HAWSER, a small cable or thick rope used at sea for the purposes of mooring or warping, in the case of large vessels made of steel. When a cable or tow line is made of three or more small ropes it is said to be "hawser-laid." The "hawse" of a ship is that part of the bows where the "hawse-holes" are made. These are two holes cut in the bows of a vessel for the cables to pass through, having small cast-iron pipes, called "hawse-pipes," fitted into them to prevent abrasion. In bad weather at sea these holes are plugged up with "hawse-plugs" to prevent the water entering.