Sally Ship

"Sally ship" was not a ship but a method of loosening a vessel that ran aground from the mud holding her fast. In the days before sophisticated navigation equipment, ships ran aground much more often than today. A grounded ship could be freed with little or no hull damage if she could be rocked out of her muddy predicament. 


To free her, the order was given to "sally ship". The crew gathered in a line along one side and then ran from port to starboard and back and forth until the vessel began to roll. Often the rolling broke the mud's suction and she could be pulled free and gotten underway.

Why is the toilet onboard ship called the “head”?

The term comes from the days of sail, because wind would blow from the rear of the ship to the front. The bathroom would be located at the front, "Head", of the ship to carry the foul smell of excrement away from the crew.

On such old ships the “out house” was placed at the bow of the ship. These necessary rooms were placed in that forward area where the ship slanted inward to form the bow, which meant the toilet was above the ocean and not actually above the ship. Therefore, when nature called and you needed to use one of these facilities, you went forward to the bow or the “head“ of the vessel. Thus, the outhouse/toilet came to be called the "head".