The nickname for members of the Royal Navy's hydrographic surveying branch, carried into commercial survey companies by the many ex-naval surveyors who work there. It comes from a clipping of hydrographer. Former service surveyors keep calling themselves droggies long after they leave uniform.
New party chief is an old droggy, so expect lead-line checks and a bar check every single morning.
Also heard as
- droggie
Related terms
Hydro
Clipped insider word for hydrography, hydrographic surveying, or the survey team itself.
Hydrographic survey
A systematic measurement of depths, seabed features and shoreline, made so the results can be charted and trusted by mariners.
Lead line
A marked line with a lead weight on the end, used to measure depth by hand and to check echo sounders.
Survey launch
A small survey boat fitted with sonar and positioning gear, often lowered from a mother ship for inshore work.