A seacock is a valve on the hull of a boat or a ship, permitting water to flow into the vessel, such as for cooling an engine or for a salt water faucet; or out of the boat, such as for a sink drain or a toilet. Seacocks are left open or are closed depending on the situation. Seacocks feeding into or out of a closed system, like the engine cooling... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seacock