Buoy 145773 225796911 2008-07-15T13:15:30Z Angr 157842 fix link {{redirect|Buoys|the band|The Buoys}} [[Image:buoy seal.jpg|250px|thumb|A sea lion on navigational buoy #14 in [[San Diego]] Harbor.]] [[Image:Canbuoy11.jpg|250px|thumb|Green can #11 near the mouth of the [[Saugatuck River]].]] [[Image:NOAA weather buoy.jpg|thumb|250px|[[NOAA]] weather buoy]] A '''buoy''' is a [[float]]ing device that can have many different purposes, which determine whether the buoy is anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift. The word, of [[Old French]] or [[Middle Dutch]] origin, is nowadays most commonly {{pronEng|ˈbɔɪ}} (identical with [[boy]], also as in [[buoyancy]]), although some [[orthoepy|orthoepists]] have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation {{IPA|/ˈbwɔɪ/}}. The pronunciation {{IPA|/ˈbuːi/}}, while chiefly [[American English|American]], more closely resembles the modern French ''bouée'' {{IPA2|bu.e}}.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]]; [[Merriam-Webster]] OnLine.</ref> ==Types== * [[Sea mark]] - aids [[pilotage]] by marking a [[Shipping|maritime]] channel, hazard and administrative area to allow [[boat]]s and [[ship]]s to [[navigation|navigate]] safely. * [[Lifebuoy]] - used as a life saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in the water to provide [[buoyancy]]. Usually has a connecting line allowing the casualty to be pulled to the rescuer * [[Submarine]] communication buoys - used for release in case of emergencies or for communication * Communication buoy for a bottom pressure sensor, for [[tsunami]] detection. * DAN buoy - has several meanings: ** a large maritime [[navigation]]al aid providing a platform for [[light]] and [[radio]] beacons ** a lifebuoy with a flags used on [[yacht]]s and smaller pleasure craft ** a temporary marker buoy used during minesweeping to indicate boundaries of swept paths, swept areas, known hazards, and other locations or reference points, or to mark a man overboard position. * [[Sonobuoy]] - used by [[anti-submarine warfare]] aircraft to detect [[submarine]]s by [[Sonar|SONAR]] * [[Surface Marker Buoy]] - taken on dives by [[scuba diving|scuba divers]] to mark their position underwater * [[Decompression buoy]] - deployed by submerged scuba divers to mark their position underwater whilst doing [[decompression stops]] * [[Diving shot|shot buoy]] - used to mark dive sites for the boat safety cover of scuba divers so that the divers can descend to the dive site more easily in conditions of low visibility or [[tide|tidal currents]] and more safely do [[decompression stops]] on their ascent * [[Fairway Buoy]] is a navigational buoy which marks the entrance to a channel or a nearby landfall * Mooring buoys - used to keep one end of a [[mooring]] cable or chain on the water's surface so that [[ship]]s or boats can tie on to it * Tripping buoys - used to keep one end of a 'tripping line' on the water's surface so that a stuck [[anchor]] can more easily be freed * [[Weather buoy]]s - equipped to measure weather parameters such as air temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction and to report these data via [[Argos System|satellite radio links]] to meteorological centres for use in forecasting and climate study. May be anchored (moored buoys) or allowed to drift (drifting buoys) in the open ocean currents. Position is calculated by the satellite. * [[Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis|Tsunami buoys]] - anchored buoys that can detect sudden changes in undersea water pressure are used as part of [[tsunami warning systems]] in the [[Pacific Tsunami Warning Center]] and Indian Oceans. * [[Spar buoy]] - a tall, thin buoy that floats upright in the water, e.g. [[R/P FLIP]]. * Profiling buoy - specialized models which adjust buoyancy so that they will sink at a controlled rate to 2,000 metres below the surface while measuring sea temperatures and salinity. After at time, typically 10 days, the buoy returns to the surface, transmits its data via satellite, and then sinks again. See [[Argo (oceanography)]]. * Ice marking buoys - used for marking ice holes in frozen lakes and rivers, so that snowmobiles do not drive over the holes. * [[Marker buoy]]s - used in [[naval warfare]], particularly [[anti-submarine warfare]], is a light-emitting or smoke-emitting, or both, marker using some kind of [[pyrotechnic]] to provide the [[Flare (pyrotechnic)|flare]] and [[smoke]]. It is commonly a 3-inch (76 mm) diameter device about 20 inches (500 mm) long that is set off by contact with seawater and floats on the surface. Some markers extinguish after a set period and others are made to sink. *Lobster trap buoys - brightly colored buoys used for the marking of lobster trap locations so the person [[lobster fishing]] can find their lobster traps. Each lobster fisherman has his or her own color markings or registration numbers so they know which ones are theirs. They are only allowed to haul their own traps and must display their buoy color or license number on their boat so law enforcement officials know what they should be hauling. The buoys are brightly colored with highly visible numbers so they can be seen under conditions when there is poor visibility like [[rain]], [[fog]], [[sea smoke]], etc. *[[Waverider buoy]] - used to measure the movement of the water surface as a wave train. The wave train is analysed to determine statistics like the significant wave height and period, and wave direction. *Target buoy - used to simulate target (like small boat) in live fire exercise by naval and coastal forces, usually targeted by weapons (medium size) like HMG's, rapid fire cannons (20 or so mm), autocannons (bigger ones up to 40 and 57mm) and also anti-tank rockets. *Wreck buoy - a buoy to mark a wrecked ship to warn other ships to keep away because of unseen hazards. *Buoy Racing is the most prevalent form of [[yacht racing]] ==Other uses== *The word "buoyed" can also be used figuratively. For example, a person could buoy ('lift up') up his partner's spirits by providing help and empathy. *[[George A. Stephen]], founder of [[Weber-Stephen Products Co.]], invented the [[kettle]] [[Grill (cooking)|grill]] by cutting a metal buoy in half and fashioning a [[dome]] shaped grill with a rounded lid.<ref>[http://weber.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=pageA&item=1 George Stephen, Company Founder and Inventor of the Weber Kettle Grill]</ref> ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:BUOY.JPG|A buoy used as turn marker for sailing races. Image:Iron Buoys Great Barrier Island.jpg|Old iron buoys, most likely for mooring. Image:C0660-NN-Volga-Bridge.jpg|Kids playing on a buoy in the [[Volga]] Image:Bouy - 6.JPG|A buoy beached at Sebastian Inlet State Park. <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: Image:buoy4.jpg|A wreck buoy --> </gallery> == See also == * [[Bowditch's American Practical Navigator|American Practical Navigator]] * [[John Bury (captain)|Captain John Bury]] * [[Coast Pilots]] * [[Day beacon]] * [[International Arctic Buoy Program]] * [[Lateral mark]] * [[Light List]] * [[List of Lights]] * [[Lightvessel]] * [[Lighthouse]] {{nautical portal}} {{Wikisource1911Enc|Buoy}} == References == {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.cgate.co.il/eng/Seamanship/tafrit.htm Lighthouses and Buoys] [[Category:Nautical terms|Buoy]] [[Category:Dutch loanwords]] [[Category:Navigation]] [[Category:Buoyage]] [[ceb:Bouée]] [[cs:Bóje]] [[da:Bøje (sømærke)]] [[de:Boje (Schifffahrt)]] [[el:Σημαντήρας]] [[es:Boya]] [[fr:Bouée]] [[is:Bauja]] [[it:Boa (nautica)]] [[nl:Betonning]] [[no:Bøye]] [[pl:Boja]] [[pt:Bóia]] [[ru:Буй]] [[simple:Buoy]] [[fi:Poiju]] [[sv:Boj]] [[uk:Буй]]