the Captain (or Master) to back off the obstruction (while he or she is preparing to back their bags for in today’s Navy, running aground is akin to murdering your mother-in-law. They can understand how it happens, but you better not allow it to happen).

Swift Boat – A Swift Boat is a small patrol craft that operates in close-coastal water or inland waterways. If you haven’t heard the word ‘swift-boat’ in this year’s political campaign, then you have my envy for ignoring the political jabs, innuendoes, spins, and twists being plied by soft money on television and radio. During Vietnam, John Kerry commanded a Swift Boat, as did other patriots who went to Vietnam to serve their country. The Swift Boats used in Vietnam was a shallow draft 50-foot aluminum patrol craft that weighed about 22-tons. The Navy designation of the Swift Boat was Patrol-Craft-Fast, referred to as PCF for short. Crewmembers of the Vietnam PCF were all volunteers with a strong sense of ‘esprit de corps’ among themselves and for their boats. Usually a junior officer (Ensign or Lieutenant Junior Grade) commanded the boats with a crew of five to seven enlisted Sailors. The Growing in-Progress Glossary The 'in-progress' glossary on my web page at http://www.sixthfleet.com/gloss.htm continues to grow. I have had to move the writing of a naval glossary down a few priorities because of these book proposals, but every time I see something that fits; I add it. If you would like to add a term to the glossary, please submit it for consideration. Be sure to add your name, as you would like to see it. Submitting a word for the glossary confirms your authorization for its use on the web page, that the definition is in your own words, and, if I should decide to publish the glossary someday, you give your authorization to include the word along with your byline. I like using sea tales as part of the description, so you're invited to show, not tell, the word in story. I will give you the byline.

JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA is Meadows' newest novel scheduled for release in March 2005.

Read More About JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA

JOINT TASK FORCE AFRICA A Navy EP-3E is hit by a missile and before the pilot can recover control of the aircraft four aircrew bail out over West Africa, landing in the middle of an African civil war. It is a fast-pace story as Admiral Holman races to rescue the Sailors before they are killed or captured. "Meadows will keep you turning pages and thinking new thoughts." --Newt Gingrich "Rip-snorting, realistic action-adventure from a man who has been there." --Stephen Coonts "When Meadows' men set sail, it's sure to be a mission like no other." --W.E.B. Griffin "Fast-paced, roller-coaster ride with this exhilarating military thriller. Dynamic writer with a fresh voice in this technical-ridden, yet intriguing genre." --Midwest Book Review "An absorbing, compelling look at America's future. Visionary, scary. Great battle scenes, believable heroes, plus villains you'll love to hate!" --Joe Buff, author Tidal Rip.

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