tarp

[learner.]

-When the ship hit the reef, the first call was for tarps.
Whats the meaning of tarps?

Thanks..

[SoothingDave]

Tarp | Define Tarp at Dictionary.com

[learner.]

?

[Ouisch]

"Tarp" is a common colloquial term for tarpaulin. It is a flexible water-resistant type of cloth, often used as a protective covering for people or objects. Exactly why the ship's crew needed tarps when their vessel hit a reef is difficult to determine from the text provided.

[bhaisahab]

?

What is it that you don't understand in SoothingDave's link? It seems quite clear to me.

[billmcd]

-When the ship hit the reef, the first call was for tarps.
Whats the meaning of tarps?

Thanks..

Tarps, among other uses, can be the material used for ships' sails. Not knowing what kind of ship it was, a possibility could be that the ships engine failed and the only resource for the emergency was the sails.

[Gillnetter]

Tarps, among other uses, can be the material used for ships' sails. Not knowing what kind of ship it was, a possibility could be that the ships engine failed and the only resource for the emergency was the sails.

If the ship hit a reef there probably was a hole, or holes, in the ship as a result of the collision. Tarps could be used to cover the hole and stop water from pouring into the ship. I can see how a sailor would use a tarp as an emergency repair in such a situation. A tarp is very much like an animal skin and it is thought that skin covered boats were among the first types of boats.