List of ship directions

This list of ship directions provides succinct definitions for terms applying to spatial orientation in a marine environment or location on a vessel, such as fore, aft, astern, aboard, or topside.

"Aloft" redirects here. For hotel brand, see Aloft Hotels. For the 2014 film, see Aloft (film).
"Ashore" redirects here. For the June Tabor album, see Ashore (album).

Terms
  • Abaft (preposition): at or toward the stern of a ship, or further back from a location, e.g. the mizzenmast is abaft the mainmast.[1]
  • Aboard: onto or within a ship, or in a group.[2]
  • Above: a higher deck of the ship.[1]
  • Aft (adjective): toward the stern (rear) of a ship.[1]
  • Adrift: floating in the water without propulsion.
  • Aground: resting on the shore or wedged against the sea floor.[3]
  • Ahull: with sails furled and helm lashed alee.[4]
  • Alee: on or toward the lee (the downwind side).[5]
  • Aloft: the stacks, masts, rigging, or other area above the highest solid structure.[1]
  • Amidships: near the middle part of a ship.[1]
  • Aport: toward the port side of a ship (opposite of "astarboard").[6]
  • Ashore: on or towards the shore or land.[7]
  • Astarboard: toward the starboard side of a ship (opposite of "aport").[8]
  • Astern (adjective): toward the rear of a ship (opposite of "forward").[9]
  • Athwartships: toward the sides of a ship.[1]
  • Aweather: toward the weather or windward side of a ship.[10]
  • Aweigh: just clear of the sea floor, as with an anchor.[11]
  • Below: a lower deck of the ship.[1]
  • Belowdecks: inside or into a ship, or down to a lower deck.[12]
  • Bilge: the underwater part of a ship between the flat of the bottom and the vertical topsides[13]
  • Bottom: the lowest part of the ship's hull.
  • Bow: front of a ship (opposite of "stern")[1]
  • Centerline or centreline: an imaginary, central line drawn from the bow to the stern.[1]
  • Fore or forward: at or toward the front of a ship or further ahead of a location (opposite of "aft")[1]
  • Inboard: attached inside the ship.[14]
  • Keel: the bottom structure of a ship's hull.[15]
  • Leeward: side or direction away from the wind (opposite of "windward").[16]
  • On deck: to an outside or muster deck (as "all hands on deck").[17]
  • On board: on, onto, or within the ship[18]
  • Onboard: somewhere on or in the ship.[19]
  • Outboard: attached outside the ship.[20]
  • Port: the left side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of "starboard").[1]
  • Starboard: the right side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of "port").[1]
  • Stern: the rear of a ship (opposite of "bow").[1]
  • Topside: the top portion of the outer surface of a ship on each side above the waterline.[1]
  • Underdeck: a lower deck of a ship.[21]
  • Yardarm: an end of a yard spar below a sail.
  • Waterline: where the water surface meets the ship's hull.
  • Weather: side or direction from which wind blows (same as "windward").[16]
  • Windward: side or direction from which wind blows (opposite of "leeward").[16]

Date of first use
  • "Aboard": 14th century[2]
  • "Aft": 1580[22]
  • "Outboard": 1694[23]
  • "Inboard": 1830[20]
  • "Belowdecks": 1897.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Ship Directions - TKDTutor" (glossary), TKDtutor.com, 2012, web: SD Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. "Aboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-ab
  3. "Aground - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-agr
  4. "Ahull - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-ahull
  5. "Alee - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-alee
  6. "Aport - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-aport
  7. "Ashore - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-ash
  8. "Astarboard - Definition and More from Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-astar
  9. "Astern - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-astern
  10. "Aweather - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-aweat
  11. "Aweigh - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-aweigh
  12. "Belowdecks - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-belowd
  13. "Bilge - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-bilge
  14. "Inboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-inb
  15. "Bilge keel - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-bilgek
  16. "Windward - Definition and More from Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-windw
  17. "Deck - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-deck
  18. "Definition of ABOARD". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  19. "Onboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-onb
  20. "Outboard - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-outb
  21. "Underdeck - Definition and More from Merriam-Webster Dictionary", Merriam-Webster Dictionary, May 2012, web: MW-underd
  22. "aft". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  23. "outboard". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
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