Ship Terminology
Abovedeck: Outside on the top deck of the ship (not in the rigging; see Aloft).
Aft: The direction one is facing when one is on the ship looking at the stern (back of the ship). Aloft: In the rigging of a sailing ship. Amidships: In the center of the ship. Beam: A direction directly to either side of the ship. An object which is directly to the left of the ship, for example, is said to be 'on the port beam.' Boat: A small water vessel, either carried by a larger vessel or intended for close-shore work only. Boats are generally not considered seagoing vessels. Boom: The horizontal spar which runs along the lower edge of a sail, particularly a fore-and-aft sail. Bowsprit: A spar extending for'ard from the bow of the ship, to which foresails may be attached. Bulkhead: Walls on the interior of a ship. Centerline: An imaginary line running down the center of the ship from bow to stem. Course: The planned direction of travel for a ship. Dead Ahead: Travelling straight ahead without turning right or left. Deck: A floor on a ship. Fo'c'sle (Forecastle): The cabin farthest forward aboard ship. The fo'c'sle is generally used as crew's quarters. On most warships, the fo'c'sle is a separate structure on the front of the ship, so that the foredeck (which would be on the roof of the fo'c'sle) is raised, giving archers a better vantage point for firing. Foremast: The shorter mast of a two-masted ship, if it is ahead of the mainmast (cf. Mizzenmast). Founder: For a ship or boat to fill with water and sink. Galley: ... the place aboard ship where food is prepared. (Kitchen on a ship)
Gunwale: The portion of the hull which extends above the main deck. The gunwale on most passenger ships is topped with a liferail. Heading: The actual direction of travel for a ship (cf. Course). Headway: Forward movement of a ship. Jib: A lone sail set ahead of the forward mast. Keel: The structural center of the hull, running along the bottom of the ship along the centerline from bow to stern. The ship is usually built up from the keel: the first stage of building a ship is laying the keel. Leeway: Sideways movement of a ship. Length over all: The length of the hull, measured from bow to stern along the centerline. Letters of marque: A document empowering a ship to raid the ships and ports of an enemy land in the name of the issuing government. Privateers carry letters of marque.
Liferail: An extension of the gunwale which provides a railing to prevent someone falling overboard. On most pirate ships, liferails are uncommon, as they are viewed as appropriate only for passenger vessels. Lines: Ropes used aboard a ship. Main deck: The highest deck which extends over the entire boat. Mainmast: The largest mast on a ship, it is usually found amidships. Mainsail: The largest sail on a ship with multiple sails. It is usually hung from the mainmast. Mast: A large spar set vertically into the deck of the ship to support sails. Overboard: Off the edge of the ship into the water. Overhead: The ceiling in a compartment. Pier: A structure projecting out from the shoreline for the purpose of providing a place to make ships fast: cf. Wharf. Pitch: Vertical motion of the boat where the bow and stern rise. and fall.
Poop cabin: A cabin set on the main deck at the aft of the ship. The captain's and officer's quarters are traditionally in the poop cabin.
Poopdeck: The deck on top of the poop cabin. The poopdeck is also used as a platform for missile fire.
Point : A measure of angle of approximately 11 degrees. An object at approximately 22 degrees (going clockwise with dead ahead being 0 degrees) is 'two points off the starboard bow', while an object at 68 degrees (in the same system) is 'two points forward of the starboard beam.' Port: The left side of a ship, when one is standing at the center of the ship, facing the bow. Porthole: A window aboard a ship. Quarter: The rear half of a side of the ship. A point at 7:30 (with the front of the ship at 12:00) is 'on the port quarter.' Reef: An obstruction below the waterline.
Rigging: The lines which support the spars and the sails and allow the sailors to control the sails. Roll: Vertical motion of the boat where the sides of the boat rise and fall. Rudder: A flat plane which is attached to the ship and inserted into the water near the stern of the ship. The rudder is used to steer the ship. If the rudder is turned so that it points to port, the ship turns to port; if the rudder is turned so that it points to starboard, the ship turns to starboard.
Rutter: A book where the navigator writes a description of his travels. The rutter is used to allow the navigator to retrace his steps, so that he may find his way to the same place again. Schooner: A ship with at least two masts, where the aft mast is the mainmast. Schooners are generally rigged with fore-and-aft sails. Sloop: A single-masted ship with two sails: a mainsail and a jib. Starboard: The right side of a ship, when one is standing at the center of the ship, facing the bow. Stern: The back of a ship. Sterncastle: A structure (such as a poop cabin) built above the main deck in the aft of a ship. Sternway: Reverse movement of a ship. Stow: To put away. Strike: To lower something from above the deck: the reverse of hoist. One can strike the sails, strike one's colors, etc. Tiller: The place where the ship's rudder is controlled. The term 'tiller' is used when the rudder is controlled by a lever at the back of the ship (cf. Helm). Topside: On the main deck, or at the helm. Waterline: The point on the hull where the hull crosses from air to water. The waterline gets higher (and the ship gets lower) when the ship is more heavily loaded. Wharf: A structure parallel to shore constructed to provide a place to make ships fast; cf. Pier. Wheel: For ships which do not have tillers, the mechanism by which the rudder is controlled. Most wheels are large affairs with many wooden spokes which extend beyond the rim of the wheel to use as handholds, as the primitive system of pulleys that attaches the wheel to the rudder requires considerable leverage. The wheel is attached so that when the rudder is pointing dead ahead, one specific spoke of the wheel (called the king spoke) is pointing straight up. The king spoke is often carved specially so that it is easy to identify by sight or touch. Common Commands Hoist Sail: Increase the amount of sail the ship is using. This will increase the speed. (Note: This command and the next two are often used with a specific sail, e.g. 'Hoist the mainsail!'.) Shorten Sail: Reduce the amount of sail the ship is using. This will decrease the speed. Furl Sail: Take the sail down, roll it up, and secure it. Steady: Maintain heading and speed. Full Ahead: Increase speed to maximum. Five beats: Begin rowing slowly (five strokes/ minute) Ten beats: Row faster (ten strokes/minute) Fifteen beats: Row as fast as possible. Most oarsmen cannot maintain fifteen beats for more than a few minutes, and some large ships cannot row this quickly at all. Bear Port/Starboard: Turn slowly to the left/right. Hard to Port/Starboard: Turn to the left/right as fast as possible. Fire: Fire one volley of missiles at the target. This command is typically used with ship-to-ship weapons such as ballistae and catapults. Fire Away: Fire missile weapons at the target at will. Hold Fire: Stop firing. Strike Colors: Surrender.
