Jackspeak of the Royal Canadian Navy

Burden

The Builder's Old Measurement, expressed in "tons bm" or "tons BOM", a volumetric measurement of cubic cargo capacity, not of weight. This is the tonnage of a ship, based on the number of tuns of wine that it could carry in its holds. One 252-gallon tun of wine takes up approximately 100 cubic feet, and, incidentally, weighs 2,240 lbs (1 long ton, or Imperial ton).

Added: 2014-11-01 Last modified: 2014-11-01