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Bitts are paired vertical wooden or metal posts mounted either aboard a ship or on awharf,pier, orquay. The posts are used to securemooring lines,ropes,hawsers, orcables.[1] Bitts aboard wooden sailing ships (sometime called cable-bitts) were large vertical timbers mortised into the keel and used as theanchor cable attachment point.[2] Bitts are carefully manufactured and maintained to avoid any sharp edges that might chafe and weaken the mooring lines.[3]
Mooring lines may be laid around the bitts either singly or in a figure-8 pattern with thefriction against tension increasing with each successive turn. As a verbbitt means to take another turn increasing the friction to slow or adjust a mooring ship's relative movement.[1]
Mooring fixtures of similar purpose:
