| Nautical Terms Abaft means
to the rear of.
Aft means toward, at or near the stern.
Amidships means in the middle portion of
a vessel, halfway between the bow and stern.
Ballast
is any weight placed in the lowest part of a ship to help
keep her stable.
Beam is the width of a ship at its
widest point.
Below means under the main deck -- what a landsman calls
"downstairs."
Bilge is the rounded part of a ship's hull, between the side and bottom.
Binnacle is the stand that holds a
ship's compass.
Bitt is a deck post, usually used in
pairs, for securing mooring lines to the ship.
Boom is a long, heavy spar for hoisting
cargo.
Bow
is the forward part of the ship.
Bridge is the elevated platform above
the main deck from which a vessel is steered and
navigated.
Bulkheads are walls that divide a ship
into compartments.
Bulwarks are low metal walls built
around the main and upper decks to help prevent waves
from breaking over the decks, and to keep people and/or
objects from falling or being washed overboard.
Bunker is a compartment for carrying
coal or fuel oil.
Capstan
is an upright steel drum adapted to heaving in lines.
Caulking means to make tight a seam
between planks.
Chain Locker is the compartment in which
the anchor chain is stored.
Coaming is a low curb that keeps water
out of hatchways or skylights.
Companionway refers to the steps that
lead from one deck to another.
Crow's-Nest is a small platform high on
a mast from which a seaman keeps his lookout.
Davits
are pairs of cranes used to lower lifeboats over the
side.
Deck
corresponds to the floor of a building.
Derricks are lifting devices that lower
cargo into or hoist it out of the holds.
Draft is the depth of water that a
vessel draws, measured fromthe water line to the bottom
of the keel.
Fore
means toward, at or near the bow.
Forecastle is a raised deck near the
bow. It also refers to the crew's quarters in the forward
part of a ship.
Forepeak is the space below the
forecastle.
Forward means toward the front of a
ship.
Freeboard is the distance from the
waterline to the main deck.
Funnel is the smokestack of a ship.
Galley is
the kitchen.
Gangway is a walkway from a pier to a
ship.
Hatch is
an opening in the deck through which cargo is lowered
into or hoisted out of a hold.
Hawser is a large rope used to secure a
ship to a pier.
Head is the term for a ship's toilet. So
called because it was usually placed in the bow of most
early English ships.
Helm is a ship's steering wheel.
Holds
are areas below deck in which cargo is stored.
Hull
is the body of a ship, not counting superstructure and
machinery.
Keel
is the backbone of a ship, running from bow to stern
along the lowest part of the hull.
Knot is a unit of speed equal to one
nautical mile (6,076.1 feet) an hour.
Lee Side
is the side of a ship away from the wind.
Mooring
is the anchoring or tying of a ship to a pier, buoy or
another ship.
Outboard
means toward or beyond the side of a ship.
Port is
the left side of the ship, when facing forward. To
avoid damaging the steer-board (see starboard) a ship docked and unloaded cargo on the
left-hand side of the ship.
Quarter
refers to a section on each side of a ship near the
stern.
Quarterdeck on naval ships, is the part
of the main deck set aside for ceremonies.
Roll is
the motion of a vessel from side to side.
Starboard
is the right side of the ship, when facing forward. This
term came from "steer-board," so called because
the steering oar or board normally projected on the
right-hand side of the ship.
Stem is the extreme forward end of the
ship.
Stern
is the extreme rear of a ship.
Superstructure consists of all the
structures on a ship that rise above the main deck.
Waist is
the central section of a ship.
Waterline is the lowest visible part of
a hull when in the water.
Windward Side is the side of a ship from
which the wind is blowing.
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