The Sounding Lead

By James Mathews

The lead is one of the most useful instruments on board ship. We will first consider the hand
lead, or blue pigeon, as sailors call it. Its appearance is as follows:

It is usually seven or fourteen pounds in weight although four, six, eight and ten pound leads are
made. The lead weight that I have illustrated in front of me (and the one that I made up in the
Navy) was a six-sided lead weight of fourteen pounds (we used a six pound lead for sounding
work when I was a Sea Scout on the Columbia River-1951-54). The lead tapers to the top (about
10-12 inches tall) with ring molded into the top of the lead. The line is fastened to the top of the
lead with a loose eyesplice, well served. The bottom of the lead is dished deeply (hollowed out to
a depth of about 1"-1 ") and filed with tallow. This is called the arming.

The lead line, for a hand lead, is usually sixty fathoms in length and is made of well-stretched
American or Italian hemp, untarred and should be pliable. Before making a lead line, soak it in
water and put it on a good stretch, about twice that of the weight of the lead you are using.
(When I made mine in the Submarine Service I used about 50# stretch). Seize a small wooden
toggle into the line about 2 fathoms from the lead (near the 2 fathom mark) to assist the leadsman
in measuring the amount of the leadline to swing..

The markings of the hand lead are as follows:

2 fathoms from the lead; 2 strips of leather;

3"""";3""":
5 " " " " ; white cotton rag;
7 " " " " ; red woolen rag;
10 " " " " ; leather with a hole;
13 " " " " ; same as 3 fathoms;
15 " " " " ; same as 5 fathoms;
17 " " " " ; same as 7 fathoms;
20 " " " " ; small line with 2 knots;
25 " " " " ; small line with 1 knot;
30 " " " " ; small line with 3 knots;
35 " " " " ; small line with 1 knot;
40 " " " " ; small line with 4 knots;

and so on, a mark at each five fathoms. These are known as the marks of the lead line. The
fathoms not marked are known as the deeps of the leadline, and together we speak of the "marks
and the deeps" of the lead line.

Casting the lead

Taking soundings, or casts of the lead, is done when the vessel has headway on, the leadsman
casting the lead forward and getting the depth as the vessel passes over the lead, resting on the
bottom. The method of procedure is as follows:

The leadsman grasps the leadline at the toggle and swings the lead back and forth, parallel with
the side of the ship, the leadsman being in a projecting lead stand, or in the chains in a sailing
vessel, the lead is sent over head for two full turns and released at the bottom of the swing flying
forward at a tangent, and almost parallel with the surface of the water. The motion of the
swinging lead is opposite to that of a wheel turning with the motion of the ship. Assuming a right
hand throw, from the starboard side, the left hand of the leadsman holds the coils of the line,
freely forward, so it can run out without hindrance and without kinks. As the line flows out and
the lead reaches the bottom, the leadsman grasps the running line with his right hand and pulls it
rapidly plunging it up and down to feel the bottom. Feeling bottom, he plumbs the line up and
down as the ship passes by the lead. He bends over and notes the mark above the water. If a mark
is directly at the water, he calls out that mark, as "by the Mark five". If slightly under water
"Mark underwater, five." If the five is three feet up, ""and a half four", if the five is six feet up,"
by the deep four." And so on , calling the marks and deeps or the spaces in between. If the mark
is seven, for instance, is a quarter fathom out of the water (1.5 ft.) the leadsman would call, "and
a quarter less seven." Before the next cast the leadsman will look at the arming and report the
state of the bottom and clean the arming for the next cast. This gives you the general idea. The
leadsman sings out the marks and deeps. He never uses "sir" as some are apt to do. The
soundings should be called out sharp and clear. Leadsmen should practice casting the lead from
both starboard and port lead stands.

Water Bag
The water bag is a canvas bag, with a circular bottom, about fourteen inches long and two inches
in diameter, made from #1 canvas, a grommet sewn on the upper edge and a strong becket
spliced into this. It is filled with water and used in place of the lead for practice casting. If the
novice makes a bad cast he will get only a shower, not a crack on the head with a blue pigeon.

Sounding at Night
The leadsman, working in darkness, must know the distance from his waist to the waterline. He
reads the mark closest to his waist by feel (or in cold weather by touching the mark to his lips or
tongue which are more sensitive than cold fingers) and then subtracts this distance from his
depth. Only the exact water depth is cried to the bridge.

Dipsea
The coasting lead is a large hand lead, sometimes called the deep sea lead (sailors call it the
dipsea) dropped from the bow and weighing fifty pounds. The line is about 120 fathoms. The
method of using the dipsea lead is as follows:

Station a reliable man on the forecastle head with the lead and a length of line coil in hand, say
10 fathoms. At intervals along the side of the ship at about every hundred feet, have a man with a
similar coil of line, the bight being placed outside and clear of all projections, The last man, with
the last coil in a tub, clear for running and fastened securely inboard, the man well clear of the
line, stands at the taffrail to take the reading of the cast. Since all leads are hollowed in the
bottom and armed with tallow, as the lead strikes the bottom, it will gather and bring up a sample
of the botom like pebbles, sand, speckled shell, blue mud or chalk. All these things and many
more can be added to the chart and together with the depth greatly aid in locating a vessel at
night or in the fog when soundings are taken.

The Lead Line -- Construction and use

by Allen Mordica, TMLHA
(photos: USNLP)

Two leads are employed on vessels: the deep sea lead weighing 28 lb., and the hand lead
weighing 14 lb. (a lead weighing somewhat less is sufficient for a small boat). We will look at a
small, easily constructed line suitable for instructional and light duty use.

To prepare a lead line, assemble the strips of material, a 3-8 lb. lead weight, and 25 fathoms (150
ft.) of 3/8" cotton or manila line. (A note on the sinker; I was unable to obtain a lead, and so was
required to cast my own. I carved each half of the mold from pine 2x12's, and the resulting
weight didn't look half bad.) Splice the eye of the weight to one end of the line. If you want to
allow for hollow in the heel of the lead (see below), flatten the base of the lead with a hammer
or, on a large lead, saw off the base flat with a hacksaw, then drill a shallow hole for the tallow
(also see below) in the center of the base. At each appropriate point, measured from the weighted
end, use a fid or marlinspike to open the strands of the line. Insert the appropriate strip of
material, so that the strip extends equally from both sides of the line, then allow the strands to
return to their normal position, trapping the strip in the line. Then place whipping immediately at
either side of the mark to help hold the strands tightly in place. The line used for a hand lead is
25 fathoms long, and is generally marked as follows:

At 2 fathoms-....Leather, with two lobes.(should look like a flat Milk-Bone biscuit)

3 ".........Leather, with three ends (like above, with 3 "lobes" at each end)
5 ".........White calico. (2" wide x 6"long strip)
7 ".........Red bunting. (same size as above)
10 "........Leather, with hole through it at each end.(same as above)
13 "........Blue serge.(same as above)
15 "........White calico.(same as above)
17 "........Red bunting.(same as above)
20 "........Strand of light line, with two knots in it at each end.

It is possible, by the different feel of the materials used, to tell what mark is in one's hand in the
dark. The above depths are called marks; the unmarked depths in fathoms are called "the deeps".
Thus, at five fathoms, the leadsman calls, " By the mark five," in eleven fathoms,"By the deep
eleven." He also calls halves and quarters of fathoms i.e.," And a half six,'' for six and a half
fathoms, "A quarter less six," for five and three-quarters.

To take soundings while under way, the leadsman would take his place at the bow of a small
boat, or at the forward chain plates on a large ship, secured from falling overboard by a "breast
band", a wide strip of canvas used like a seat belt tied between two shrouds. The leadsman could
then lean forward against the band to swing his lead in the clear. He would then swing the lead
round and throw it as far forward as possible, so that the lead would be resting on the bottom and
the line tight, when the vessel is directly over the lead.

If the lead is hove properly, so that the line pays out with a little tension as it passes through the
hands, it is easy to tell when it has reached the bottom by the sudden slack felt in the line. When
sailing in shoal waters, soundings can be taken much quicker with a pole or boathook than with a
lead.

There is a hollow at the base, or "heel" of the lead which can be filled, or "armed", with tallow; a
specimen of the bottom (mud, sand, or shingle) is brought up with the lead, and this, by referring
to the chart, which generally marks the nature of the bottom, may help find your position
precisely.

Depression for
The Sounding Lead Becket detail beeswax
 First mark and toggle Second mark Third mark Fourth mark

Note that photos show some slight variability with the markings described in the article, and that
only the first four markings are illustrated.

Lead Line Instruction

PART I.

Q: What is a lead line ?

A. A line to which a leaden weight is attached, for the purpose of ascertaining the depth of water
a ship is in ?

Q. How many descriptions of lead lines and leads are there ?

A. Two, the hand lead and line, and the deep-sea lead and line.

Q. What is the use of the hand lead and line ?

A. It is always used when a ship is approaching any anchorage, or is cruising in shoal water
where the depths to be obtained are expected to be less than 20 fathoms.

Q. When is a deep-sea lead and line used ?

A. On approaching the land, when the true position of the ship is not known for certain, and the
depth of water is very great. The bottom of the deep-sea lead is hollowed out; when used, this
hollow is filled with tallow (which is termed arming the lead), so when it comes in contact with
the bottom, any small substance will stick to the bottom of the lead, such as gravel, sand, small
shells, &c. ; it will also denote a hard or soft bottom. On approaching the land, deep-sea
soundings are taken at regular intervals ; and the depth of water and the nature of the bottom is
entered in the ship's log-book, which enables the pilot to judge what coast the ship is on, also to
tell how far she is from land.

Q. How do you know, by the hand lead and line, what depth of water you are in?

A. The hand line is 20 fathoms in length, and is divided into 20 equal parts, called marks and
deeps.

Q. How many marks and deeps are there?

A. Nine marks and eleven deeps.

Q. Name the marks.

A. 2, 3, 5, 7, 10,13,15,17, 20. 2, 3, and 10 are distinguished by pieces of leather. 2 has two ends
to it ; 3 has three ends to it ; and 10 has a hole in it. 5 and 15 fathoms are distinguished by a piece
of white buntin ; 7 and 17 by a piece of red buntin ; 13 by a piece of blue buntin ; and 20 by two
knots.

PART II.

Q. Having learned the marks and deeps, how will you call them, supposing, for instance, you
have 9 fathoms, or any of the following marks or deeps :-7, 10, 11 , 5 ?

If I had 9 fathoms, I should call by the deep 9.

If I had 7 fathoms, by the mark 7.

If I had 10, and a quarter ten.

If I had 11 a quarter less twelve.

If I had 5 and a half five.

PART III

Q. What is the first thing to be done on going into the chains to heave the lead ?

A. See the breast ropes properly secured, the line clear, and the end of it fast in the chains ;
measure the distance from the chains to the water with the lead line.

Q. Supposing it was a dark night, how would you know what sounding you had ?
A. If more than 15 fathoms, I should reckon from 20 fathoms or the two knots, the length of line
that passes through my hand, also the number of pieces of buntin; if under 15 fathoms, I should
reckon in a similar way from 10 fathoms, which I should readily know by a piece of leather with
the hole in it ; if under five fathoms, the piece of leather at 2 and 3 would be my guide ; so I
could always determine the real depth of water by reckoning the distance between either of these
marks, and the depth obtained. For instance, if I obtained 13, it would be the next piece of buntin
to 10, or the leather with the hole in it ; if 17, it would be the piece of buntin nearest 20 ; or the
two knots ; if 5, it would be the nearest buntin to the piece of leather denoting 3 fathoms.

PART IV.

Q. What is the weight of a hand lead ?

A. From 7 to 14 pounds.

Q. What is the weight of a deep-sea lead ?

A. 28 pounds.

Q. How is a deep-sea line marked, and what length is it ?

A. It is usually 100 fathoms long, and is marked exactly the same as the hand line, up to 20
fathoms. At 25 fathoms, 1 knot; at 30, 3 knots ; 35, 1 knot; 40, 4 knots ; so on, up to 100,
between every 10 fathoms 1 knot ; and at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 fathoms, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and
10 knots.

Q. How are soundings obtained by the deep-sea lead ?

A. The deep-sea lead line is kept on a reel ready for use. When required, the reel is taken aft, and
held by two men; the end of the line is then passed out on the weather side, and taken forward on
the weather bow outside, and clear of all rigging. The quartermaster having ascertained the lead
is well armed, it is bent to the line, and a careful hand holds the lead ready for heaving ; a
number of men are ranged along outside the weather side of the ship at certain intervals, each
with a coil of the deep-sea line in hand. All being ready, the officer of the watch gives the order
to stand by as a caution to all, and then to heave, when the man on the weather bow throws the
lead as far forward as possible, and calls out " watch there, watch," which is, repeated by each
man as the last fake of the coil goes out of his hand. It then runs off the reel, which is held in a
convenient position not to stop it until the lead is on the bottom, or sufficient line is run out to
show there is no bottom, with the length of the line ordered. A quartermaster, or an experienced
leadsman, always attends aft to ascertain when the lead touches the bottom, which he does by
allowing the line to run loosely through his hand. When the lead touches the bottom, the line is
checked and brought up and down, to ascertain the correct depth, which is noted by the officer of
the watch in the log. The line is then hauled in and reeled up ready for use again. When the lead
is inboard. the arming is examined, and the nature of the bottom is also noted in the log, and the
lead is re-armed ready for use. Before taking a cast of the deep-sea lead, the way of the ship
through the water is checked as much as possible
N.B. There are two descriptions of deep-sea leads-the patent, and common deep-sea lead.

Q. How is lead bent to the hand or deep-sea line?

A. In the end of the line there is always a long-eye spliced. In the upper end or top of the lead
there is a hole, through which a becket is worked, the eye in the end of the line is passed through
the becket, and over the bottom of the lead, and hauled taut up to the becket again.

Q. How is a deep-sea lead and line hauled in?

A. A small snatch block, made for the purpose, and fitted with a tail, is attached to one of the
quarter davits, or any other convenient place, the line is then placed in the snatch, and walked in
by a portion of the watch